'Don't be led anywhere': Tokyo's Kabukicho rife with 'little rip-off' scam shops: lawyer

TOKYO -- On a late January evening in Tokyo's Kabukicho nightlife district, this reporter was called out within minutes by a man soliciting patrons for an izakaya Japanese-style pub. After turning him away with a polite, "I'll think about it," another man asked, "How about Toriki," apparently referring to popular yakitori chicken skewer chain Torikizoku.

Following the arrests of more than 10 people for allegedly posing as affiliates of Torikizoku and tricking patrons into visiting scam restaurants, a number of posts have been found on social media from reported victims of the establishments. The Mainichi Shimbun spoke with one such person plus an attorney with expertise in the issue.

'Toriki is crowded. I know a place.'

The man strategically stood right in the reporter's path, saying, "It's crowded everywhere, so you'll end up going in circles if you look for a place by yourself." He then fired a rapid chain of questions, like, "Are you good with counter seating? Do you smoke?"

After asking about Torikizoku, the man opened his smartphone and appeared to check something, then said, "There's a 15- to 20-minute wait at Torikizoku, so I'll show you to another izakaya in the same group that has yakitori, seafood, you name it."

The place we arrived at was an izakaya on the fifth floor of a nearby building. From the entrance, the place looked crowded, and there were signs plastered near the cash register saying, "No photography" and "Photography will be subject to a 10,000-yen (roughly $68) penalty."

This reporter declined to enter the pub, but for one woman visiting Tokyo in December 2023, things went differently. After spending just 15 minutes there, she was charged nearly 20,000 yen (around $156). She had reportedly been with a friend when she was led to the shop by a man claiming it would be a one-hour wait at Torikizoku.

Inside, the woman was told she'd have to order at least two items, so she ordered a platter of yakitori and salted cabbage. Not liking the shop's atmosphere and small seats, she looked up its name on her phone. "Rip-off" appeared loud and clear in the search results. She decided to leave right after having her yakitori, but the bill showed items she had no recollection of ordering, including a "premium all-you-can-drink" option for 7,960 yen (around $54) and a 2,000-yen (about $14) "appetizer." There was also a 2,000-yen "weekend" charge. When she began to argue, the shop showed her what they said was a lawyer's business card. Without knowing why, her bill went up even higher, and in the end, she paid 18,874 yen (some $130) in total.

The woman had planned to go shopping and do other things in Tokyo the next day, but reportedly cut her plans short and returned home due to feeling depressed.

Torikizoku sounds alarm

The Tokyo Bar Association's Takeshi Nakamura, a lawyer with expertise on countering rip-offs and organized crime, pointed out, "Around 10 years ago, rip-offs in amounts of 1 million yen (approx. $6,800) were rampant at places like cabarets and sex service shops. But 'little rip-offs' of relatively small amounts at izakaya and other establishments have become more common in recent years."

He added, "There's a high likelihood the touts working in collusion with scam businesses are a source of income for organized crime groups. To avoid becoming a victim, first and foremost, don't be led anywhere by a tout. Once anything has been paid, it can be difficult to fix. If you're asked to pay unreasonable sums, I'd advise consulting the police right away."

Torikizoku Holdings Co. commented to the Mainichi Shimbun, "Our restaurants do not solicit customers whatsoever. That act itself is banned by regulations in many places. We ask our valued customers to please exercise caution."

(Japanese original by Nana Hayashida and Shohei Kato, Tokyo City News Department)