I was just walking in shinjuku this past saturday, and it wasn't at all like I remembered it from the later 80s. But that walk was mid afternoon, and maybe there's a transformation that happens after dark?
The most raucous thing was a pro-palestine /anti-israel protest.
Oh yeah for sure, something I should've mentioned is some parts of Japan are like night and day difference when it's... night vs daytime
Kabukicho quite literally transforms at night in a way I can't even describe, but to put it simply, I would often get confused or lost if I went to the same parts of kabukicho during the day, vs during the night. I can walk around kabukicho all day without being bothered or talked to, but during the night time, and even early morning (4 am ish), there are touts everywhere walking around waiting for someone potentially vulnerable to lure in.