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My First Time in Yoshiwara: From Booking to Leaving

In 30 seconds: book your companion and time → confirm the day before and on the day → most shops no longer do pickup, so go yourself (about 10 min from Minowa) → confirm your companion in the waiting room and pay cash → the time starts when you meet. For other Tokyo areas, see "Where to go in each Japanese city".

Minowa Station entrance — First time? Look for Minowa Station — this is what the exit looks like

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

For getting there and paying, see our "How to get there" and "How to pay" guides.

Short answer: a first trip to Yoshiwara comes down to five steps — book, confirm, get to the shop yourself, pay and meet, follow the rules and leave. Don't be put off by fancy stories online; just go in order.

Before you go, make sure you're 18 or over and bring your passport — the shop may check your age. When choosing a shop, look at its tier and opening hours first, and only go to legally registered shops. If you haven't decided where, start with the Shops section of this site.

Yoshiwara is basically reservation-only, and popular companions at high-end shops need even earlier booking. Give the date, time slot, number of people and the name to use; confirm once the day before and once on the day — if they can't reach you, they may treat it as a no-show. If you book through this site's official channels, the order support gives you is what counts.

Getting there has changed a lot: from November 2026 several shops are ending station pickup, so plan on "getting there yourself" in every case. The usual route is the Hibiya Line to Minowa, about a 10-minute walk; you can also go to Minami-Senju and take a taxi. Ask about your specific shop when you book.

I usually enter 10 to 20 minutes early, give my booking name and follow the staff to the waiting room. I confirm my companion again from the photo cards, and pay as the shop explains that day — having yen in cash ready is easiest; shops that take cards often add a fee, and WeChat Pay / Alipay basically don't work.

The time starts when you meet your companion and includes greetings, washing, chatting and rest — it's not all "the main event". Be on time, be respectful, no secret filming, no pressure; if unsure, ask the staff. Afterwards, leave as directed — there's no tipping culture in Japan.

The common mistakes to remember: don't assume there's pickup; don't be late; don't make a private transfer to hold a slot; the amount is whatever the shop confirms on the day. Information on this site is for reference only.