Security For Valuables

[homer69]

How do you guys secure your cash and cards when being serviced at non-Japanese places, assuming they don't offer a plastic bag to take with you to the shower or table shower room? I may be naive but I'm pretty trustworthy of licensed Japanese healths and soaps but I feel you can never be too careful at Chinese places in particular and possibly at Thai and Korean places. I know the simple answer is to lock everything up in the nearest coin locker before you go to play.

I don't have much but sometimes I have a credit card or some 10,000s in my wallet and if there is no plastic bag to take it with me to the shower I get a little nervous. I don't go to Chinese places anymore since the pandemic but I may after the pandemic ends.

 

[TAG Manager]

You seem like a veteran in this hobby but the general recommendation I make to people is to carry as little as possible and/or use a coin locker. Carry only what's vitally needed into places that you don't feel comfortable with.
In those cases where you aren't comfortable but still need to carry things with you, it doesn't hurt to carry your own little plastic pouch or even a plastic zip-lock bag for those kind of situations.

The overall theft rate is pretty low - if something were to happen in the shop that would involve the police, it would bring a lot of unwanted attention. Those shops don't want the attention, so the risk to the customer is fairly low... but don't go walking in there with a wad of 10,000 yen bills.

One shop I dealt with a number of years ago had a theft happen. It's not what you might expect though... When the shop manager was away, usually one of the more experienced ladies was put in charge of handling money. One day, when the shop had a very good day and the cashbox was flush with yen, one of those trusted ladies decided to take the cash and run. As far as I know, she was never seen or heard from again, probably running back to China or to another area of Tokyo.

 

[homer69]

Thanks. I don't frequent places that often where it is an issue but sometimes you never know. The issue might come up if I'm out after work and spontaneously/unplanned see a place and wander in for akasuri and rubdown.

 

[Sudsy]

Thanks. I don't frequent places that often where it is an issue but sometimes you never know. The issue might come up if I'm out after work and spontaneously/unplanned see a place and wander in for akasuri and rubdown.

In July/August that happens to me a lot... getting the day's accumulated sweat scrubbed off by a (hopefully) pretty lady is a great way to finish the working day and segue into an evening of R&R.

 

[homer69]

Exactly, Sudsy. I walk by an akasuri place and sometimes it is too spontaneously tempting and I can’t resist. I think carrying a ziplock or even small shopping bag I can cinch up while in the wet area and then discard when done will work.

 

[Sudsy]

I usually opt for coin lockers. There's usually some around any station that has massage joints, and then I can secure my PC and company phone, etc.

 

[Keihan]

At least you folks can carry your gaijin/PR cards, because most of you seriously underestimate what a fucking PITA it is being forced to carry around a passport. Never occurred to me until I came back as a tourist, and it's one of the reasons my preferred vacation pants are tactical cargo types with multiple pockets. Even for an innocent akasuri rubdown, I go in with the bare minimum. I leave the bulk of my cash, credit cards and watch in the hotel safe. Stuff my walk-around cash, credit card case, wallet and primary iPhone in a small tactical pack and lock it in a station locker. I walk into the joint carrying a cheap Chinese travel cell with data SIM, my passport in one obscure, secure side pocket, no more than 1-man more than the course I want in cash and wearing a cheap G-Shock just to keep track of time. Never had an issue yet, knock on wood, but dressing like a wannabe Jason Bourne probably doesn't lead anyone to believe I have much in my pants, sweater or hiking boots worth risking your immigration status over.

 

[Camellia Marie]

If even Japanese shops, happen steal money and PASMO. Please be careful.

 

[Hughty]

Hello folks,

Well as some of you might have read my reviews here, I've done quite a few of these rubdown/HE/Massage parlors. So far nothing has ever happened to me. As mentioned above here, most of these shops don't want any unwanted attention from the authorities...

My guidelines are the following though:

-I usually know more or less how much these places are gonna cost me before hand. Or at least I know how much I'm willing to spend. So I'm barely caring more than what is needed to pay for the service provided. The main reason for that is that once you're in these parlors being a bit horny I must say while staring at a good looking MILF with large attributes talking to you, it's hard to keep you head on your shoulders. This is when you usually end up spending way more than what you thought you would or making bad choices (ex: accepting the up sell or some unknown VIP courses that don't necessarily get you anything sexual as a counterpart).

-Still talking about selling services to you you didn't attend to buy, carrying the right amount of cash will prevent you from being ripped off. I'm talking about these massage parlors where after plenty of tease, the girl there will ask you for 2000, 5000 or even 10000 yens for a HJ (Yes I've heard that guys ). It's usually happening as far as I know close to very touristy places (ex: Dotonburi area in Osaka). It's a rookie mistake but if you've mentioned that you don't live here, that you are on holiday and that therefore you don't know much about the business and that you're unlikely to become a repeater there, then you're more likely to get ripped off. Been there. Done that

-If the prices happened to have changed compared to what I've seen online or on various forums, these ladies will almost always align to what you've got in your valet. We're not talking about half price but sometimes a 1000 yens will come off the original price. So not having a few Ichiman sticking out of your wallet makes it easy (you can have them on your bank accounts too right ).

-I usually switch off my mobile phone for various reasons. If it ever get stolen, It will be almost useless, at least for a short while.

But once more, Japan is a relatively safe country especially compared to western standard so you'll be fine!

Happy and safe mongering!