The site I remember had a big map with a banner (or picture of the Soapland) all the places at the top. You could click on the banner (or pic) and be directed to the soaplands webpage. Scroll left or right to access each one. Unfortunately, I did not bookmark the site or maybe I did but deleted the bookmark later on. Or the site no longer exists.

Thanks for the info though.

http://forum.myredbook.com/dcforum2/intl/6961.html

It was called American Crystal (http://www.ame-cry.com/index.html). There are tons of places on the main drag. And the touts were helpful. If they see that you're a Westerner, they'll point you in the right direction. Also, go before 11pm.

Hope that helps.

higgins

A few years ago I ventured to Minowa for the first time, expecting to be rejected as a gaijin with no Japanese language skills, as happens around Shimbashi and other areas of Tokyo. To my surprise on that occasion, I was finally accepted in one place after being politely turned away at five or six (there are dozens of places along these two main streets).

On that trip I had a slim and cute J-girl do the whole routine for me, including the bathing and the goo on the mattress thing (worth a try for novelty value at least). As I recall it was about Y50,000, not cheap at about $500 given the exchange rate at the time. But overall a fun and interesting experience.

But in the three or four trips since then, the soapie experience in Minowa has been much worse - mainly because of the poor quality of the girls. In the other visits prior to this one, it was the old bait-and-switch -- the Japanese guy in the waiting room got the book of J-girls on duty to flip through and choose, while I was given a framed photo of a cute J-girl (probably a model). That was the first B&S clue, but I fell for it twice. Both times it was a very unattractive (albeit friendly and certainly Japanese) girl there to greet me in the room, at which time the money had been paid and the inability to speak Japanese (and desire to avoid a confrontation with the yakuza who own these places) meant there was no turning back. Once I managed to get through it with eyes closed, the second time I had to just bail after 15 minutes of trying to get wood with a chubby, ugly chick foisted on the gaijin. Can't remember the names of those places, but another clue is that the doormen were keen to get me into the places, rather than being a bit more reserved about it.

So I had almost sworn off Minowa completely after two bad and expensive visits in a row - while some places were indeed welcoming to gaijin, the quality of the RA was terrible and the price very high. Higgins review above caused me to reconsider on this last trip, and the good news about Amer Crystal is that it was not B&S -- they showed me photos of two girls who looked OK (but still a 7 at best). But once I got to the room, it was the girl in the photo but now she looks like a 5. Once again I struggled to get it going.

So if it is eye candy you want, look elsewhere or forget about mongering in Japan. The cultural side of it is sort of interesting and certainly different, but you either need to be blind or very drunk to get very excited about most of the girls made available to the white guys in the Tokyo soaplands, in my experience at least.

tokyo hobbying is definitely tricky for foreigners. temptation everywhere but very little of it is available to gaijin. i once made the mistake of trying out one of the many massage places in roppongi-a very expensive mistake.

higgins

Mongers also need to be very wary of rip-offs in Shinjuku, as I discovered on that last trip as well. I narrowly missed falling for one dumb con due to the inherent trust towards the Japanese -- a young Japanese guy (a relief from the African dudes who hound you nonstop in Roppongi and Shinjuku) approaches you offering a girl/massage/soapie. Then he takes you outside what appears to be a soapie and shows you the photos. Then he asks for the money up front, after which he promises to take you to a room to "wait" for a girl - certainly not the same one and probably no one coming at all. Sad to say amidst the normally exceedingly polite Japanese, the con artists are at work as in any other country.