Satō Hatsumi and the Lost Girls of Kabukichō: A Decade of Selfless Service

Out on a weekend evening “patrol,” Satō Hatsumi offers swag bags to women and girls working the streets in the Kabukichō district of Shinjuku, Tokyo. (© Ninshin SOS Shinjuku)

Attached to the freebies are cards bearing the phone number and URL for Ninshin SOS’s free counseling service. (© Nippon.com)

Kabukichō’s Ichibangai street, June 2025. (© Nippon.com)

A backstreet on the east side of the Shinjuku Tōhō Building in Kabukichō, June 2025. The area has become a magnet for marginalized teens and the adults who prey on them. (© Nippon.com)