Serving, entertaining, and doing chit-chat with the guests have always been a part of Japan’s vibrant nightlife. Be it a restaurant or a bar, the staff is extremely polite and serves their guests with hospitality. These types of establishments have been serving customers for decades. And now, many hostess clubs are opening in various regions. So what is a hostess club and how do they function? Well, let’s unravel what it is and what entertainment-related stuff they do to keep their customers entertained throughout the night.
Japanese Hostess Club: What Is It?
After a tiring day at work in Japan, evenings are mostly for celebration with drinking. Most people go to drinking parties hosted by their boss to celebrate work-related milestones or just to end the night on a good note. This nomikai culture is mostly adapted from the western culture intended to bond the employees after working hours. These kinds of celebrations, it has given rise to a new kind of Japanese nightlife where large groups and solo drinkers can have a gala time. Along with these establishments came other forms of drinking hubs – host and hostess bars and clubs.
So What Are Japanese Hostess Clubs?
Basically, a hostess club is a sort of nightclub in Japan. The female staff is employed who cater to their male clients, who are seeking an attentive conversation as well as drinks. The same goes for host clubs that attend to women customers. In Japan, the hostess club is a night-time entertainment business that is considered a part of Mizu shōbai (literally “water trade”).
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Moreover, the hostesses here are called cabaret girls who come to the customer’s table to serve drinks while drinking with them and engaging them in conversation. Each cabaret girl in Japan serves one guest at the table. All the hostesses working here at midnight are 18 years of age and older. A question will soon pop up in your mind or has already been raised, where to find such hostess clubs in Japan? You will find all your answers in the next section. So keep scrolling!
Where To Find Host Clubs And Hostess Clubs In Japan?
The list of host and hostess clubs in Japan is many because the nightlife is pretty much happening here. But if you want to have a great time and are looking for the best host and hostess clubs, then you can find them only in highly popular cities. On the other hand, you can find the casual versions of the host clubs such as girls’ bars, and snack bars almost anywhere in this country. Coming back to the main topic, you can find the host or hostess clubs in Roppongi, Ginza, and Tokyo. Apart from that, Kabukicho in Ikebukuro as well as Shinjuku are other famous areas for host and hostess clubs.
Other places in Japan that have host clubs are:
- the Susukino district in Sapporo, Hokkaido
- the Minami district of Namba, Osaka
- the Nakasu area in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka
What Is A Host Club?
Essentially, a host club is where people go to drink in lavish places and get to have a long conversations with men and women. The main responsibility of a host club is to keep its guests entertained. Their normal activities include pouring and serving drinks while talking to their guests, making sure the guest is having a great time, and engaging in flirtatious and fun conversation.
In some host clubs, the hostesses do exciting things like singing or playing indoor games to help the guest in taking their minds off of work, listen to all their life problems, or have meaningful conversations. Sometimes, a group of men visits a host club after their working hours. Some even have a business conversation with their business partners and colleagues while the hostess is giving them company. One important thing to note here is that no sexual act is performed in these entertainment activities in Japan because the laws are very strict here.
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You must have heard the term “host club” from Ouran High School Host Club or somewhere else. Or you must have seen hostess clubs in dramas or films about businessmen or yakuza or even female lead actresses playing the role of a hostess. Well, sorry to shatter your reality, but how the media showcases a host club is entirely different from the real host clubs. There are huge misconceptions about what these places are about.
What Is A Hostess Bar?
Mostly, the hostess bar goes by many names as per the country. In Japan, a hostess bar is called a kyabakura (a contradiction of a cabaret club). Apart from that, a hostess bar is mostly Asian. In these kinds of establishments, males have a good time drinking in the company of a young hostess. Sometimes, customers purchase drinks for their young hostess to start a conversation.
To gain their attention, the guests might have to buy overpriced beverages. In certain establishments, the activities are limited to conversations because there are no touching policies in certain bars. However, in some hostess bars, sexual activities can be involved. In these places, the hostesses get 50% to 75% of the drink price payment, so they most often go for high-priced drinks.
If you go to a Hawaiian hostess bar, the prices of ladies’ drinks start at $20. And almost all the establishments in this US state are run by women of Vietnamese or Korean descent. On some occasions, it can also go up to hundreds and thousands. You can find hostess bars in all corners of the world. But they are mostly a thing in places like California, Vietnam, China, Korea, Hawaii, as well as Japan.
Final Thoughts On Host Or Hostess Bars And Clubs
We hope that now you have a clear idea about what hostess clubs are. This is one of the most popular kinds of entertainment industry which is still running successfully in Japan. Both tourists and residents can be a part of this vibrant nightlife and experience the best services from the bar staff. However, the guests will have to follow the rules and regulations as per the area if they ever visit any host club in Japan.
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