Summary

The article discusses the lucrative yet morally questionable career of Japanese "hosts," young men who entertain and exploit vulnerable women in clubs for significant financial gain.

Abstract

The narrative centers around Takahiro, a high school dropout turned host, who earns substantial sums by engaging with female clients, providing companionship, and encouraging them to spend lavishly. The author, an associate professor, contrasts his own life and values with those of Takahiro, who represents a generation of men drawn to the host lifestyle for its financial rewards and the potential of becoming a wealthy woman's consort. The piece delves into the darker aspects of the industry, including the exploitation of young, often vulnerable women who may fall into debt and be coerced into prostitution or pornography by club bosses. The author grapples with his role as an English tutor to Takahiro, questioning whether he is complicit in the system by accepting money from the host's illicit activities, and resolves to protect his daughters from such an environment.

Opinions

The author is conflicted about the morality of the host profession, recognizing the exploitation and potential harm to young women while also acknowledging the personal financial success of hosts like Takahiro.
There is a clear distinction made between the author's stable, academic life and the hedonistic, transactional lifestyle of a host.
The article suggests that the host club industry preys on the loneliness and vulnerability of women, using the allure of companionship and affection to drive up bills and create debt dependency.
The author hints at a sense of discomfort and moral dilemma in accepting payment from Takahiro, knowing the source of his income.
There is an underlying concern for the welfare of young women, particularly those who become indebted and are forced into the sex industry by club bosses.
The piece reflects on the cultural aspects of Japan that allow such industries to thrive, including the concept of "kyabakura" and the societal acceptance of secret sexual relationships.
The author's protective stance towards his daughters is evident, as he vows to keep them away from the influence of host clubs.

TRAVEL

Drinking, Sexing, Exploiting Vulnerable Women: The Lucrative Job Attracting Young Japanese Men

No education needed — just the ability to make a woman empty her purse

I’m working late tonight — the classic line that drives women to drink (with other men) — Image by author

“The more I drink, and the more I have sex, the more money I make. Your work is helping students, my work is helping lonely women.”

I didn’t have a witty comeback, or an insightful nugget of wisdom that might make this young Japanese man in front of me rethink his career choices. So, I just kept listening.

“Last month, I made about $7,000, and the month before that, I made almost $10,000. The top earner made more than $20,000. My goal is to make more than $10,000 every month.”

I was supposed to be listening to Takahiro’s English pronunciation and correcting his grammar, but I was lost in thought trying to comprehend how this 25-year-old high school dropout with 1980s glam rock hair and meticulous mascara, was earning more than me, an associate professor at university with a Doctor of Education.

Sex sells.

And loneliness is willing to pay for it, apparently.

Takahiro was a “host”, a young man who, like many of his generation, had chosen to work deep inside dark, smoky clubs at night — clubs frequented exclusively by paying women.

He provided a shoulder to cry on, a body to lean on, and a rock-hard penis to bounce up and down on.

His job description was simple — keep the female clients entertained and get them to loosen their legs, along with their purse strings.

Who knew big hair had such oozing sex. In Japan’s host clubs it does — Image by author

“Do your parents know what you do?” I asked, curious as to whether they knew how much their son was raking in for his specialized set of “services”.

“They know I work in clubs at night, but they don’t ask any more than that,” he said.

Japanese people keep a lot of secrets. Even from their families.

“There’s no way I could do what you do,” I said.

“Why not?” he asked.

I wanted my reasoning to skewer him straight between the eyes and batter him with morality, but I figured I’d play diplomatic. After all, he was paying me handsomely to help him with his English.

“Well, at my age, I can’t really drink that much. A couple of beers in the afternoon while I watch Australian footy is good enough for me. Plus, I can’t deal with the hangovers, especially with two young daughters,” I said.

“How much do you drink every night, Takahiro?” I then asked, steering the conversation back to him.

“No idea, to be honest, but at least four bottles of whiskey a week and then whatever shots the clients buy each night,” he said, with a casual shrug of the shoulders.

I felt sick just imagining it.

About a month’s worth of alcohol for a “host” it seems — Image by author

“How long do you think you can keep doing it?” I asked.

He laughed, then took a sip of Chivas Regal while he thought about his answer.

“Not sure, but the oldest host at our club is 32. Most finish before they’re 30.”

“Make as much money as you can before your body says no?”

“Make as much money as you can and hope you become a rich woman's toyboy is the goal for most of us.”

Again, I was lost for words.

In Japan, kyabakura — a shortened combination of cabaret club — are clubs where men go to buy extortionately priced drinks and flirt with women younger than their daughters. Richer men often take it further and set up girls to be their secret nookie on the side in return for gifts or downtown apartments.

But toyboys? And sugar mommas? I don’t know why I was surprised, it’s Japan, after all. The land of secret sex. But I was taken aback.

Rich, older women lavishing younger men with trappings in exchange for affections and erections.

The ultimate revenge on husbands who spend their time and energy on hidden women…

While I thought it was a seedy pocket of life that would inevitably end in tears, revenge and recriminations, I figured they were adults doing what they wanted with their money (or their partner’s).

Adults being adults? Or something more sinister? — Image created by author

But I couldn’t skip over the seedier side of host clubs, a side that had made news in Japan in recent times.

“What about girls who can’t pay their bills?” I asked.

Takahiro’s mood immediately shifted, his countenance suddenly cold and stiff.

He took a bigger sip on his Chivas.

“I’m not really sure,” he said. “My bosses take care of that stuff.”

His bosses, I thought…

With two young daughters, 7 and 5, my mood had shifted, too. I tried not to let it filter through my words, but we both knew what the other was thinking.

Japan is no different from anywhere else in the world — it is full of lonely people, including young girls. Some are victims of domestic abuse, some have run away from home. Some don’t have homes to run from, and some just want to be loved.

Many find their way into host clubs, where the young men working the tables tell them exactly what they want to hear.

The hosts make the young women feel good for fleeting moments — for the cost of an expensive drink. Help them forget the problems of their everyday lives — for the cost of an expensive drink. And show them what happiness really can look like — for the cost of an expensive drink.

But the cost of those expensive drinks quickly adds up.

And when the girls can’t pay off the drinking debts they accrue, that’s when the “bosses” step in.

Recent news reports speak of forced prostitution, forced forays into adult movies, forced jobs that no parent ever wants to imagine their daughters involved in.

A recent headline in Japan Today news — screenshot by author

“Do you have many younger clients?” I asked Takahiro.

“No,” he said. “I used to, when I first started, but then I started to earn more and get more experience. When you get to a certain level, you only work with higher paying clients, and eventually with VIPs only.”

Again, I was gobsmacked.

In effect, it seemed that Takahiro was saying the clubs used the younger girls as training for the hosts. A kind of wining, dining, and schmoozing apprenticeship to help them work their way up from the Uniqlo’s to the Louis Vuitton’s.

And if the girls couldn’t pay while the hosts perfected their wily art of cash extraction?

Shrug the shoulders and let “the bosses” step in.

Pay to play taken a little too literally for my sensitivities.

Takahiro looked at his watch.

“Same time next week?” he said, as he handed over a crisp 10,000 yen note.

“Sure,” I said, as I took the note and placed it carefully in my wallet.

I couldn’t ignore the uncomfortable truth that the money he was giving me was coming from the work he was doing at the host clubs.

Am I part of the problem, I thought. Or is this just how capitalism and the exchange of money works in modern times?

I said goodbye to Takahiro, watched as he disappeared into the darkness of the night, then resolved never to let my daughters anywhere near host clubs as long as I live.

They might be a lucrative career option for young Japanese men, but they won’t be getting contributions from either of my girls.