Delivery health in Tokyo: how it works for foreign visitors

What delivery health is

Delivery health, or deriheru (デリヘル) in Japanese, is an adult service with no storefront: staff are sent to a hotel or home. The name is a Japanese coinage, and the magazine MAN-ZOKU is said to have invented it.

How it is regulated

A 1998 revision of the law, in force from April 1999, created a category for non-store sex-related businesses. Operators must file a notification with the Public Safety Commission for the area of their main base, and they cannot have anyone under 18 serve or use the service (Articles 31-2 and 31-3).

Where it operates

Each shop serves a set delivery area. Check that your hotel is inside it, because the transport fee depends on where you are and a shop may decline a hotel outside its area.

Hotels have their own rules about visitors, so check your hotel's policy before you book.

What it really costs

The listed price is usually for the course alone. Nomination and transport fees are commonly added, and any hotel room is a separate cost, so ask for the total before you confirm.

Foreign visitors

Many services need Japanese to book. Look for a shop that says it accepts foreign customers, and check whether staff speak English before you commit.