I previously wrote an article on Japanese hostess clubs (see here), so I thought I would shed light on how Japanese host clubs work too.

Two friends and I visited a host club to see exactly what goes on from the customer’s point of view. I also interviewed a couple of hosts that I randomly met in Japan elsewhere to find out about the inner workings too.

Jade’s Guide to Japanese Host Clubs

What is a host club?

It’s a venue that girls (or gay men at gay host clubs) go to to receive attention from Japanese men. There are many booths dotted around the room in which the girls and their appointed (or personally chosen) hosts sit, chat and drink together.

How Do they work?

Hosts outside the club find their prey. In our case, however, we hunted for them because they don’t generally approach non-Japanese girls. The hosts then catcall and charm the girls to come inside their host club. Once inside, the girls are asked to pay 1,000¥ (approx. £7/$9) for an hour of all-you-can-drink with the hosts. Which is a smegging good deal!

During this time, all of the available hosts come and drink with you. They spend time chatting to you, flirting with you and topping up your drinks. As there were three of us, the club provided us with a host each (sat boy, girl, boy, girl formation).

Rotate!

Every 5-10 minutes or so, the host club manager rings a bell and the hosts rotate. So we were sat with three different men every time. When a new host greets you, first he hands you a heated moist towelette. Then he pours (or tops up) your drink, pours his own, and says a cheery “kanpai!” – cheers. At the end of each host’s time with you, they hand you their personal business card. They then thank you and move on graciously to make way for the next host.

Choose!

At the end of the hour, all of the hosts we had chatted to came before us in a line. We were each handed a “menu” of all the profiles of the hosts to flick through. Then, the manager asked us to choose our favourite host from those we had spent time with. This meant I couldn’t choose a host that had been talking to one of my friends, for example. This seemed incredibly cruel and cutthroat to me.  I didn’t want to think of them as “products on a shelf” rather than human beings. However, “you MUST choose,” commanded the manager.

Once we had chosen our favourites, we had to point them out to the manager and then exchange our LINE details with them. For those of you who don’t know, LINE is the Japanese equivalent of Whatsapp.

We left the host club quite tipsy and (at least in my case) feeling quite empty.

The types of host you will find

The hosts found in Japanese host clubs are usually very feminine-looking. Many of them wear make-up to contour their faces and coloured contact lenses. Most also have long hair in varying colours to make themselves appear more Western or look like anime characters. They are generally aged 18-30, although I have met older hosts in their 40s too. They often wear ripped jeans, leather jackets, silver chains and other “cool and fashionable” clothing.

Opening hours

Japanese Host clubs are generally open from 7/8pm to midnight.

The hosts’ duties

To hand out moist towels, pour drinks, light the cigarettes of any customers that may smoke, and give their undying attention to the women visiting their club.

Once a host has exchanged his LINE with you, he will continue to message you asking you to come back and visit him at the club.

Not the same thing as male prostitutes

You can touch the hosts, but only if they seem open to it. You can touch back if they gently touch your arms, legs or hold hands with you. However, know that they are not obliged to do anything sexual with you and might (delicately) decline your interactions.

You cannot perform any sexual acts with the hosts in the host club. However, depending on the club (and the host, I imagine), you can invite them out with you. Most women choose to go to karaoke or a club, and some invite them to a love hotel. Of course, this isn’t a cheap option. I have known some hosts to have even been invited back to their customers’ houses.

One host told me that the first time it happened, he got into bed with the woman, as offered. He then rolled over and went to sleep because he didn’t know that she wished to have sex with him. She apparently got angry and demanded sex either that same evening or the next time she came to visit him, and he obliged.

Who goes to host clubs?

Japanese girls (and foreigners able to speak Japanese, like my friends and I) of all ages and relationship statuses. It is not uncommon for married women to frequently visit host clubs too (read more on Japanese marriages here).

Can foreigners go to the clubs too?

If you can speak Japanese, it is permitted. However, I’m sure that there are some host clubs that probably deny access to foreigners despite their language ability.

What’s the catch?

The first time you go to a host club, you get a cheap taste of what’s inside. You only pay 1,000¥ (approx. £7/$9) for an hour of all-you-can-drink. However, once you have exchanged LINE details with your chosen host and return as his personal guest, the prices soar drastically. You cannot only buy drinks for yourself, you must either share your drinks with him or buy him drinks of his own. My Australian friend went back to visit her chosen host a second time to see what it would be like. She left the club an hour or two later after spending about 20,000¥ (approx. £140/$185).

How much for a drink?

My friend says she got too drunk to remember individual drink prices and only knew how much she had to pay at the end when they presented her with the final bill. I imagine that the prices are similar to those paid at hostess clubs, though.

Where to find a host club

I always see hosts wandering around Kabukicho in Shinjuku and Roppongi. However, I’m sure there are host clubs in other areas of Tokyo and Japan too.

I hope this article interested and informed you! It was certainly an experience I won’t forget any time soon.

またね！

Jade xxx