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Beginners Guide To Hostess Bars

Hamerare

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This mite b helpful to newcombers to Japan, as well as oldcomers who dont never been into a hostess bar b4. I think I covered most bases but please add stuff.

When u see an oldish salaryman with a cute young J-girl early evening, u can bet ur bottom yen it is a 同伴 dohan date. Another crazy invention that u cudnt imagine going down n e where else in the world apart from maybe Korea. Essentially, u pay a hostess bar a lotta dosh to take a girl out for dinner b4 she starts work, then u have to take her back to the bar for one hour minimum. U r talking about 10,000 yen upwards for this privilege and of course that dont include the price of chow and drinx for 2. The only reason I can see for doing this is that u want 2 be seen in the company of a beautiful sexy young girl in a public place, and who wudnt. Actually I have done it 1ce myself but was tricked into thinking it was just a normal dinner d8 b4 she started work. At least I was able to parade her in front of a buncha gaijinz with fugly wifes n GFs :p

I like hostess bars altho I rarely get lucky with the girls there, not that I am trying too hard in the 1st place. For me, it's preferable to hanging in a British theme pub listening to a buncha middle aged gaijins grumbling about life in To-town. Be warned tho that the only thing what goes down in these joints is CONVERSATION and it can be so boring that it makes u think ur the 1 who shoulda got paid 4 doing it. But usually the girls are good listeners if not conversationalists and u will meet girls u wud never meet otherwise, not no-how not nowhere. Some of them are real smokin' hot too and even the ugly ones look good in these joints with make, hair and lighting. They often wear those bras that make their tits pop out. N e 1 learning Japanese should look on it as a gr8 way to practice nihongo:smuggrin:

The main type of hostess bars I go to are known as カバクラ kabakura which comes from the ancient sanscrit Japanese English cabaret club. I go to the Japanese bars (which very occasionally might have a foreign girl working there if her Japanese is fluent) and the disrespectfully named フリッパ Flippa bars (Philippina bars) or world bars which got predominantly Flippas plus other nationalities. After Flippas n Chinese, the nationalities u may encounter but in much smaller doses r Thai, Nepalese, Vietnamz n Brazilian/Japanese doubles (by the way, the word "half" is on its way out now apparently) probably in that order. I have also met Colombian and Ukranian. The foreign hostess bars in Roppongi is a horse of a different color:vulcan:

At the J-hostess bars, you will see a sign outside with prices for one set (50 - 60 minutes usually) which get more expensive as the nite wearz on. Usually they open at 8 or 9 PM and u will pay typically 3000-4000 per set, which always includes shochu and shite low grade J-whisky with water mixer. The price for one set can go up to 6000+ after 10 PM. Also, they add a government tax of 15%. If u want beer, u have to pay xtra for it, but many bars will give u 1 beer free as ur 1st drink but u have 2 ask for it. The earlier u go, the less girls are available. The other gig is that if u want 2 extend ur time when ur set is up (they always try and get u 2 do this) the price goze up considerably so best to bail and go another bar(y)

The Flippa bars tend to have a set price per hour every hour which is much friendlier on ur wallet, but the ladies are far better at scrounging drinx off u than the J-girls. The Flippa bars usually have a much broader age range and broader body shape of women who r not always friendly on ur eyes. I went 2 a world bar in Kawasaki ratassed drunk once n still cudnt see a single woman I wuda touched with Trevor Jurassicko's.
In the J-hostess bars, you will find three main types of girls. The first type is the ones who are pretty much full-time in that bar and dont have a daytime job. The other types are girls that have a 9-6 job but work part-times some evenings, and students or フリーター , who are often just saving up to go abroad. If u r looking to hit on these girls (which pretty much every customer does if she is attractive), I wudnt advise bothering with the first type. They love to give out their Line and fon number then mail u on quiet nites saying they are sad and bored and miss you so please come along and waste ur dosh. The really professional ones will have a whole army of fans coming to their bar regularly and getting bought champagne and even expensive presents. Dont get into that shite:cigar:

With the other types of girls you have a much better chance of meeting one on her day off but unless its love at first site on her part, u r advised 2 go back to the bar one more time and pay 指名 shimei for her which is a special (usually 2000 yen) extra charge you pay to have her sit with you for one set. However, if another guy comes in during that set and also pays her shimei - then she will suddenly disappear mid-conversation and that annoys the fuck outta every guy it happens to, also knowing you have been taken for an idiot. All these bars have a shimei ranking system which makes the professionl hostess girl types very competitive, mercenary, pushy and sneaky. They can earn a shitload of dosh if they are good at their job, over one million yen a month on commission alone according 2 TV programmes I have seen. Let the bitches run. Amazing thing is these girls often arent that attractive but got a certain je ne sais quoi n expert at blowing a man's ego.
When u enter a hostess bar, the waiter will always ask if u want a shimei, so just say nashi or free. U then get assined the next girl in line for half the set, then another for the final half. The girl will sit next 2 u but with her knees touching urz at an angle, its called prick teasing. In the more expensive joints, u mite meet 3 girls in one set. When u see dudes near train stations or bar streets handing out tissues or cards, its worth grabbing hold of one bcoz often its a discount 4 a particular bar:sneaky:

As for the Flippa and foreign hostess bars, these are generally a lot more fun and lively. What's more, u r allowed to touch and have ur arm round the girl and hold her hand which is pretty much impossible in a J-hostess bar unless u r spending a shitload of dosh on champagne or brand malt whisky. I've tried to get my tongue down throats at these places but the girls dont like to do it in front of their colleagues, or possibly bcoz they dont like me. Never got kicked out of a place for trying tho :shame:

The women all have proper visas, so typically they are divorced from J-men, or close relatives of foreign women married/divorced from J-men. If the "3rd arrow" of this Abenomix shite takes off, there should be a barrel-load more Flippas and Indonesians coming to Japan to work as domestic helpers which will be an excellent gig but it may be some time till they filter thro to the Tokyo area. The Japanese guys who frequent these bars are generally the drippy and idiotic-looking ones who cant get a J-wife or GF. The single Flippas all pretty much want a J-hubby for obvious reasons. The Flippa bars r also big on karaoke and typically try and get u 2 buy song tickets, unusual to find a Flippa joint where karaoke is free:cat:

The Flippas r far easier to get a d8 with than the Jz but with 1 caveat - they tend to work in the bar every fucking nite of the week so dont got n e time off. Some even have daytime jobs in factories. What u need 2 do is compens8 them for taking a nite off (sick) which wud be n e thing from about 5000 yen upwards. They love it when u do this but they got 2 know u well enuf 2 trust u to keep ur promise. With the Jz, the lack of free time is also the problem and I alwayz give up after 2 failed attempts for a d8 n move on. My attitude these dayz is that it aint me who is losing out on something :chicken:

U r not required to buy drinx for the girls in these bars and if u do, u r talking at least 1000 yen for whatever the cheapest shite is. When refusing, just say "sumimasen" or "gomen nasai" without giving a reason. Never say "I dont got n e dosh but next time OK" bcoz u may well end up meetin her again if u frequent a particular bar n she will remind u of ur promise :shifty:

I have spoken here about カバクラ but there r 2 other types of hostess bars. Girls bar is a cheap and more informal form of kabakura where u will pay an hourly rate (typically 1000-1500 yen) but drinx are not included. A beer will cost about 700 for a small bottle. A recent fad is girls wine bar where for 3000 per hour, u can drink as much shite Chile wine as u want. The girls in these bars are always standing up and not allowed to sit down unless there r no customers. U will often find urself speaking to 2 girls at the same time since it is not a specific 1 on 1 gig :bored:

The most common form of hostess bar is the snack. I been told this word comes from the immedi8 postwar period where a bar with girls in it could bypass the strict anti-ho laws if they served food (Mickey Arthur got a lot 2 answer 4) . Not really recommended, but if ur stuck out in the boondox, that mite be the only kind of bar bar there is. It will be small and have a mamasan plus maybe one or 2 other hostesses. They cater for a neighborhood and older crowd. If you go to a place alone for the first time, as a gaijin you will most likely be made very welcome and bought drinx by other customers. The downside is that many snacks dont got a transparent pricing system so u wont know the damage till u bail. Best to go these places in company of a J-buddy who is a regular (and got a bottle keep). A Japanese guy is unlikely to go to a snack unless he has been introduced by another customer. The exception is in onsen and touristy areas. If u got n e J-buddies who r big corpor8 dudes, try and get an invite 2 some of those joints in Ginza. Luxurious aint the word.
In case u was wondering, there are no hostess bars with a barfine system like in Thailand, its against the law. The closest u will find is that dohan shit. However, I do know of a couple of hostess bars in Kabukicho which got Jz and Chinese who dont get paid :cool::cool::cool:

Its worth doing ur reserach b4 u go in2 a hostess bar. Check the signboards outside and plan what time u will go. For example, I got a course of 3 bars where I hit the 1st at around 8.50 and a set is 3000. At 9.50 I go upstairs and pay 4000 for one which goes up to 6000 at 10 PM but u pay the r8 prevailing at the time u arrived. I never pay for an extension or buy lady drinx but have been known to do so while ratassed. Dont get ratassed 2 early. At 10.50 I go to the station to look for the touts with the discount vouchers and often get into an oppai bar for 5000 where u can snog n suck tit and drink beer for 40 minutes. I'm usually totally ratassed after that and try and get home. Unlike pink salons, u pay when u leave at hostess bars. Best to have cash, u can use credit cad but they always charge an extra 10% :stop:
 
Great post, I'm sure people will find that very helpful. I'm sure a few people will feel the need to say it's stupid to pay to drink with girls.

I used to go to a couple of local suburban Filipino bars and dated a few girls, the prices can be as low as 2,500yen an hour which isn't bad. As you point out trying to get time together was practically impossible, it usually ended up being after work, midnight Friday and Saturday nights. Hearing the scams they run on their customers makes you pretty angry/sad.

I did date a Japanese hostess I met outside of her work and she was lovely, but same problem. Several of my Japanese lady friends worked as hostesses when they were younger.
 
Sorry, but feel the need to say it's stupid to pay to drink with women.

I think it's sad to walk out with a 20,000 yen bill and nothing to show for it but a hairy palm and puking on the floor. And the hostess at the bar ARE laughing at guys. I've dated hostess women (met outside the bar) and many despised their customers.

If you guys ever have the chance to go to Taipei in Taiwan, they show how to do the hostess concept properly. They take care of men sexually too versus all the tricking, lying, fooling, and outrageous charges to customers that occurs in Japan.

The Taiwanese style and quality is the same as that of the Japanese version, except the guy has the option to choose which lady he likes among those he is drinking with. If they both agree, she can come to a hotel of his choosing. The cost for both drinking and her coming to the hotel in Taiwan is equal or less than what Japanese guys are tricked and scammed into paying for just drinking, shopping, or dinner with hostess in Japan.
 
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Funny that my sister and her daughter want to visit a host bar when they come to Japan some day
 
Sorry, but feel the need to say it's stupid to pay to drink with women.

Nobody cares about your opinion. People will make their own decisions and don't need to hear you telling them they're stupid.
 
Nobody cares about your opinion. People will make their own decisions and don't need to hear you telling them they're stupid.
LOL. Same can be said of your opinion. And you are not the supreme arbitrator of what can or can't be typed or said.
 
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Sorry, but feel the need to say it's stupid to pay to drink with women.
It's much easier to expense a trip to a hostess bar than a pink salon.
 
Different strokes for different folks as they say

Yap, hostess bars are a waste of dosh if u r looking for something more

But not everybody is looking for something more of a given evening

I like these places and prefer usualy to going out with felow gaijins
 
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well we are entitled with our own opinion.
but i hope that we all can be more considerate with our choice of words.
regardless how good your intention are you can upset someone and make an issue or make things worse .

and by the way, i am also fond of cabaret bars. or to be specif beer houses thats what they call it in the philippines.
you dont alwas go to these places to have a happy ending. sometimes its just what it is.
you pay have a chat be next to a girl that is your TYPE, regardless how things go.
you can someone whos your type and have a nice chat,
picking up girls in a bar is definitely much cheaper. but its a game. you dont know if youll win or loose.
some prefer it that way. but in the end its still personal preference.
 
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I know this thread is a little old, but I only joined this site five minutes ago. I really like the girls bars, if you only want a few beers and an ego boost they are great.
 
I finally got around to reading this whole thing today, appreciate the write up and I hope someone finds it useful.

Hostess bars are still a good part of the Japanese business scene... not as glamorous as it was during the bubble period, but still significant today.

We may ask about converting this into a helpful information page later on. (With of course a few edits and full credit to the OP for the original work)
 
Imo and experience, providing sexual satisfaction or even much sexual stimulation to customers is not the normal function of hostess bars and few if any Japanese men patronize them for that purpose. There are, however, other and perfectly good reasons to go to hostess bars...which, of course, is why there are so very many of them in business and why they are such a permanent fixture of Japanese nightlife.

-Ww
 
I really don't understand the concept of paying to talk with a girl. I always thought the whole point in paying was the skip the silly talk with them women :confused:
 
I always thought the whole point in paying was the skip the silly talk with them women :confused:

In some (but not all) cases, that is correct if you are buying sex from the women, but sex is not what hostess bars or hostesses are selling.

-Ww
 
I really don't understand the concept of paying to talk with a girl. I always thought the whole point in paying was the skip the silly talk with them women :confused:

As a customer (of a Japanese hostess bar), you can possibly get sex with a hostess or meet hostess women outside the bar, but it's often complicated. Totally NOT a straight forward process in Japan, depends on the bar, and is often very convoluted.

As a foreigner, who doesn't speak Japanese, it's very unlikely that you will progress to a sexual relationship as a bar customer. The best shot is by meeting her OUTSIDE the bar by chance (disco or on the train), or by being fluent in Japanese (thus can discuss making arrangements). There is a small possibly of meeting a hostess that speaks English and likes you/foreigners, but such relationships can be frowned upon or discouraged by bar managers and owners that are biased.

My knowledge comes from knowing 4 Japanese bar owners (Okinawa, Tokyo, and Chiba) directly and dating hostess women, but meeting them outside of their bars (not as a customer). In Tokyo and Chiba, by request and hospitality of hostess bar owners that were secret swingers, they have allowed me to enter their bars as a special guest customer.

Scenario 1

The bar or specific hostess may see you as a good customer, based on the frequency that you come and the amount of money you are spending. Usually, such a customer has plenty of money and is very upper income.

The bar itself may encourage the hostess to have lunch or dinner with the customer. This is on condition that the hostess bring the customer back to the bar or the customer continues coming to the bar X times per month. Often, the hostess will use the outside meeting with the customer as an oppourtunity to have him take her shopping as well.

This interaction can lead to a sugarbaby and sugardaddy situation. The hostess often calls such a customer her "sponsor". He would NOT usually pay for sex per episode or directly, instead he would pay her monthly or indirectly. It can be some portion of her rent, entire rent, telephone bill, all her utilities, etc... They then agree on a meeting schedule for sex, usually only a couple times a month.

Scenario 2

It can be the case that an individual hostess wants to make a sugarbaby arrangement with the customer on her own. This is more rare. That is, she wants a relationship with a customer, outside of it being "sanctioned" by the bar. She is the one taking the initiative.

It will have a more boyfriend-like feel to it, but usually falls into a common sugarbaby and sugardaddy situation. Where the customer is taking her shopping and doing things like paying her rent.

Hostess, if they have a real boyfriend/husband/sex-friend, will usually meet them outside the bar or before ever becoming a hostess. So relationships that hostesses make with customers are usually for and about money.

A hostess may have a couple to several sponsors giving her money per month. This also can affect her attitude and if she will entertain going the sugarbaby route with a particular customer. That is, you must be a higher level than her present sponsor for her to want to "upgrade". Consequently, guys that frequent hostess bars can prefer NEW women, as this gives them a greater chance to become her "new sponsor", versus dealing with jaded veterans.

Being a hostess can burn out/wear out some women physically or psychologically. This is due to the excessive alcohol and possible smoking, or the nature and demands made of them by the bar, customers, and her sponsors.

Hostess bars and hostesses try to avoid being associated with prostitution, and attempt to give the appearance of being "high class". Of course some places do a better job than others. To hide the sexual aspect of what goes on, things are done in a very cloak and dagger, and indirect way.
 
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Everything in Solong's post immediately above agrees with my information/understanding of the possibility of sex with hostesses and via hostess bars and is quite accurate to the best of my knowledge. However, in my fairly confident opinion, it is not the pursuit of sex via these convoluted and difficult to achieve scenarios that keeps all of those hostess bars open and all of those hostesses gainfully employed. Hostesses and hostess bars are not fundamentally in the business of selling sex, not even indirectly. They provide different services, services for which there is a quite high and long standing demand in Japan.

(Historical aside - the classical geisha of pre-modern Japan also did not have sex with the large majority of their customers. In many senses, hostesses and hostess bars are the cultural descendants of that tradition.)

-Ww
 
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After watching a documentary about male hosts, I've decided not to patronize these places. The guys were worked half to death, throwing up daily from alcohol poisoning and generally had contempt for the women they serviced. It may be different for actual hostesses, but I am not going to risk it. If I want quality conversation there are other places to go.

This just my opinion. Different strokes.
 
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On a side note: it's interesting how we all differ in terms of taste. For example, I have zero interest in a group thing. A threesome yes- but if other men are involved that's a no go. It just seems almost like an affront to me.


But that's just me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
 
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After watching a documentary about male hosts, I've decided not to patronize these places. The guys were worked half to death, throwing up daily from alcohol poisoning and generally had contempt for the women they serviced. It may be different for actual hostesses, but I am not going to risk it. If I want quality conversation there are other places to go.

This just my opinion. Different strokes.
I've had several hostess girlfriends. Met them outside of the bar. They generally also have contempt for their male customers and are only concerned about money. They are usually doing the job because they initially see it as easy money and don't have job skills for more regular/conventional work.

Alcohol poisoning and puking is an occupational hazard. They will avoid drinking or pull all kinds of tricks to limit their consumption, but sometimes the manager, owner, or customer pushes the situation.
 
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I've had several hostess girlfriends. Met them outside of the bar. They generally also have contempt for their male customers and are only concerned about money. They are usually doing the job because they initially see it as easy money and don't have job skills for more convenient work.

Alcohol poisoning and puking is an occupational hazard. They will avoid drinking or pull all kinds of tricks to limit their consumption, but sometimes the manager, owner, or customer pushes the situation.

That sounds awful. What these guys were experiencing seemed like intentional alcoholism.
 
The OP's post looks like it was written by a heavily drunk person who has sleeping problems.

However, the entirety of the contents of his posts are pure truth. I could not agree anymore. Especially the whole "Filipinas are mostly factory workers with a 9-5 shift and work at night)".

I do not intend to debate nor disagree with what the OP said. Everything he has explained was from pure experience and he definitely knows what he's talking about.

I've had several hostess girlfriends. Met them outside of the bar. They generally also have contempt for their male customers and are only concerned about money. They are usually doing the job because they initially see it as easy money and don't have job skills for more regular/conventional work.

Alcohol poisoning and puking is an occupational hazard. They will avoid drinking or pull all kinds of tricks to limit their consumption, but sometimes the manager, owner, or customer pushes the situation.

Oh my God! Quoted for motherfreaking truth. Right here, gentlemen.

Basically, their job is sort of a game.

Get the customers drunk, not yourself. The drunker they are and the sober you end up, the more you win. The drunker they get, the more they're easier to persuade to order more drinks, thus increasing your income further.

Basically, when you go to establishments such as these, do NOT get shitfaced. Keep track of the amount you're spending and the amount of alcohol you intake/order. Unless you're a highly paid salaryman, you're going to walk out of there with a limp dick, butterfly in your pockets and a snickering grin from the ladies that just played your ass.

Don't buy into their shit. Don't get played. You play the game. They're pretty much nudging you to act like a gentleman and treat them right, meaning spend, spend and motherloving spend. It's all about the money, yo.
 
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Very good information.
Great post, I'm sure people will find that very helpful. I'm sure a few people will feel the need to say it's stupid to pay to drink with girls.

I used to go to a couple of local suburban Filipino bars and dated a few girls, the prices can be as low as 2,500yen an hour which isn't bad. As you point out trying to get time together was practically impossible, it usually ended up being after work, midnight Friday and Saturday nights. Hearing the scams they run on their customers makes you pretty angry/sad.

I did date a Japanese hostess I met outside of her work and she was lovely, but same problem. Several of my Japanese lady friends worked as hostesses when they were younger.

I found this to be a great and informative post, thank you for sharing!