Host and Hostess Clubs in Japan

Hostess clubs are a common feature in the night-time entertainment industry of Japan, East Asian countries and other areas with a high Japanese population. They employ primarily female staff and cater to males seeking drinks and attentive conversation. The more recent host clubs are similar establishments where primary male staff cater to females. Host and hostess clubs are considered part of mizu shobai or “water trade” in Japan.In Japan, two types of bars are hostess clubs and kyabakura, a portmanteau of kyabare and kurabu. hostesses who work at kyabakura are known as kyabajo literally cabaret girl, and many of them use professional names called “genji name” Hostesses light cigarettes, pour drinks, offer flirtatious conversation, and sing Karaoke to entertain customers. Hostesses can be seen as the modern counterpart of geishas, providing entertainment to the likes of groups of salarymen after work. A club will often also employ female bartender, who is usually well-trained in mixology, and may also be the manager or mamasan. Hostess clubs are distinguished from strip clubs in that there is no dancing or nudity.

Hostesses often drink with customers each night, and alcohol problems are not uncommon. Most bars run on a commission system in which hostesses receive a percentage of sales. For example, a patron purchases a $20 drink for the hostess, most of the time which are non-alcoholic concoctions like orange juice and ginger ale, and the patron has purchased the hostess’s undivided attention for the subsequent 30-45 minutes. The hostess then splits the proceeds of the sale with the bar 50/50. TThe light or or no alcohol content of the drinks purchased allows the maximum profits and assures the hostess does not become intoxicated after only a short time at work.