Surveillance Cameras
Diversity of Kabukicho seen from Location and Types of Cameras
by Tokio
In urban Tokyo, including Shinjuku, surveillance cameras are placed in certain patterns and are seen in common places. Cameras are almost always visible near the entrance and exits of shops, placed alongside major landmarks, and faced toward the streets for traffic problems. In Kabukicho, not only are the numbers of cameras different, different types of cameras are seen more frequently depending on the area of Kabukicho. The diversity of ‘places’ within the boundaries of Kabukicho changes the required number and type of cameras, which is not only for Kabukicho to be a safe place but also for Kabukicho to function how the city is truly supposed function in the minds of the policymakers.
To start, we will look at one of the most crowded areas of Kabukicho, the Ichiban-gai, and the Chuo-Dori. These streets are well known for the high density of izakaya and restaurants, and these are the streets where the majority of pedestrians are seen. On the other hand, many catches are also seen in these streets, targeting people as they pass along. Apart from their effectiveness against the catches, many surveillance cameras are placed along these streets, in front of and beside restaurants and clubs, on light poles, and even on top of the red Ichiban-gai gate. In these areas, the majority of cameras are overt and semi-overt cameras. Overt cameras can be spotted with one glance of an eye, and they are usually placed with a sign that signals the area is surveilled. Semi-overt cameras are also in the eye of the people, but they are covered with stained glass, making it difficult to see which angle it is directed at. They are also commonly placed overhead, which can be seen on the gates and light poles of these streets in Kabukicho. The main purpose of these cameras is to prevent, or deterrence of crimes (Ratcliffe, 2011) In Kabukicho, especially in the Ichiban-gai and Chuo-Dori, preventative measures against (‘actual’) violent crimes are needed as these places are very highly populated, by nature increases the rate of such crimes. These types of cameras are also seen in the JR East Exit of Shinjuku Station and through the MOA 2nd Avenue, which serves as a major entrance point to Kabukicho, meaning there is a high concentration of people. Furthermore, scouting by scouts is frequently seen in these areas, which is an activity that is said not tolerated by the Shinjuku district.
Overt camera on the Ichiban-Gai gate
Semi-overt camera alongside a sign
Going beyond the entrance points and to the deeper areas of Kabuki-Cho, there are places where fewer people are out in the front, but business and activities continue to go on behind the curtain of privacy. Examples of such places include the Love Hotel District and Shinjuku Ni-Chome. As its name suggests, the Love Hotel District is a place where numerous love hotels stand which are mainly used by couples for intimate activity. Shinjuku Ni-Chome is known as a neighborhood for the LGBTQ community with many nightclubs and bars. One thing in common about both of these places is that privacy is a concern. Couples engaging in intimate activity do not necessarily want to be observed by others and would prefer to hide their identities. Similarly, the LGBTQ community is not widely accepted outside of the Ni-Chome community, which is why their privacy is important. In these places where the privacy of individuals is highly valued, covert cameras are used as an aim to assist the security personnel to prosecute and convict in case of a violent crime. In contrast to the overt and semi-overt cameras in the Ichibangai and Chuo-Dori, covert cameras are hidden, or placed subtly so that it does not get in the public’s eye. Because the presence of these cameras is not apparent to by-passers, it does not have preventative effects (Ratcliffe, 2011). However, in places where privacy is most concerned, the ability of these cameras to detect crimes is valued.
No overt cameras seen around love hotels.
A covert camera in a bar in Ni-chome, which is difficult to see from the public’s eye.
Lastly, there is a place in Kabukicho where both overt and covert cameras are used, implying the need for both prevention and privacy. This is seen in the Sakura-Dori, beside the Ichibangai and Chuo-Dori. In the Sakura-Dori, there are many stores related to intimate activity, which makes privacy a consideration. At the same time, many people visit Sakura-Dori for restaurants and bars, and there are also several catches (mostly foreigners) working in these streets as well. This increases the likelihood of violent crimes, requiring the preventative effects of overt and semi-overt cameras. The placement of these overt cameras is similar to the Ichibangai and Chuo-Dori, as they are located in front of restaurants, light poles, and on the gate. However, unlike Ichibangai and Chuo-Dori where overt cameras are placed in front of and besides most stores, covert cameras are used near places related to intimate activities. The case of covert cameras being used near these places is paradoxical, at least from a legal standpoint. These stores offer and introduce services in exchange for money, in other words, provide services. Some services are illegal in Japan and looking at the pattern of camera usage, overt and semi-overt cameras should be used to prevent criminal activity. However, this is obviously not the case here. On the next page, we will look deeper into the reasons and effects of camera placement in Kabukicho.
Conclusion
As diverse as Kabukicho is, surveillance cameras in Kabukicho are diverse as well. On the other way around, the diverse types and placement patterns of surveillance cameras tell us that Kabukicho is a diverse city with different activities going around in the different areas. By looking at the placement patterns of cameras throughout the city, for example, overt cameras in places where many people pass through and covert cameras where privacy is valued, it seems as if the cameras are placed accordingly to consider the safety and privacy of all users of Kabukicho. Nonetheless, in the next section, the effects of surveillance cameras and the reasoning behind the contradiction of surveillance overlooking certain criminal activity will be explained.
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Surveillance Cameras