A tourist in Japan has gone viral after exposing what he described as the "sinister" and "bizarre" side of Tokyo's nightlife.
The country has long been associated with exceptionally clean public spaces, safe streets where people can walk around late at night, and polite citizens who respect centuries-old traditions.
While these perceptions are rooted in real cultural tendencies and visible aspects of Japanese society, they don't always reflect the full picture.
Highlights
- Eduardo de Zanetti, a Brazilian man visiting Tokyo, shared what surprised him most about Japan’s capital city.
- The young man described experiencing “culture shock” in the metropolis and showed the “sinister” individuals he encountered.
- Eduardo compared Tokyo to European capitals, including Paris and London, as well as to other cities in Asia.
Image credits: eduardodezanetti/Instagram
Japan can look very different depending on where you are—and especially after dark, as demonstrated by Brazilian tourist Eduardo de Zanetti.
The traveler, who admitted he experienced a “culture shock” in the country, recorded on his phone to show his point of view as he walked down the streets of Tokyo’s bustling nightlife district with a friend.
“Tokyo nightlife is sinister and bizarre. It has all the worst things you can find anywhere in the world,” Eduardo said in his video.
Image credits: eduardodezanetti/Instagram
He went on to show what he described as dealers on every corner who offered him different products every ten meters.
“No, thank you bro,” he could be heard saying after another man emerged from inside some bushes to offer him illicit substances.
Seconds later, he pointed his camera to a man who was so intoxicated that Eduardo said he looked like he was in “Narnia.”
Image credits: eduardodezanetti/Instagram
He also showed a few people who had passed out at a bus stop, as well as adult workers.
Additionally, he recorded a man he identified as a pimp. The man was standing in the middle of the street in an all-black suit and bowed to Eduardo as he walked by.
While crossing the street, the traveler came across two women offering “massages.”
Image credits: eduardodezanetti/Instagram
In a different part of the viral video, he saw another group of four adult workers who were standing on a commercial street carrying signs.
The tourist’s video sparked curiosity about Japanese culture and amassed over 200,000 views when it was posted on X.
“Confused by all the people who go there to offer dr*gs openly,” one viewer commented.
“I love the part of Japan I live in. I've been to Tokyo a few times, but I regret it every time. Now I only go as far as Yokohama—it's much better and cleaner,” another person shared.
Image credits: eduardodezanetti/Instagram
Others were less surprised by what Eduardo showed in the video, with one viewer writing, “Oh my God. People on the street at night, truly shocking.”
“The guy goes to Kabukicho, Tokyo's entertainment and nightlife district, showing that it has entertainment and nightlife. Wow,” someone else said.
Many Brazilians contrasted the Japanese capital with life in their own cities.
“In the heart of Rio at a time like this and with a phone like that, you'd already have taken about 10 stabs, wouldn't even have your underwear left,” one person shared.
“Managed to film during the nighttime without losing your phone—already better than a lot of cities around here,” a separate commenter remarked.
Image credits: eduardodezanetti/Instagram
In a follow-up video, Eduardo filmed several homeless people and explained that the aim was to highlight that “reality in Tokyo is different from what influencers show” on social media.
He also noted that the city is not immune to the problems faced by every metropolis in the world.
For instance, the tourist explained that many areas in Tokyo have “graffiti and places with a strong sewage smell.”
While Tokyo may be cleaner than Paris, London, and many cities in the United States, Eduardo said it’s still very far from other Asian cities like Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai in terms of hygiene.
Tokyo is Japan’s largest city and its political, economic, and cultural center. It is also the most populous city, with over 14 million residents as of 2025.
A January 2025 survey by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare counted about 2,591 people sleeping on the streets nationwide, per Japan Today.
Osaka had the highest number at 763, while Tokyo came in second at 565.
Image credits: eduardodezanetti/Instagram
However, that figure only captures people living outdoors, and many spend nights in internet cafés, cars, or other temporary spaces. In local media, they are known as "net café refugees.”
Surveys conducted by housing assistance programs such as Tokyo Challenge Net have estimated that between 100,000 and 300,000 people across Japan could be net café refugees.
Until the early 2000s, when the Act on Special Measures Concerning Self-Reliance Support for the Homeless was enacted, there were no official government programs to tackle this issue.
The act reportedly focuses on support centers, job training, and transitional housing, and enables local governments and non-profit partnerships to support homeless individuals in their communities.
Image credits: eduardodezanetti/Instagram
Though adult work is heavily restricted in Japan, a range of legal grey areas exists in the nightlife industry, one of them being the multibillion-yen “host club” sector.
Modeled on the hostess bars that came before them, host clubs offer women a place to drink expensive champagne and chat and flirt with young men.
Many young women accumulate large debts at these clubs, which they sometimes repay by dropping out of university and working in adult entertainment.
