SOD LAND - Kabukicho’s Porn Themed Bar
Tokyo boasts a diverse array of girl's bars, spanning from classic maiden cafes to niche fetish establishments, but Tokyo’s first adult - themed park is on another level. Gata recently ventured into SOD Land, the four-story attraction dedicated to the world of adult entertainment located in the city's famous red-light district. The highlight - the staff is composed entirely of active AV pornstars.
The Silent Bar, SOD LAND
9 PM. Kabukicho. A crowd of Japanese business men in suits gathers outside of SOD land. Built in 2020 as an extension of the already successful Porn Channel SOD, Soft on Demand, this theme park pushes the boundaries of what porn can be. To those who are unfamiliar, SOD is a household name in the Japanese Porn Producing industry. They are known for producing bizarre porn videos such as such as 500 Person Sex, which consisted of 250 couples having sex (apart from each other but in the same room) in a synchronised way, which was received with raised eyebrows from occidental porn sites. Or the infamous magic mirror, which consists of a truck parked in the streets of Tokyo, where the people inside participating in sexual intercourse can see through the glass, but individuals outside cannot. This has amassed them a high level of popularity - both amongst Japanese and foreign viewers. Now, SOD continues to foster and grow their engagement, by providing their pornstars this space to grow their fan bases and physically engage with clients. Refreshing in a predominantly online porn universe.
Outside of SOD LAND, Kabukicho
It’s the opposite of a leery, promiscuous girls bar. The smell of disinfectant greets you and a supervisor fastens a QR code bracelet around your arm, where all expenses will be scanned and charged to. The base entry fee is 3500 Japanese yen per hour. Drinks and Food and other inquiries are topped on. A sort of food chain pyramid is displayed on the wall - the food replaced by the faces of women organised according to the floor they are working on. The shifts are also published on Twitter, so that customers can check the schedule in advance to know which porn star is on duty. Yuna Obu Tsushima. First Floor. Shirono Natsuki. Second Floor.
This theme park has no casual mingling, every move is coordinated by the staff through headsets. Each floor has its own vibe. The basement is designed to be an onsen. Wooden walls, humid air and towel attire.
The menu ranges from bizarre things such as sharing a finger bath, where both the customer and the pornstar dip their fingers into a bowl of lukewarm water, to being bottle-fed.
Onsen Floor, SOD LAND
The narrow stairs to the second floor lead to an izakaya-style bar, wooden decor, wooden bar chairs - groups of customers sat with porn stars. Their attire consists of white tight blouses, four buttons open and black school girl skirts. The air is filled with laughs and the sound of conversation. With every drink on the menu comes a gesture, Vodka Sour drinks for example come with hand caressing. One of the most popular gestures is the “grabbing a snack in a sexy way”, which entiles a porn star grabbing a bag of shrimp crisps, or whatever the customer wishes from the shelf, pressing her boobs against a glass barrier that the customer is holding in front of his or her face.
“Grabbing a snack in a sexy way”, SOD LAND
Most of the girls solely speak Japanese, yet the customers range from regulars, to Japanese business men who drop in every time they are in town, as well as to curious tourists or first timers. The porn stars are keen on using google translate or using hand gestures to engage. One of them giggles and says “You can also use hands”, as she fondles her boobs. The ratio of customers being male versus female is about 9 to 1. One pornstar notes that female customers only come, if their boyfriend asks them to, they never come alone. In fact, customers mostly come for a specific porn star that they idolise and follow and wish to personally meet.
Slightly reminiscent of speed dating, after a certain amount of time, the female supervisor in the corner blows a whistle and the pornstar staff has to rotate, the groups mingle and new conversations are struck. The narrow stairs lead to the third floor consisting of a U shaped bar, set in darker lighting and a sexier atmosphere. The drinks menu remains the same.
However the highlight of SOD land is the top floor called “The Silent Bar”, which consists of a dark room, with a long rectangular glass cage in the middle, reminiscent of the glass box in the Netflix series YOU. The glass cage is a sort of “magic mirror” where the pornstar herself cannot see the customers, yet they can shamelessly observe her every move. There are bar stools and tables around the glass cage, and each seat is separated by a metallic divider, making this experience an individual one, rather than a group one. There are small letter box type holes, through which the pornstar can engage with the customer. Phones and bags are stored away, cameras and male security make sure this is reinforced strictly for the privacy of the people in the room and the porn stars. This room is so controversial, that it has even been closed down for the moment, SOD currently awaits a permit from the government.
Inside the glass cage: Nakashi, the top porn star on shift of the night, strides up and down, wiggling her curvy body provocatively, moving awkwardly on transparent plastic heels. She holds up a whiteboard with her name and social media handle scribbled, for customers to take note off. Through the letter box hole, she places a laminated food menu in front of each customer.
The service selection varies from:
“How to count moles” to “Lick Chocolate” to “Butt Shaking” to “Stretching” to “Writing characters in the air with her butt” to“Window cleaning”.
Drink Menu, SOD LAND
The most expensive dish is “Rice balls warmed up between a girl’s tits”. 1500 Yen. Ordered. Nakashi picks them up gently and sits on her knees in front of our table, the glass wall between us. She presses her boobs against the rice ball, moves them in a circular motion, while maintaining eye contact with us or at least attempting to, through the one way mirror. Her expression is empty. Perhaps we are not the designated target audience.
Becoming a tangible pornstar, undoubtedly further raises the connection between a porn viewer and their favourite porn star. She is real, she is in front of you, pressing her face close to yours - through the glass. It results in the customer almost feeling like a voyeur, there is a reason the magic mirror is one of SOD’s most requested porn features.
We eat the rice balls and exit to the lobby to pay. The bill has accumulated, SOD land is not for the faint of the heart.
Reception, SOD LAND
Words by Andrea Riano