The Dark Side of Kabukicho - Toyoko Kids

© Yusuke Nagata

Street youth, gutter kids, at-risk youth: worldwide, all sorts of terms are used to refer to underaged individuals living in difficult situations, often pushed out of their homes and having no other place to go. What binds them are their shared struggles and conditions, with experiences with abuse, not being accepted by their families, and much more. 

In Tokyo's Kabukicho district, a unique group of people has found refuge, known as the Toyoko kids. Kabukicho, Shinjuku’s entertainment district, is a popular tourist attraction due to its neon-lit alleyways and towering skyscrapers. However, it is notoriously known as the underbelly of Tokyo’s entertainment scene, making it a popular destination for nightlife, love hotels, and more.

Here, the Toyoko kids gather, a mix of runaways and those seeking community, facing significant hardship and social exclusion. Despite the constant buzz of the area, they want to maintain a semblance of normalcy amid unstable living conditions. Kabukicho draws them in with its economic opportunities and informal work options. The district's social networks and dynamic atmosphere provide a space where these people can find a community, albeit with substantial risks.

While some Toyoko kids are involved in the nightlife and sex industries to make a living, recent attention on their activities has led to increased efforts from groups and local governments to offer support. But nevertheless, the underlying issues remain. With Kabukicho’s focus on redevelopment projects like the Kabukicho Tower, aimed at reshaping the district’s image, the Toyoko Kids may soon need to find a new place to call home.

Yusuke Nagata, a street photographer based in Tokyo, has turned his lens towards the Toyoko kids, capturing their unique character and the harsh realities they navigate. We spoke with Yusuke Nagata about his experiences photographing the Toyoko Kids.

© Yusuke Nagata

What inspired you to photograph the Toyoko kids in Kabukicho, and how did you approach them?

Kabukicho Square has always been a gathering place for people. Given that it is located in a red light district, it's not surprising that it attracts many unique individuals as subjects for photography. Therefore, I have been observing and photographing Kabukicho Square since before the pandemic in 2020. One thing I noticed is that the types of people gathering in Kabukicho Square have changed before and after the pandemic.

Before 2020, the square was frequented by various people such as homeless day laborers, ordinary university students, and sex workers. However, after the pandemic, there was a noticeable increase in the number of teenagers. At that time, the term "Toyoko kids" had not yet been used in the media, but I felt compelled to document these changes through photography, which became the impetus for photographing the Toyoko kids.

Back then, the square was not just a hangout for kids but also a place where people who enjoyed drinking would gather. As a beer lover, I often joined the people in the square for a drink. By drinking and talking with them, I was able to take their photos. This was my approach — approaching them not as a photographer but as a fellow member of the square. Consequently, many of the photos I took of the kids show them smiling, which stems from the relationships built through this approach.

© Yusuke Nagata

What were the biggest challenges you faced while photographing Toyoko kids, and how did you address them? I can only imagine some of them weren’t too keen on being on camera. 

It is said that the role of language in communication is only 7%, while auditory information accounts for 38% and visual information for 55%. In other words, even without asking "can I take your photo?", the action of hanging a camera around my neck visually communicates, "I am here to take photos." Therefore, people who do not want to be photographed naturally avoid interacting with me when they see my camera.

As a result, photographing those who would drink and chat with me was not particularly challenging.

However, there are a few things to be mindful of. For instance, since they are referred to as "Toyoko kids," many people might think it is a group of teenagers. However, their community also includes adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. Some of these adults are members of gangs. It is crucial to be careful with my behavior and words to avoid any trouble with these individuals.

You mentioned that Kabukicho is described as a 'stadium of desire' and a place where anything goes. How do you think this unique environment shapes Toyoko kids?

For children who are not self-sufficient, the environment of entertainment districts, especially Kabukicho, is undoubtedly harmful. The adults around the Toyoko kids, who should be role models, often lead destructive lives driven by their desires. As a result, the children tend to mimic these self-destructive lifestyles. Consequently, it is not uncommon to see children who have given up on life and collapsed from overdoses.

© Yusuke Nagata

You met Akira there, who said he was protecting runaway girls. Did his tragic fate affect your view of Kabukicho?

Honestly, deaths like Akira's are not rare. Therefore, his death did not change my view of Kabukicho, but it was certainly shocking to have someone I knew be killed.

With Kabukicho Square becoming less inviting for Toyoko kids, where do you think they will go next?

The children gathering in Kabukicho are not always from Tokyo. Some of the children I met came from places like Osaka and Nagoya. Since taking an overnight bus to another city's entertainment district is relatively inexpensive, many kids move around various cities across Japan.

What was your most memorable encounter while photographing the Toyoko kids?

A memorable encounter was with a boy with intellectual disabilities. He had severe mood swings, making it difficult to have a proper conversation with him. 

The other kids around him treated him as if saying, "He has an intellectual disability, so it can't be helped." In Japan, there are many children with mild intellectual disabilities like him.

However, there is a lack of understanding about intellectual disabilities in Japan, and many people treat those with such disabilities as "dangerous individuals" or "people to be avoided."

As a result of such treatment, I believe many juveniles with intellectual disabilities turn to delinquency. In fact, some of the women working as street prostitutes in Kabukicho also have intellectual disabilities. They are easily deceived and fall into exploitation, which is why such encounters left a strong impression on me.

© Yusuke Nagata

Are you still in contact with some of the people you’ve met there? If so, how are they doing?

There were people I talked to when I saw them on the street, but I did not exchange contact information with any of them, so I do not know how they are doing now.

How has working on this series and engaging with Toyoko kids personally affected you? What other projects or social subjects are you excited to explore in the future?

I am not particularly interested in delinquent youths. However, as mentioned above, the presence of a certain number of children with intellectual disabilities among the Toyoko kids made me feel that I should take action. 

My uncle also has intellectual and physical disabilities, and every time I went out with him, I experienced people giving us dirty looks. I believe the lack of understanding of people with disabilities in Japan stems from the limited opportunities to see or interact with them.

Therefore, as a future photography project, I plan to focus on the theme of people with disabilities.

© Yusuke Nagata

Follow Yusuke Nagata on Instagram.

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