Date & Time of Session: November, Friday before noon
Location:  Marine Blue Honten マリンブルー池袋本店, Ikebukuro

Website: https://www.soaplandclubmax.com/

Google Maps https://maps.app.goo.gl/UWMih5psJTSTFBfE7


There are two Marine Blue stores in Ikebukuro and an additional outlet in Shinjuku if I recall everything correctly.  Some of them used to be called different names at some point.  After much research, I decided to go to Ikebukuro Honten 本店 store, which is the original and from reports has the best and biggest rooms of the various Marine Blue soaplands and accepts Gaijin.  This was a quick 10 mins walk away from Nishi Ikekuburo where I was staying.  Along way to Marine Blue Honten, you will pass by other Fuzoku establishments, such as Awa Den, and Tori and just beyond that is Heart Club DX, Suika, Club Chifon and Iwakaba.

Marine Blue Honten is a multistory building with colorful cartoons of girls in cute sailor outfits so you can’t miss it.  It is literally next door to Don Quijote. I walked in immediately in the reception the two suit wearing tenchos start speaking Japanese to me.  I explain I’m a gaijin and speak Eigo and immediately I was turned away.  I tried to ask, if its because there were no girls today would take gaijin or if the store itself doesn’t take Gaijin.  I then tried to ask about the other Marine Blue (gold) store across from the Ikebukuro JR.  I’m not sure they understood anything I said, my Japanese is non-existent.  In the end, no gaijin no service so I left.  I was a upset because I looked at the website before hand and it clearly has a 2000 Yen gaijin fee!

Walking out dejected, I debated going to Awa-den which was step away or going to some other place or even the Marine Blue (gold store)…. My time was short and I headed straight to Wakaba 若葉 a few more minutes away knowing that it would be a sure bet for Gaijin.

[ Last edited by  TedKoppel at 6-12-2023 03:07 ]

Sucks to hear that it happened to you, but thanks for the link! I may try my luck with my conversational Japanese the next time I visit Tokyo.

The store might have meant foreigners who can speak Japanese. I saw no English at all on the website.

Have you tried https://gfe-japan.net/soapland ? This is a soapland that has entirely English speaking staff

[ Last edited by  shygai88 at 7-12-2023 09:59 ]

Site has some English --- aside from just the "Enter" in English ---

Home/Cast/Schedule/New Cast/System etc in English

Could have a limited number that will work with gaijin that don't know nihongo or they were booked out for awhile. Reception at that time could also not know eigo on top of that.

Might be easier to use cityhaven to book in advance?

Thank you for the suggestion I have not yet tried. However back when this outfit was Paradise, the THC sister business, I did try it.  It was just that I was staying in Ikebukuro and I was just too worn out to go somewhere else.

I'm one of those who is in a weird position where I know like a couple hundred Japanese words knowo maybe like 500 to 700 kanji, but knows almost zero Japanese grammar and can't read hiragana or katakana.  Every two or three years I'll start studying Japanese grammar because I have an upcoming trip and then I'll stop and forget all about it until a couple years later.

[ Last edited by  TedKoppel at 6-12-2023 23:51 ]

If your still in Tokyo I'd recommend going to the Shinjuku store. They are gainjin friendly but prices are 10k more than the wr price.  If not go to yshirt in yoshiwara they are also gaijin friendly

I made the same mistake of going to the main store too last year. On my 2nd attempt, I was lucky that the desk guy spoke some english and he directed me to the gold store down the block. That shop has a sign outside that says “foreigners welcome” outside. The 2000 yen foreigner fee at the main store seems a bit low. The average fee tends to be 10k in Tokyo. The shinchis in Osaka and soaplands in Okinawa have no additional foreigner taxes. Of course selection and options will vary in Tokyo since most girls don’t speak much english, and the businesses would rather turn you away less risk any problems with customers. I think the image with 2000 foreigner fee is for those for are near fluent in Japanese language bc you need to talk story first and then “fall in love” while getting your bath. Japan loves to add fees to everything bc it adds “value” to the purchase. The girls are rewarded the extra amount bc they can speak and understand the other language too. Kinda like how flight attendants get extra pay for being bilingual. It pays to go to school!

The main shop is foreigner-friendly. However, if you can’t speak Japanese, there would be possible that no girl is available for serving foreigner without Japanese proficiency at the time of your walk-in.

I tried it out as a girl who works there and another place before invited me, so they denied me too!  Sucks since she told me to stop by and I don’t have any current contact info with her.

The Happiness chain of shops seem to welcome foreigners. I called the Gotanda shop and confirmed foreigners are welcome. They do charge about 10K more than Japanese and coupons/discounts are not applicable.

https://happinessgroup-inb.com/

I might try them out later this month

I go to one of this place

The one i got rejected is gold blue marine honten
You will be rejected if you a foreigner

I go to North blue marine honten and i accepted by the agent but i can't choosing the TM
But you can use english in this place