Church Hires Roppongi Touts

The Christian Church of Kyokai in Tokyo's Kyokai ward has taken a novel approach to attracting worshippers, hiring aggressive touts from Nigeria and other African countries who usually work for nightclubs and bars in Roppongi and Shinjuku.

Pastor Kyle Tomonashi explained, "There's a clear overlap between the two roles. If the clubs were any good, they wouldn't need touts, and the same principle applies to us. Not even the offer of free English lessons from matronly missionaries was getting people in."

Doing the Lord's work

Some residents of Kyokai ward have been surprised by the touts' tactics. Retiree Kazuo Ooka, 73, said, "I was just walking to the store, and this man said, 'Come to church, my friend, you will be the King of my church! We have beer and titties and - no, we have the word of the Lord.' It really saddened me, to be honest, because I would like to see some titties."