Shinjuku Police Raid Illegal Tourist Hotels

[Mulboyne]

Mainichi: Shinjuku police clamp down on illegal lodgings
Complaints from local residents have spurred a crackdown by police on illegal lodgings around the Okubo district of Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, over the last couple of months. Popular with tourists from Asia, thanks to its plethora of Asian restaurants, diverse ethnic population and convenient access to Shinjuku's primary entertainment district of Kabukicho, many guests are staying in illegal lodgings without even realizing it. During June and July, police uncovered 10 illegal lodging houses, and arrested five South Korean and Taiwanese owners for violations of the Hotel Management Law. One 58-year-old Taiwanese couple, who were arrested on July 15, converted a two-story apartment building to use as lodgings sometime around 2003. Charging between 5,000 and 8,000 yen a night for each of the 10 rooms, they made 1.2 to 1.5 million yen a month. Despite a warning from the local public health center, they continued to run the business. "It was running a profit, we didn't think it was illegal," they told investigators. Thanks to the cheap yen and strong won, the lodging enjoyed plenty of business from South Korean travelers over the past few years. "At the end of the day, it was cheap," said one 22-year-old female customer. "I could stay a 15-minute walk from Kabukicho for 3,000 yen a night, which would have been impossible at a hotel or inn. The owners were really kind too." She had no idea it was illegal, however. The crackdown started after local residents started to complain about trash and noise from the lodgings. "We think the majority of people using them are tourists, but they could also be sheltering visa overstayers," said Shinjuku police, who added that they plan to continue the crackdown on illegal lodgings in the area.

[IkemenTommy]

illegal lodgings around the Okubo district of Shinjuku

I wonder if the Korean town has anything to do with this crackdown. Takechan should have a better insight than I do about that zainichi neck of the woods.

One 58-year-old Taiwanese couple, who were arrested on July 15, converted a two-story apartment building to use as lodgings sometime around 2003.

As usual, them lazy Mainich writers translate their original Japanese blog entries through software like babelfish so the translation sounds out of wack and full of syntax errors.

[pheyton]

And here I am spending $175 a night at the Keio Plaza Tama Center when I could have been paying $30 to be in the heart of shitty town Shinjuku. Oh well, at least Daiso is only 500 feet away.

[Taro Toporific]

And here I am spending $175 a night at the Keio Plaza Tama Center when I could have been paying $30 to be in the heart of shitty town Shinjuku....

Yes but the Keio Plaza Tama Center is a 5 minute walk to HELLO KITTY's Sanrio Puroland!

[Greji]

And here I am spending $175 a night at the Keio Plaza Tama Center when I could have been paying $30 to be in the heart of shitty town Shinjuku. Oh well, at least Daiso is only 500 feet away.

Shit, Pheyton, I should have warmed you earlier. Lock your doors and don't care large sums of money on your person when you are alone. You are staying near the residence of one of the more perverted fg's on this board...

[pheyton]

Yes but the Keio Plaza Tama Center is a 5 minute walk to HELLO KITTY's Sanrio Puroland!

Purolando! is exactly why we are here. Wife demanded we take the kids there, but I know it was really her teenage dream she wanted to fulfill.

Shit, Pheyton, I should have warmed you earlier. Lock your doors and don't care large sums of money on your person when you are alone. You are staying near the residence of one of the more perverted fg's on this board...

Don't worry. I ran into Takepoo at Purolando yesterday. It was difficult to tell it was him with the knee high socks and maid outfit on in the Black Wonder attraction, but the kids had no problem calling him out and kicking him in the jimmy. Stangely it seemed to have no effect. His already annoyingly high voice didn't change.

There were some seriously fucked up otaku there. Mostly normal people and hot Purolando slaves, but some otaku guy asked me to take his picture with one of the Cinnamon gang then chided me when I tried to turn the camera sideways. After he inspected the picture he immediately started mumbling to himself and got back in the picture line. Oh and he was wearing a bunch of Disney memorabilia.