page_title: Host and hostess clubs
section_title: Japan
hierarchical_section_title: Host and hostess clubs / Hostess clubs / Japan
caption_attribution_description: English: Signage for hostess bars in Kabukicho, Tokyo.
context_page_description: Hostess clubs are a common feature in the night-time entertainment industry of East Asian countries. They employ primarily female staff and cater to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation. The modern host clubs are similar establishments where primarily male staff attend to women. Host and hostess clubs are considered part of mizu shōbai, the night-time entertainment business in Japan.
context_section_description: In Japan, two types of bars are hostess clubs and kyabakura (キャバクラ), a portmanteau of kyabarē (キャバレー, lit. "cabaret") and kurabu (クラブ, lit. "club").  Hostesses who work at kyabakura are known as kyabajō (キャバ嬢), meaning cabaret girl, and many of them use professional names called "genji name" (源氏名, genji-na). Hostesses light cigarettes, provide beverages for men, offer flirtatious conversation, and sing karaoke to entertain customers. Hostesses can be seen as the modern counterpart of geishas, providing entertainment to groups of salarymen after work. A club will often also employ a 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, prostitution, or nudity. 
  Hostesses often drink with customers each night, and alcohol problems are fairly common. These problems are derived from mass consumption of alcohol by which many consequences may arise. Most bars use a commission system by which hostesses receive a percentage of sales. For example, a patron purchases a $20 drink for the hostess, these are usually non-alcoholic concoctions like orange juice and ginger ale, and the patron has purchased the hostess's attention for the subsequent 30–45 minutes. The hostess then splits the proceeds of the sale with the bar 50/50. The light or no alcohol content of the drinks maximizes profits and ensures that the hostess does not become intoxicated after only a short time at work.
  Businesses may pay for tabs on company expense with the aim of promoting trust among male co-workers or clients. At one establishment, about 90% of all tabs were reportedly paid for by companies. 
  Patrons are generally greeted comfortably at the door and seated as far away from other customers as possible. In some instances, a customer is able to choose with whom he spends time, while most often that is decided by the house. In either case, the hostess will leave after a certain amount of time or number of drinks, offering the customer a chance to see a fresh face. While most establishments have male touts outside to bring in customers, it may also fall upon a (usually new) hostess to do so. While hostess clubs are clearly gendered in the way that women serve men, research has also revealed the complexity of intra-gender dynamics and sometimes tension among hostesses as well, and the ways that male customers often work to mitigate problems among hostesses as well as between hostesses and Mama-san.
  Hostess clubs have a strict "no touching" policy and patrons will be removed for trying to initiate private or sexual conversation topics. However a red-light district version of the host/hostess club exists, called "seku-kyabakura" or "ichya-kyabakura" in which patrons are permitted to touch their host/hostess above the waist and engage in sexual conversation topics or kissing, although this type of establishment is not common. Normal hostess clubs are classified as a food and entertainment establishment and are regulated by the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act, prohibiting any form of sexual contact between employees and customers. Normal hostess clubs also need a permit to allow dancing. Clubs are inspected often by the Public Safety Commission.  Any club found violating its permitted activities can have its business license terminated or be suspended, until corrections are made.
  Hostessing is a popular employment option among young foreign women in Japan, as demand is high. However, work visas can be difficult to obtain, so many choose to work illegally. The clubs sometimes take advantage of the precarious legal situation of the women. The industry and its dangers were highlighted in 1992, when Carita Ridgway, an Australian hostess, was drugged and killed after a paid date, and in 2000 when Lucie Blackman, a British hostess, was abducted, raped and murdered by the same customer. The government promised to crack down on illegal employment of foreigners in hostess bars, but an undercover operation in 2006 found that several ho
caption: Signage for hostess bars in Kabukichō, Tokyo.
exif: {}