Four Nine

About us

Ogoto Onsen is a town on the western shore of Lake Biwa, sloping gently down from the foot of Mount Hiei to the water. The wind that comes across the lake carries a faint scent of water, and the area has long been known in the Kansai region as a soapland town (soaplands are bathhouse-style brothels). One of them, Four Nine, in Noka 3-chome, is a club that calls itself the finest in Ogoto.

The photos of the interior make that boast easy to believe. The waiting room feels like a hotel lounge, with leather sofas lined up on a green carpet, a large aquarium and a glittering bar counter. The private rooms come in two kinds, bright VIP rooms with a white scheme and calm VIP rooms finished in black stone and wood grain; both have a bathroom with an oval bathtub and a bed. The club says it chose the retro furniture one room at a time.

Sessions run 70 or 110 minutes, and guests are shown in at 6 set times a day: 11:00, 13:15, 15:30, 18:00, 20:15 and 22:30. The club is open from 11:00 to 24:00, and reservations by phone are taken from 9 am. First-time visitors register as members and need photo ID. Membership is limited to Japanese-national men aged 30 or over, and the club states plainly that foreign nationals are turned away. The dress code is smart casual, and people with irezumi or other tattoos cannot join either. The women are said to be checked regularly at an affiliated clinic, and the club also puts effort into cleaning and disinfecting the premises. By train, take the Kosei Line from Kyoto Station to Hieizan-Sakamoto Station, about 18 minutes, where a shuttle car will pick guests up if this is arranged when booking. By car, the Nishi-Otsu Bypass from the Kyoto-Higashi interchange of the Meishin Expressway is the convenient route, and there is a private car park.

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