With their overly-priced drinks and paid for pleasantries, Tokyo’s now hugely popular and very profitable host clubs have learnt a lot from their considerably more established male catering counterparts.
Plus, judging by these billboards advertising a couple of bars,
it’s not just logistics,
but also looks,
that have been carefully copied.
Jamie says
Photo 2 is totally a hostess club ad, not a host club. Seriously, that’s a girl…. isn’t it?!
Also, I have a video interview with a foreign/gaijin host going up on my site in the next week, so please come check it out!
My name is Name says
Nope, that’s definitely a guy. Have you seen the documentary “The Great Happiness Space”? All about a specific male host club in Osaka. So interesting and surprising to find out who the customers really are…they definitely aren’t the average working woman or bored housewife.
Neil Duckett says
I’m interested in seeing that Doco for sure “Name” …. this post has also inspired me to take a few more photos around Kabukicho this weekend … thanks Lee!
Lee says
Yeah, I totally agree, it’s a great documentary. Well worth a look Neil.
Fascinating but at the same incredibly sad. There are a lot of lonely people out there….
Zoglog says
I went to Japan recently and this trend seems to have exploded even more since I went there last time. For some reason it seemed especially prevalent in Osaka. Waaaaay to many feminine doods wearing purses and sporting LV women’s wallets. Then I went by and these guys were doing each other’s hair. That’s going to far for me, even if the Japanese women seem to like it……………
http://picasaweb.google.com/zoglog/Japan2008Part1/photo#5203176826577540946
no no no no no ><…. Toshiro Mifune must be rolling over in his grave
Ginx says
The URL in that second picture goes to the site for Club Ripple in Tachikawa which is definitely a hostess club.
Ted T says
Isn’t that the feral kid from “Road Warrior?”
mallocup says
“the great happiness space” is an excellent movie that takes you inside the host culture, well worth a look..
http://www.thegreathappinessspace.com/
roz says
@ Zoglog
psh, thats not a purse its a tote! (yes theres difference…) and theyre all over europe and quebec…and have been for some time now 🙂