No-pan kissa (ノーパン喫茶, literally "no- panties cafés") are Japanese sex establishments offering food and drinks served by waitresses wearing short skirts with no underwear. The floors, or sections of the floor, were sometimes mirrored. [1]
Shops generally operate under a "no-touch" policy. [2] The shops otherwise look like normal coffee shops ( kissaten), rather than sex establishments, although they charge a premium price for the coffee. [1] Previously, most sex establishments, such as soaplands and pink salons, were staffed with professional prostitutes. No-pan kissa were a popular employment choice amongst some women because they paid well and generally required little sexual contact with the customers.
The first one to open was in Osaka in 1980. [3] Initially, all of them were in remote areas outside the traditional entertainment districts. Within a year, large numbers had opened in many more places, such as major railway stations. [4]
In the 1980s (the peak of the boom in these shops), many started to have topless or bottomless waitresses. [5] However, at this point, the number of such shops started to decline rapidly. [1]
Eventually, such coffee shops gave way to fashion health (massage) clubs and few no-pan kissa, if any, remain. [1] The New Amusement Business Control and Improvement Act came into force on February 13, 1985, which further restricted the sex industry and protected the more traditional businesses. [6]
In addition to no-pan kissa, there have also been no-pan shabu-shabu [7] and no-pan karaoke. [2] [8]