Unlike Japan's other entertainment districts, Ni-chome, with 400 bars packed into a space of several blocks, has always emphasised community. Many cater to niche groups, have only a handful of seats, and are staffed by one owner, whose loyal customers - often closeted - have come for decades.
"If we didn't do this, places were going to fail one after another and Ni-chome as a gay town might change or disappear," said realtor Takamitsu Futamura, who negotiated rent cuts for more than 200 properties. Yuta said profits are back to 65 per cent from a year ago, but things remain tough and coronavirus cases are again spiking in Japan. He doesn't plan to obey the latest Tokyo coronavirus guideline to shorten hours for three weeks.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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