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Foreign Visitors to Yoshiwara: What I Checked Before Going

Short answer: not every shop or companion accepts foreign guests; say your language and nationality up front when booking; bring your passport; pay in yen cash where possible.

Photos are freely licensed images from Wikimedia Commons (PD/CC0/CC BY/CC BY-SA; credits on each file page), not shop ads.

Short answer: before you go, ask clearly whether they accept foreign guests. Some shops or companions have separate lists, and the worst outcome is getting turned away after you've booked and arrived.

I bring my passport as proof of age and keep my booking name and phone number consistent throughout. A Chinese-language support channel cuts down the communication hassle, but at the shop it may still be mostly Japanese, so have a translation app ready.

Payment, pickup and whether cards are accepted follow the same rules for foreign and local guests — the shop's word on the day applies. Don't listen to street touts.

Contact only through the shop or this site's official channels. If someone messages you privately asking for a transfer to hold a slot, just ignore it.

For a first visit, choose a shop where communication is clear and the conditions for foreign guests are confirmed — don't follow a stranger on the spot to save effort.