Girls In Bars

[Samurai_Jerk]

They need to go ahead and get rid of this no dancing, whoring, or hostessing after midnight law. It's fucking ridiculous. I guess I shouldn't complain though. At least there's no legally enforced last call like back home.

[FG Lurker]

Is this midnight thing a Tokyo law? I have been in hostess clubs in Osaka long after midnight...

[IkemenTommy]

While another gaijin is out there in this city stealing a bicycle from an innocent Japanese citizen... Those cops need to go out and catch the real bad guys. Jesus Fuckin H Christ.

[Greji]

Is this midnight thing a Tokyo law? I have been in hostess clubs in Osaka long after midnight...

It's the Sunaku catch. If they serve some kinda of food (other than a willing hostess) they apply for a Snack Bar license which allows they to stay open past the bar curfew. They just need to have something that faintly resembles a kitchen, or food preparation area to qualify.

[Mulboyne]

Is this midnight thing a Tokyo law? I have been in hostess clubs in Osaka long after midnight...

The laws are nationwide but their application varies considerably depending on the mood of the times. The laws go back to 1949 and, even today, can be used to close down any after-hours bar or club where there is dancing. Such places do exist and are openly tolerated all over the country but, every now and again, the police will use the letter of the law to go in and see what else is happening there. In Azabu, a heavy application of the laws over the last few years has seen the closure of several clubs and discos.

With regard to hostess clubs, they are supposed to close around midnight with some latitude for closing down time. In Ginza, most high-end clubs still do that. As Greji says, snakku, which are effectively neigbourhood hostess clubs, have long existed in a grey zone and the police generally don't bother with heavy enforcement there unless word gets around that an establishment is employing a lot of illegals. It used to be commonplace for snakku out in the boonies to be staffed by Filipinas.

Just as you find in Osaka, FGL, it was very easy to find hostess clubs which stayed open late all over Tokyo but, technically, they were breaking the law. Cabaret-Clubs (kyabakura) opened to take advantage of what they saw as a loophole in the law but it was not a loophole the police recognized, its just that they chose not to act against such clubs for many years. This all changed in Tokyo and a number of factors are believed to be responsible. Firstly, Tokyo is bidding for the Olympics which has given extra energy to clean up the sleazy parts of the city. Then there is growing concern over drug use and also over underage prostitution.

The bottom line is that many clubs now "officially" close around midnight. Some play safe and genuinely do close while others lock their doors but carry on doing business inside. These days, a club is taking a big risk if it regularly leaves its lights on and door open until the early hours. You can still get away with it but raids are more frequent, especially by the Azabu police in the Roppongi area.

That was one reason this Girls Bar trend started in the first place. Operators figured that they could open late if they presented themselves as bars. The simple understanding was that if they had a counter behind which the staff served drinks then they would qualify as a bar rather than a club. Captain Japan actually checked with the police on this question when he wrote about Girls Bars and they strongly indicated that they regarded these kinds of places as hostess clubs rather than bars. Consequently, most of them are on borrowed time if they continue doing business as they are now.

If you speak with owners, they all can't wait for the Olympic bid to fail but it isn't clear that it will be back to business as usual because there does seem to be a mood to maintain stricter control of these businesses in Tokyo.

[Samurai_Jerk]

They've been doing the same shit in Seoul for about five or six years now. Fuck development and progress.

[Mulboyne]

[nottu]