Posted November 06, Amid the bright lights and the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, foreign hostess bars are a major part of Japan's nightlife. Most men do nothing more than sit, drink and chat — usually in English — with young women from all over the world.
Come night time, the bustling hostess district of Ginza in Tokyo is packed with a post-work crowd of men and women, who spill out onto the street amongst neon signs for different types of hostess bars. Young women wait outside, trying to attract new customers. Michelle, a year-old woman from Perth, worked at an international ladies bar nearby for three months.
Thanks to her striking looks — tall and curvy with blue eyes and long blond hair — she is no longer in the bar. Three of the men she met there now pay her to accompany them on platonic dinner dates around Tokyo. These men shower her with luxury gifts of handbags, laptops and plane tickets. The majority of hostess bars in Japan do not provide sexual services, hostess bar manager Noriko told the ABC — they are just a place for businessmen to relax.
While she is a qualified dentist, she has been helping her family run their hostess business for five years. She is also married — but maintains the illusion of being single so that she does not lose customers. She said it is a difficult thing to juggle, while also building trust and loyalty in her clients. Michelle said she has seen hostesses who are new in Japan shocked by the way women are objectified in the job. Noriko said foreign hostess bars offer something unique and exciting for her customers, who often have trouble relating to Japanese women.
One man who prefers talking to foreign hostesses is Takashi Ogasawara, a doctor and medical professor at Tokyo's prestigious Keio University, who has been visiting hostess bars in Japan for more than 10 years.
