An Eternal Thought in the Mind of Godzilla: PQ magazine: Akarui Mirai

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I picked up the new issue of girl's free magazine PQ ("Paradise Queen") at that one totally insane am/pm in Kabuki-cho just before hitting a lingerie pub nearby for a few drinks and only a few drinks. At first, the doorman took one look at my raggedy ass and said "Gaijin dame", but we told him that I was half-Japanese from America by way of Okinawa, in a rare "so-crazy-it-actually-might-work gambit" that actually did. The set-up inside was like flipping through a Victoria's Secret catalog where you have to actually talk to the models under the assumption that they aren't just sitting there in their underwear while pretending that this is all totally normal and relaxing. After warping my way through three staff members in about 30 min. I finally settled on one girl that was really funny and who broke character long enough to say that this was only a part time job (shock) and what she *really* did for a living was work at TBS doing food prep, hopefully after she washed her hands with Borax powered soap. She said that when it came to music, Cyndi Lauper of all people was top of the pops in her book, which seemed incredibly unlikely until "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" came on the house PA and I realized that all of us probably need to get out more often.

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Anyway, back to PQ...it's only this time that I found out that it is actually the sister publication of Pokepara ("Pocket Paradise Tokyo") a free guide aimed at men to help guide them through the maze of hostess bars, love hotels, yakiniku joints, and real estate options in Shinjuku. It seems there' a reason why this digest-sized magazine is designed to fit in the palm of your hand. The scouts - African, native, and otherwise - all seemed to be carrying copies, shoving them into people's faces, pointing at ads for various kyabakura and "International Clubs" inside.

Both PQ and Pokepara stop short of advertising the hard stuff: soaplands and health delivery services, but that's OK. Both are published and owned by the Creators Company Connection, beloved by millions for their monthly fuzoku guide MANZOKU. So one way or another, all the bases are covered. Sure, in this day and age you can get all of data you need for a wild weekend off your cell phone and whatnot, but CCC understand the need for related print publications to also be made available near the actual point of purchase. At 260 pages, Pokepara is 90% ads. PQ bares reaches the 130 p. mark and has more original content by way of ageha-style advertorial. What's it going to take to get the old gal into healthier shape? Well, a diet and some deconails might help, and if you're short of cash to invest in a summer kimono or some instant ramen, I hear there's a place in Gotanda that's now hiring...