Recession Hits Ginza Hostess Clubs

[Mulboyne]

[floatl][/floatl]Cyzo reports (Japanese) that the financial crisis is claiming more victims in Japan. With investment banks reining in their expense accounts and regular customers keeping their distance, a number of Ginza's high class hostess clubs have been forced to close. Ginza had traditionally drawn its clientele from the worlds of business, politics, sports and entertainment with a fair smattering of underworld characters in the mix. However, in recent years, the clubs began to depend increasingly on the presidents of successful start-ups and the financiers who helped them get rich. Good customers would routinely spend a million yen a visit and might lay out three times that on a good night. Now that they have disappeared, the cash shortfall has left many establishments in the lurch and the traditional customer base is unable to pick up the slack. A doorman at club "T" tells of how the owner has absconded without paying the staff. He goes on to mention that the sudden downturn has also affected other clubs in the area. The former mamasan of a Roppongi hostess club, connected with the mob-linked Rising Pro agency, set up club "E" in Ginza and became known for attracting entertainment industry types. However, the knock-on effects of the downturn have also forced it to close. The author of the article laments that this all spells bad news for journalists: many had come to rely on workers in the Ginza area as a rich source of gossip about the latest scandals.

[GuyJean]

What a pity.. Bet the 'Happy-Finish' 'clubs' are still booming.. (And no; the girls aint from Finland.)

GJ

[cot faulking]

Prostitution better known as delivery health is booming. To judge the market, stand outside a love hotel and count the women coming in without a guy. Non-stop action!!:bowdown:

So there are jobs waiting the ginza hostesses in okachimachi, ikebukuro, shibuya, shinjuku...

MOD EDIT - Link removed. Put it in your sig and not in the body of a post please.

[Mulboyne]

It looks like the Asahi carried a very similar article (Japanese) earlier this month. One Ginza hostess tells of how her customer says he has taken losses of 5 billion yen. He still claims to have assets worth 30 billion yen but the hostess says he used to visit 5 times a month and now is down to only once a month. The 30 hostesses working the club were usually on call every night but, with business down 20-30%, a number are having their hours cut back. A street flower seller says that the only people on the streets seem to be local office workers. He would expect to be doing good business at this time of year but is having to throw away unsold inventory. With the fines he has to pay for parking on the street, his profits are dwindling fast. Taxis are also feeling the pain. There are few queues for them after 11 o'clock and lines of empty taxis can stretch for over 500m. This compounds the problem: because the streets are jammed with taxis not going anywhere, it's often faster to walk. Yumi Ito, who has been managing a club in the area for 26 years, says that business has been good for the last five years but confirms that it has hit a wall. The last time clubs went through a tough time was when yakiniku restaurant owners stopped visiting as BSE fears hit their takings but this is likely to be more severe.

[Greji]

To judge the market, stand outside a love hotel and count the women coming in without a guy. Non-stop action!!

Is there any particular reason why you do this?

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Is there any particular reason why you do this?

he's obviously recruiting for his 'dating club' that he advertises in his signature.

[Mulboyne]

[Mulboyne]

AFP: Tough times for Japan's hostess clubs

In their heyday during the economic bubble of the 1980s, Tokyo's exclusive hostess bars boomed as well-heeled customers quaffed Moet and even sprinkled gold in drinks. But in times of recession, big spenders become more scarce. Kanryo Matsui smiles as he remembers the good old days of Japan's bubble era when customers at his hostess bar would spend a thousand dollars in one night on champagne. "Those kind of clients rarely come anymore," he says wistfully. The fortunes of Ginza, a ritzy shopping and entertainment district in the Japanese 4capital that's home to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, rise and fall with those of the economy. "Especially since the start of the year, business in Ginza has been bad. When the economy slumps, there are fewer clients," says Matsui, the 69-year-old manager of the Pont des Arts bar, which has about three dozen hostesses.

"When it's good, Ginza prospers, because company employees come to wine and dine. When the economy worsens, companies forbid them to do that," says Matsui. Outside women in long flowing dresses stand shivering on street corners, handing out flyers offering drinks and expensive chit-chat to male passers-by. In the good times they would be inside engaged in flirtatious conversation. Chauffeur-driven sedans deposit corporate high-flyers outside bars with bright neon lights and exotic names such as The Bunny Club, Penthouse and Club Plaisir. These days, though, there's less competition for parking spaces. At the Pont des Arts bar, 32-year-old club hostess Ayano Ito is getting ready for another night's work helping her customers forget their problems, for a few hours at least. "People come for different reasons: to heal their sadness, to release stress. They come here because they want to be listened to," says Ito, dressed in an elegant kimono, her hair coiffured after a daily trip to the stylist.

Times had been getting better in recent years as Japan's economy enjoyed its longest economic recovery since World War II. There was even a boom in host clubs where, in a role reversal, well-groomed men entertain women for the evening. Then came the credit crunch. At first it seemed like mainly a Western problem. The same Japanese banks that had once been criticised for being too timid were suddenly being lauded for escaping the worst of the subprime crisis. But the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September last year sent shockwaves through Tokyo's financial district and things have only gotten worse since then. Banks starting laying off workers and now even once-mighty Japanese companies such as Toyota and Sony are bracing for big losses this year. Firms are scrambling to reduce their spending, making it harder to claim an evening's entertainment as expenses. With stock markets in the doldrums, rich individuals are also feeling the pinch.

The hostess industry is no stranger to tough times. During the 1990s recession many bars went to the wall, but the fear is that this time it may be even worse. "When the bubble burst, business was certainly bad, but that was Japan's problem," Matsui says. "Other countries like the US and China were still growing so it wasn't as serious as it is today. Today it is a global problem and no country is spared." For young Japanese women, becoming a hostess has traditionally been a lucrative career that can earn them several thousand dollars every month. Many young foreign women are also drawn by the lure of money and glamour. "I was attracted to the glamorous world and lifestyle, as well as the opportunity to meet people I wouldn't normally," says Ito, who moved to Tokyo three years ago from central Japan to try to live her dream. But, just like Japan's famous geisha, times are changing for the hostess industry, particularly the upscale establishments which face competition from cheaper clubs and other types of entertainment. "There are fewer places where you pay a high price for the company of a sophisticated lady," says Matsui. "The way of having fun has changed. Although they won't disappear, the number will decrease."

[Mulboyne]

[nottu]

[Samurai_Jerk]

I've been traveling a lot recently and everywhere I go its the same with the entertainment districts - empty. Some places I go, I'm the only one there. All the proprietors and staff are outside.

You know times are tough when men are ready to give up boozing and whoring for a night at home with the wife and kids.

[Greji]

You know times are tough when men are ready to give up boozing and whoring for a night at home with the wife and kids.

Could you change that to read some men. There are those of us that will carry on the traditions...

[nottu]

[Iraira]

Yeah, times are tough in Kabukicho. Last week, while walking through the nice part of Kabukicho on my way to K-town, some catch guy tried to get me into his place, promising me that it was now "momi-houdai" every night of the week. Told him that he wasn't the type that I want to squeeze.

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Ginza bars, clubs feeling pinch of fiscal slump

Managers of clubs and bars in Tokyo's Ginza district, which has been seriously hit by economic slumps since autumn, are racking their brains to try to figure out ways to survive, reducing hostesses' working hours and other means. Though the managers expected their regular customers who have been transferred outside Tokyo would bring their new colleagues, clients or others to their establishments in April, a month when many company personnel changes take place, there has been no sign that business has taken a turn for the better. Bars large and small line Ginza's Namiki-dori avenue. When this reporter stopped by one of these small establishments on April 17, a middle-aged man was the only customer at the bar, which has eight chairs at the counter, though it was 9 p.m. on a Friday. "Fewer people visit us in groups, and there is no more wining and dining for business clients and farewell parties for those to be transferred to other locations. I think few people can afford to spend their companies' money now," the bar's 41-year-old comanageress, who works under the name of Kanako, said. Kanako said her customers have halved in number compared with before the September collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Nevertheless, another manager, a 38-year-old who works as Yukie, was taken on in March. Yukie formerly ran another Ginza bar, but it was shut down at the end of February. So she began working with Kanako, an acquaintance, bringing with her the "bottles [the old bar stored for] her regular customers." "It's difficult to open a bar by yourself. So I'm relieved to be able to find a new place so soon," said Yukie, clad in a pink suit and writing thank-you letters to her customers.

Wages, hours cut

A long-established club in Ginza said the number of its customers has dropped by about 30 percent since autumn, prompting it to slash the number of hostesses from nearly 30 to about 20. The club is making further efforts to cut personnel expenses by reducing the number of days the hostesses work and the length of their working hours. Even hostesses who have many regular customers and are paid well might receive only half of their normal daily wage on days when no customers request them by name. "The ongoing recession discourages people to enjoy nightlife. I wonder what'll happen in the future," the club's 60-year-old president said. Since autumn, SRY, a personnel placement agency that introduces and dispatches hostesses to Ginza bars and clubs, has been flooded with consultations from women who have had their hours cut and those who found it difficult to stay at their jobs because they were unable to attract customers. Such inquiries, which are made by telephone or face to face, are averaging 30 a day, about twice the number as before the financial crisis began. "Because bars and clubs are desperate to secure the services of those who can offer high-quality service to customers, I believe the quality of Ginza bars has improved," an SRY employee said.

'Most serious blow in history'

Abe Ginza Tenpo Center Co., a real estate agency handling rental properties in Ginza, has been receiving inquiries from managers of establishments who wish to close their businesses or move to smaller places. Currently, the number of properties available for rent is twice that of a year ago. "During the economic bubble period, we didn't have any properties to offer, so we tried to find vacant places," said Yuko Hayashi, the firm's managing director. "But now, we can immediately offer a recently vacated property." Ginza Shako-ryoin Kyokai, an association of clubs and bars in Ginza, said the number of its member establishments declined by about 100 during the past year, to about 1,700. "The current recession is the most serious in our 84-year history," said Tadakazu Kamiya, 61, the association's secretary general. All the establishments can barely manage to make their ends meet, and pay careful attention to each customer."

[Mulboyne]

[sublight]

Yeah, times are tough in Kabukicho. Last week, while walking through the nice part of Kabukicho on my way to K-town, some catch guy tried to get me into his place, promising me that it was now "momi-houdai" every night of the week. Told him that he wasn't the type that I want to squeeze.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Iraira again.

[Mulboyne]

ZakZak reports (Japanese) that one Ginza mama has just taken delivery of an S-class Mercedes Benz, a present from one of her customers. It sells for around 10 million yen and some think it's not a very classy gesture.

[Taro Toporific]

Geishas serve beer instead of tea and conversation as downturn hits Japan
Telegraph
...At the traditional inn Gion Shinmonso, in the ancient capital of Japan, for the 4 pounds (530 yen) cost of a draft beer, visitors can raise toasts and make conversation with trainee geisha, called maiko, before they perform nightly traditional Kyotan dances known as 'kyomai' on a special beer garden stage.
Meanwhile, the beer garden at Kamischichiken enables visitors to[SIZE="3"] buy a "geisha starter pack"[/SIZE] for 13 pounds, including a mug of beer, two snacks and company of kimono-clad geisha...more...

[Mulboyne]

The disaster has inevitable had an impact. ZakZak says (Japanese) some club owners are finding conditions tougher than even after the financial crisis. One local man reckons nearly 800 business in the area have fallen on hard times. One hostess says she is considering her options since an early recovery seems unlikely. The article mentions Kita Shinchi in Osaka, which caters to the same market as Ginza in Tokyo, appears to be prospering as there are no power outages and patrons are still happy to spend money.

[Samurai_Jerk]

The disaster has inevitable had an impact. ZakZak says (Japanese) some club owners are finding conditions tougher than even after the financial crisis. One local man reckons nearly 800 business in the area have fallen on hard times. One hostess says she is considering her options since an early recovery seems unlikely. The article mentions Kita Shinchi in Osaka, which caters to the same market as Ginza in Tokyo, appears to be prospering as there are no power outages and patrons are still happy to spend money.

I spoke with my ex who works at a club in Ginza about a week ago and she said she's making a lot of money these days. Maybe it's a case of those that are surviving are picking up excess business.

[Typhoon]

The disaster has inevitable had an impact. ZakZak says (Japanese) some club owners are finding conditions tougher than even after the financial crisis. One local man reckons nearly 800 business in the area have fallen on hard times. One hostess says she is considering her options since an early recovery seems unlikely. The article mentions Kita Shinchi in Osaka, which caters to the same market as Ginza in Tokyo, appears to be prospering as there are no power outages and patrons are still happy to spend money.

I spoke with my ex who works at a club in Ginza about a week ago and she said she's making a lot of money these days. Maybe it's a case of those that are surviving are picking up excess business.

I was told by someone who moonlights as a hostess that a lot of company execs from Tokyo showed up a Kita Shinchi in Osaka after the Fukushima incident.

[AML]

Even after 10 years I still can't understand why people would willingly give these clubs all that money and stuff. (cars? Apartments? WTF??)

Makes no sense to me at all. All they do is talk to you, listen to your btichings and sleep with you. (isn't that what wifes are for?)

[Big Boy]

Sounds like a good deal however many G's look like horses close up with all that caked on makeup and kankle concealing kimonos!

[Samurai_Jerk]

Even after 10 years I still can't understand why people would willingly give these clubs all that money

Wether or not it's expensive depends on how much money you have. If you're worth millions, a few thousand bucks for a night out drinking doesn't cost you much relatively speaking. If you're expensing your company, a few thousand dollars for night out drinking doesn't cost you anything.

Those are generally the two types of customers they have at the super expensive places. In Japan going to a Ginza club is a way for a wealth guy to show off his money or for a sales person to impress a customer.

In the US it's the same thing only people go to high end strip clubs. What's the difference? Maybe the action is a little nastier at a strip club, but in the end you're paying a lot of money NOT to get laid.

and stuff. (cars? Apartments? WTF??)

That I don't get no matter how rich you are.

Makes no sense to me at all. All they do is talk to you, listen to your btichings and sleep with you. (isn't that what wifes are for?)

Most guys never get to sleep with the girls in the clubs. The same way most guys in the US never get to bang a stripper. Altough a stripper in the US is probably more likely to fuck if you pay her enough.

Anyway, as it was explained to me, the rich dudes are usually married and just looking for a safe way to party with some girls and the business customers are looing for a way to cut the tension with customers.

[AML]

Wether or not it's expensive depends on how much money you have. If you're worth millions, a few thousand bucks for a night out drinking doesn't cost you much relatively speaking. If you're expensing your company, a few thousand dollars for night out drinking doesn't cost you anything.

Those are generally the two types of customers they have at the super expensive places. In Japan going to a Ginza club is a way for a wealth guy to show off his money or for a sales person to impress a customer.

In the US it's the same thing only people go to high end strip clubs. What's the difference? Maybe the action is a little nastier at a strip club, but in the end you're paying a lot of money NOT to get laid.



That I don't get no matter how rich you are.



Most guys never get to sleep with the girls in the clubs. The same way most guys in the US never get to bang a stripper. Altough a stripper in the US is probably more likely to fuck if you pay her enough.

Anyway, as it was explained to me, the rich dudes are usually married and just looking for a safe way to party with some girls and the business customers are looking for a way to cut the tension with customers.

I can understand the business aspect of it. Taking customers there for fun. Everyone says that in Japan all the work gets done outside of the office.
And when the company is paying, im all for it!

Ive been taken to a high end club before (I wasnt paying) and I can see why Japanese oyajis would be into it (young girls swooning over the girth of their wallets).

But personally, I just didnt get it.

However, there are cases where young, single men spend all their income to try and "bag" one of these girls. Then they go on murderous rampages when the girls spurn them?

And the regular married salary men who dont earn massive income and would rather spend what little they have on these women instead of on their families?

These, I really dont get

[sublight]

Some places I go, I'm the only one there. All the proprietors and staff are outside.

Try deodorant next time.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I can understand the business aspect of it. Taking customers there for fun. Everyone says that in Japan all the work gets done outside of the office.
And when the company is paying, im all for it!

Ive been taken to a high end club before (I wasnt paying) and I can see why Japanese oyajis would be into it (young girls swooning over the girth of their wallets).

But personally, I just didnt get it.

You have remember that there's not much of a nampa scene for shakaijin in Japan. For most J guys, if they want to spend time with girls they don't know and can safely flirt with, they have to pay for it or oraganize a gokon. A gokon can't be done on the spurt of the moment though.

However, there are cases where young, single men spend all their income to try and "bag" one of these girls. Then they go on murderous rampages when the girls spurn them?

And the regular married salary men who dont earn massive income and would rather spend what little they have on these women instead of on their families?

These, I really dont get

There are weirdos in every country that spend all of their money on stupid obsessions but that's not the average guy in a high-end club. The average salaryman goes to a cheap cabaret club or girls bar.

[cstaylor]

The average salaryman goes to a cheap cabaret club or girls bar.

Good luck getting into a girls bar in Yokohama. It's so cheap compared to a normal snack or cabaret that the poor single slobs roll in right after work and don't leave for hours.

I prefer the karaoke cabarets myself. Some of those ladies can really sing.

Ive been taken to a high end club before (I wasnt paying) and I can see why Japanese oyajis would be into it (young girls swooning over the girth of their wallets).

Damn, what a cheapskate. Did you at least offer more than once to pay your own tab?

Remind me never to invite you out for drinks.

[AML]

Damn, what a cheapskate. Did you at least offer more than once to pay your own tab?

Remind me never to invite you out for drinks.

The bill was over 1 million yen! (I saw it)

There was no fraking way I was paying for what I consumed