The 1990s–2000s: From Kabukichō to South Korea via Malaysia—A Journey Home Through the Nightlife District

In *Kabukichō Underground*, a Korean woman who lived in Kabukichō recounts her journey home—not directly from Japan to South Korea, but via Malaysia. This narrative reveals a picture of East Asia’s underground society, where people, money, and information flow across borders—a reality that extends far beyond the story of a single entertainment district. Shinjuku’s Kabukichō was not merely a nightlife district for Japanese people; it was also a transit point where people from South Korea and Southeast Asia worked, met, parted ways, and sometimes moved on to other countries. The circuitous journey via Malaysia to South Korea symbolizes the complex circumstances these women faced and the human networks formed across national borders. Behind the dazzling neon lights, people grappling with diverse circumstances—such as residency status, work, debt, and personal relationships—were on the move. Tracing the underbelly of Kabukichō, one discovers that invisible paths extend be yond it, leading to South Korea, Malaysia, and Southeast Asia.