Biggest swindle or ripoff ?

On my first Japan visit, being a bit naive, I tried for some local genuine Japanese talent. There is no shortage of people promising this to foreigners in Shinjuku. Anyway being fresh off the plane and ill prepared I was soon befriended by a helpful local (lets call him L1) who didn't speak much english, but he spoke enough for us to communicate. His first question to me was did I speak any Japanese (this had much more significance than I realised at the time) He made a call and walked me a little way down the road and to a secluded spot where I met L2.

L2 showed me a little book of pictures and asked me to choose one. The pictures were of pretty hot J girls, they looked like JAV stars... I asked him about the price and the services and the room he said all the right things. Ie. I would get the girl and the room for an hour for the price I will pay, and there was no more to pay. I said I wanted to see the girl before I paid and he explained this is not how it is done here, and L1 backed him up on this. So I thought I'll give it a try and paid L2. It seemed like a good deal. So now L1 takes me through back alleys and under buildings and around and around and into a hotel, he says go into the hotel and the guy will look after you. L1 then leaves me at the hotel.

I walk into the hotel and there is a tough looking guy at the desk, he wants money for the room! WTF I explained to him the deal but he didn't budge and gave me a well rehearsed story about how he is providing me a room and I have to pay. The fact that I already paid for the room didn't interest him, so I thought it's only a bit extra and I have already paid so much so maybe I should pay and see what happens next. So I paid him. Another younger guy takes me to the room. It is a really small room, just wide enough to walk beside a bed.

After waiting for a while a girl comes in and asks me to take off my clothes. Her english was really bad. She wasn't the girl in the picture, she was about a 3/10 and the girl in the picture was at least a 9/10. I tried to ask her if she was the girl I would be seeing but never really got a straight answer. So I take my clothes off and wait.

She comes back with a clear vinyl folder and asks me to put my wallet in it, and she also asks me to pay her. So I explain I have already paid etc but she is not really understanding, or choosing to understand. So I had had enough by then and put my clothes back on and walked out.

On the way out I saw the tough guy at reception and tried to get a refund on the room, even tried for a partial refund, after alot of explaining and arguing I got nothing.

I decided to find L1 and see what he had to say, I found him and he was quite suprised to see me. All of a sudden his english was really bad and he couldn't help me cos he didn't understand, what a suprise ...

This european guy overhears the "conversation" and starts chatting to me. He tells me how "you can't trust these japs that they are all Yakuza" and he will do what he can to help me get my money back as he knows some people. It didn't take long for me to realise that this guy was a con man as well and trying to extract more dollars from me.

So with the benefit of hindsight I think this is what actually happened:
L1 makes sure I don't know Japanese, he rings L2 and says he has a sucker ready to be conned.
L1 & L2 do their thing with the pictures and answering all the questions, lying through their teeth, then L2 takes the money.
As I am walking to to the Hotel L2 probably calls the hotel guy to let him know a sucker is on his way.
Once I am in the hotel L1 probably goes back to get his cut from L2.
The hotel guy gets his cut from me.
The girl tries to get her cut from me, but I bail before I hand over anymore money.
The girl also tried to take my wallet etc by asking me to put it in the vinyl folder for "safe keeping".
The european guy may have been an opportunist or also in on it, either way he was a con man too.

I knew there was nothing I could do about this, escalating it to a physical confrontation would have been a really bad idea, and I wasn't going to tell the police what I was doing. So lesson learnt!

Now I wouldn't normally fall for this type of con but up to this point all my experiences in Japan were fantastic, I found the people honourable, helpfull, and trustworthy, so I decided to take a risk and see what happened. Naturally it didn't happen again. After this I talked to alot of the black dudes that spruik for the various clubs and I know how the whole scene works now. Basically you are better off saving your money and getting a J girl in Sydney.

Any other punters have swindle or ripoff stories ?

It's not legal to offer FS in Japan. You'd do better just drinking in a bar and see if you can pick up a girl. If you don't speak Japanese, you're walking chum. There are plenty of genuine shops, but most wouldn't let a non-Japanese speaker in the door. Want to punt with a Japanese girl, stick to Oz.

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Originally Posted by jwild

It's not legal to offer FS in Japan. You'd do better just drinking in a bar and see if you can pick up a girl. If you don't speak Japanese, you're walking chum. There are plenty of genuine shops, but most wouldn't let a non-Japanese speaker in the door. Want to punt with a Japanese girl, stick to Oz.

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Of course I was only ever after a massage...

When in Japan I just skied for this reason.

Much easier to see quality Japanese girls here.

In Japan, an hour south of Tokyo in the back streets of an area just out of Yokohama is lane after lane of little FS shops, girls from all over, China, Korea, Thailand, Philippines etc. Prices are reasonable and foreigners tolerated. Best to go in a small group, a local is even better. I saw one of the hottest wl I have ever seen there. She was seriously sexy.
At bars etc if anyone approaches you to offer girls just politely turn them down, it's a con and the cops will be no help as it is illegal AND they hate gaijin (mainly due to the US servicemen stationed there who always try to fuck anything that breathes.) There are some escort agencies as well, and at some hostess bars more is on offer, but you need local intel to know where to go and get in.

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Originally Posted by asiafever

In Japan, an hour south of Tokyo in the back streets of an area just out of Yokohama is lane after lane of little FS shops, girls from all over, China, Korea, Thailand, Philippines etc. Prices are reasonable and foreigners tolerated. Best to go in a small group, a local is even better. I saw one of the hottest wl I have ever seen there. She was seriously sexy.
At bars etc if anyone approaches you to offer girls just politely turn them down, it's a con and the cops will be no help as it is illegal AND they hate gaijin (mainly due to the US servicemen stationed there who always try to fuck anything that breathes.) There are some escort agencies as well, and at some hostess bars more is on offer, but you need local intel to know where to go and get in.

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But are they J-girls ?

You can go to any of the clubs in Shinjuku and Roppongi and have all sorts of girls, just not J girls.

In Japan, out-calls are actually cheaper than in-calls. So next time get the girl to come to your hotel. Then you can just go to sleep after also ;)

I guess that would work if you could read/write/speak Japanese!

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Originally Posted by CunningLinguist

Of course I was only ever after a
massage...

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Just wait another 10 days and you can enjoy Mimi from Stanmore

Cheers

Good story Cunning they saw you coming. I have similar with purchasing a product, the best never trust money even with the people you know. I am still learning :) they always wanted your trust and at the end you pay for it.

Damn. Roppongi is definitely a hotspot. Steer clear of Shinjuku, it's Yakuza central there.

Just hang out in a busy hotel bar, over a whiskey suss out the bar and then pick a target... standard in any business hotel world wide frequented by Westerners... getting ripped off in Japan is so cliche these days. They must have thought you were a total dick head.

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Originally Posted by altgourami

Just hang out in a busy hotel bar, over a whiskey suss out the bar and then pick a target... standard in any business hotel world wide frequented by Westerners... getting ripped off in Japan is so cliche these days. They must have thought you were a total dick head.

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Well I took a risk, I never thought they would stoop so low.
If someone tried that in Australia they would end up in hospital at the very least.
You have to behave yourself in Japan though, especially in a place like Shinjuku.
I just hope lots of people see this thread so they don't make the same mistake I did.

Dam that sucks I had an awesome time with my punts in Japan and met Japanese strippers. I suppose it does help that I have a "don't f*ck me around" look, even tried to tip the operations muscle but he refused my tip. But the most surprising thing I experienced was
the play now pay later.

Never go to the red light districts of Japan they are all owned by the Yakuza.

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Originally Posted by Gucci2012

Dam that sucks I had an awesome time with my punts in Japan and met Japanese strippers. I suppose it does help that I have a "don't f*ck me around" look, even tried to tip the operations muscle but he refused my tip. But the most surprising thing I experienced was
the play now pay later.

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I went to some strip clubs and they were good!

After reading this, I'm damn shocked about Tokyo.

Yeah, I'll stick to Oz to pick up Japanese chicks

Thanks for the warning

I only skied and went to Rappongi and had successful punts with hostesses and escorts... Then a friend/acquaintance went with a few mates and returned with an absolute horror story to match this warning...

2 guys out for a night on the town, neither of them would admit they wanted to end up with company but both would have definately wanted some.
A little bit of bar/ club hopping and they were approached with the fabulous offer of girls, drinks and perhaps more.....

Once inside after traipsing thru alleys and lane ways the girls came over one or 2 at a time, drinks were flowing and life was great.. After a couple of hours one if the boys felt sick & declared he had to go, his mate did the mate thing and walked him to the front door and shoved him into a cab..it could be said he deserved what was coming/
When musketeer number 1 returned he felt an atmosphere change but kept drinking anyway, then a guy came over with a folder containing pictures and with some pressure attempted to cajole my pal into seeing one of the pictures, her room was very close. Sensing things were really not right he said he was leaving and went to settle the account. I don't know exact numbers but the bill he got was astronomical, he said that even if drinks wereY3k there was no way they could have consumed that, maybe he shouted the whole place all nite... He started protesting and the gents from other booths/ lounges who he had not looked twice at, or even really noticed began walking towards him a couple spoke and although he did not understand the words he knew he was going to pay ... He didn't have anywhere near the full amount in cash so handed over his c/c and was metaphorically sodomized.

As he stepped out the door he broke into a run, after a handful of steps he heard someone say something including the word help, he looked around and the guy with the picture book was running behind him.. My mate said can u get me to where I will find a taxi back to my hotel, "sure sure sir "... "No problem come with me". They walked for less than a couple of minutes and the picture man said "in here". Still shell shocked from earlier events and copious amounts of alcohol he followed. Once inside he said no mate don't worry I'll find my own way, picture man said something to the effect of look u had a bad nite come and meet someone who will make you feel good again...inexplicably the genius thought things can't get worse, so he agreed to take s look... Up some steps and past a very large man inside a steel cage of some sort he followed, as he passed the cage the big guy thundered something in Japanese and my friend ponted to picture guy to say I'm with him, picture guy said u have to pay the room fee. Realizing he was way out if his element he slapped down his wallet and every bit of cash was extracted and the wallet thrown back, he turned and ran this time non stop till he found a taxi. Once in he said the hotel name and sat in silence till they arrived... In the driveway he pulled out the wallet and found it devoid of not only cash but cards as well.. He pleaded with the driver to accompany him to the room where he could borrow some cash from his mate. The driver did not understand and began pointing at the meter, One of the driveway attendants came over and translated the request, so off they went to the room. He opened the door to find another guy( also in the traveling party, but choose not to go out) in the room with the earlier leaver from the club who was in the bath after redecorating the room with his vomit for the past few hours. That guy had his drink spiked and since the stayer was nowhere near that out if it they concluded party boy must have ingested both doses during the merry part of the night.
So plenty of morals to be learnt, but stay smart deal with the Nigerians, I never had an issue although only 1 of 4 punts was a J girl, all 4 were great punts.
Over and out.
(Recounted here to the best of my memory, I heard it straight from the horses mouth, and don't doubt a word)[/quote]

When I was in Roppongi at first I stayed away from the Nigerians, then I got to know some of them and found they were more honest than the locals that worked in the area (this isn't saying much though as the locals that work those clubs are very untrustworthy).

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Originally Posted by CunningLinguist

When I was in Roppongi at first I stayed away from the Nigerians, then I got to know some of them and found they were more honest than the locals that worked in the area (this isn't saying much though as the locals that work those clubs are very untrustworthy).

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I can understand why u would have those thoughts initially but I am pretty sure everyone wants organized disorder in such a heavy tourist spot, they seem to have their patch cut out and I would imagine trouble with the law is the last thing they would want so the boundaries are respected. By the 3rd nite we looked for the guy who had looked after us on night 1, the on nite 2 after 2 dud steers from other guys. They can be helpful in other ways as well.