Club Harlem Says "F*ed Gaijin Must Be Escorted"

[kamome]

From Black Tokyo:

Foreigners need Japanese escort to enter Club Harlem - Craig Nine @ 11:54 am JST

Club Harlem, Shibuya foreigners by themselves can't enter.
Club Harlem has added a new requirement to enter the club. Foreigners now need a Japanese person with them to enter the club. After hearing this rumor I went to the club to ask if it was true. Lately there seems to have been a lot of trouble by foreigners which attracted the cops to run up in the club. Club Harlem is the top Hip Hop club in the Tokyo & they also said they know it may seem a little harsh but it was a decision to stop those causing trouble. I was also told it is getting better because now 5 foreigners can be escorted in the club if they have 1 Japanese person with them.
Seeing that this is the biggest Hip Hop club in Japan & I know that many American Hip Hop artists & DJs come to perform in Harlem I feel this is probably not the way they could have solved their problem. There is already security at the door, that do a full body & I.D. check.I'm 100% sure Hip Hop labels in the States do not know that the Japanese club they support has a rule like this now. I'm usually with Japanese friends when I clubbing but they now also extra check everything with foreigners entering the club. Personally since it's the biggest hip hop club in Tokyo & I can't roll in if I'm solo... Well I feel Harlem for me has just changed a bit..

I personally haven't been to Harlem in quite a while, but this is quite a change if it's true. This sucks, because I can envision all Tokyo clubs following Harlem's lead and imposing the same rule.

[cstaylor]

...Japanese can defuse this issue by saying what they probably mean: "You must have a decent level of Japanese language skills to enter this establishment, or be escorted by someone who can translate for you".

It's still discriminatory, but if I saw that on a sign I wouldn't be as offended. How can you tell troublemakers to shut up and sit down if they don't understand the language?

[kamome]

Sorry I missed the April 9th date; it was news to me when I read it. Like I said, I haven't been to Harlem in quite a while. That thread on Black Tokyo is interesting. It appears the webmaster knows Verbal from M-flo.

Hey, ultra, which famous Japanese pop star are you on a first-name basis with?

CS: I doubt that the only reason why Harlem imposed that rule is because of the language barrier. Apparently, the mentality is that the "troublesome gaijin" doesn't have any Japanese friends. If a Japanese sponsor is with you, you are less likely to engage in fighting, drug trafficking, etc. I know there are major loopholes in that kind of logic, especially since anyone can get around it by asking a Japanese person to help get them in, but the idea that it's just a language thing probably doesn't explain it all.

[cstaylor]

CS: I doubt that the only reason why Harlem imposed that rule is because of the language barrier

If you read farther down in the comments in the Black Tokyo site about Club Harlem, you'll notice another gaijin talked to the people running the door in Japanese. He still refused to enter because of their posted racist policy, but [1] he was alone and [2] the door guys said, "hey, you can come in" to him in Japanese. So in this situation I'm going to say that it's a language thing.

[kamome]

In fact, I think some Japanese hang around with foreigners in order to score drugs. A lot of Japanese kids who study abroad are into that scene too.

That's for damn sure. My Japanese friends in the States were all doing ecstasy and pot.

the door guys said, "hey, you can come in" to him in Japanese. So in this situation I'm going to say that it's a language thing.

Or just the fact that they saw he was a cool guy who wasn 't going to make trouble. Of course, speaking Japanese helps out, but if you look like a thug, I doubt they're going to let you in even if you speak Japanese.

[Kurofune]

My Japanese friends in the States were all doing ecstasy and pot.

I saw the same thing. Hardly surprising in a culture where getting bombed till you can't see is considered normal and maybe even honorable.

I feel this is probably not the way they could have solved their problem...I'm 100% sure Hip Hop labels in the States do not know that the Japanese club they support has a rule like this now.

Agreed, the "no gaijin" or "gaijin conditionally" signs go up damn fast. I suspect the Hip Hop labels in the US couldn't care less, as long as the Japanese owners can assure them that there are enough Japanese customers to keep it profitable.

[groovewonder]

is this something new in the mainland?

this kind of thing has been going on in okinawa FOREVER. it's nothing new here.. but as you said, basically it means no admittance unless you can speak japanese or are admitted by somebody who can translate for you...

still f*cked up though... discrimination is legal in japan though... doesn't bother me though.. for every club with those kinds of rules, there are oter better clubs to attend... why waste money on dirty looks?

[Kurofune]

[groovewonder]

most likely so! testosterone can be a bitch out here..