Nobuyoshi Araki’s Tokyo Lucky Hole, created between 1983 and 1985, documents the sex industry in Tokyo's Shinjuku district during its so-called "golden age". Set against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming Japan, the project captures the unfiltered reality of sex clubs and the intimate spaces where desire and commerce intersect. The work emerged at a pivotal moment just before the implementation of the New Amusement Business Control and Improvement Act in 1985, which significantly curtailed the flourishing sex industry. Within this socio-political framework, Araki's project provides both a raw chronicle of a subculture on the brink of dissolution and a broader commentary on Japan's evolving attitudes toward sexuality and censorship.
At the heart of Tokyo Lucky Hole lies an exploration of themes that define much of Araki's oeuvre: eroticism, voyeurism, and the interplay of sex and death. The work pushes boundaries, confronting social taboos by exposing aspects of sexuality that typically remain hidden. Through an intensely personal and participatory approach, Araki immersed himself within the milieu he photographed, gaining unprecedented access to the intimate transactions between workers and clients. The images vary significantly, showing the exteriors of sex clubs, semi-nude girls enticing potential customers, graphic sexual acts inside the establishments, intercourse on stages, in beds, and in cages, as well as "glory holes" in action, and more.
Visually, the series is defined by its brash, immediate style, characterized by abrupt framing and an unflinching gaze. Many of the images obscure explicit sexual acts through unconventional angles or strategic framing, creating an uncanny tension between revelation and concealment. The lighting, predominantly ambient but frequently intensified by flash, creates a stark and unfiltered atmosphere, further emphasizing the raw nature of the images. The aesthetic choices position Tokyo Lucky Hole within a lineage of avant-garde and documentary photography while simultaneously challenging conventional notions of artistic beauty and propriety.
First published as a photobook in 1990 (Ohta Shuppan) and subsequently expanded through international Taschen editions (1997; 2005; 2015), Tokyo Lucky Hole has been shown in Tokyo and abroad in solo presentations and in major Araki retrospectives from the 1990s through the 2010s. Recognition for Araki’s wider oeuvre in this period includes the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (2008) and the Mainichi Art Prize (2012), and the work remains a recurring anchor in museum surveys of his career.
