Red-light districts are streets in Tokyo where these child prostitution facilities are legally able to take place. Other forms of child sexual institutions that still exist in Japan are red-light districts and Soaplands. For example, there are “JK rifure” (reflexology), where the men are given massages by the girls, and “JK komyu” (communications) where the pair will go to a cafe and talk for hours or read the men’s fortune. There are many other forms of the “JK business” other than just walking dates so that they appear legal enough to operate. Most of these school girls are runaways, being abused at home, or come from very poor families and do this as a way to earn some money for themselves.
These girls are minors and have to wear their school uniforms during the date. The men pay 5,000 to 7,000 yen (equivalent to $46-65 US dollars) for a 30-minutes to an hour long date. These include taking the girls to “love hotels”, taking pictures of the girls’ underwear, and nonconsensual sex. The “walking” date consists of holding hands and talking, however in most cases the men will force the girls to do some other sexual things. This is where business men will go after work, and pay to walk around with a school girl (age 15-17) in a park for a few hours. “JK walking” stands for “joshi kosei” in Japanese which means “high school girl walking date” or also called “JK osanpo” meaning tour guide walks.
In recent times, this is now known as the “JK business”. This turned into “enjo kosai” (compensated dating), where older men would date teenage girls and pay for their finances in exchange for a sexual relationship. The business first started off in the 1990s, when the “buru sera” trend of teenage girls handing out their unwashed underwear, school uniforms, and swimwear came about.