As previously discussed on this blog before, hostesses and hosts have received much of the blame for the spread of the coronavirus in Japan, especially in Tokyo.
The nightlife scene, particularly the seedier side in areas like Kabukicho, has found itself demonized by the authorities and media as the most obvious source of infection clusters.
While we don't doubt that intimate encounters with prostitutes or long sessions in small hostess club booths does increase the risk of infection, we are very suspicious of the narrative that the media is pushing.
Indeed, this week Tokyo announced 55 ...
As the city reopens following its soft lockdown, one establishment has made headlines for changing its operating style to fit the new normal that is post-COVID-19 Tokyo -- and also opening itself up to a broader demographic ahead of its closure.
The host club Ai Honten (literally, Love Head Office) will open only on Saturdays and Sundays as a cafe. For once, male customers will also be admitted. So this is also a kind of education project, helping people experience what a host club is like without having to pay the usual costs entailed.
First opened in 1971 and one of the most renowned ...
After they were blamed for helping to spread the coronavirus in Japan, hostess clubs are once again in the media limelight for causing a second wave of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo.
Nightlife spots are resulting in fresh clusters of cases following the lifting of the state of emergency in Tokyo.
Hostess clubs closed during the state of emergency, leading to economic uncertainty for many women and the emergence of "remote hostessing" services. Now that businesses in the city like restaurants are trying to return to some semblance of normality in the second phase of the post-lockdown reopening, ...
In the latest of our reports on how the coronavirus is affecting the adult industry in Japan, we highlight love hotels, the temporary accommodation that exist for couples to have sex.
Love hotels are enjoying a supposed boom due to the pandemic and semi-lockdown measures imposed by the government.
An article we saw recently claims that the "pandemic sees thriving demand at suburban love hotels."
The basis for the claim is largely a single Japanese-language media article, itself based on a single interview via Twitter with an employee at a love hotel in Kanagawa, the prefecture immediately ...
The Japanese government's uninspired response to the coronavirus -- announcing, belatedly, a state of emergency, but carrying out few tests -- may well prove the end of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's long term.
One of the most maligned and mocked initiatives has been Abe's offer to send each household in the country two face masks.
This has been criticized as an "epic fail" due to the ineffectiveness of just two masks, delayed distribution, quality of the masks, and their cost.
But by far the most novel critique and, simultaneously, striking utilization of the masks has come from idol Amo ...
Long-running rural strip club in Japan turns to crowdfunding to stay in business during coronavirus crisis
We have been chronicling how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the adult industry in Japan, from shutting down hostess clubs to inspiring sex workers.
Like hostess clubs and the like, strip clubs were also quick to shut their doors after the state of emergency was announced.
Having first started in the postwar years, the striptease industry in Japan is dying anyway, so this may well be one of the final nails in its coffin.
We spotted an interesting article about one example of a ...
With much of Japan on semi-lockdown (or at least, slowdown) due to measures to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus, freelancers and the self-employed are particularly feeling the crunch.
This naturally includes prostitutes of various types (soaplands, call girls, etc.). Though some delivery health services are trying to cash in on the crisis with coronavirus-themed marketing, we expect most fuzoku establishments are closed or running reduced hours right now. Naturally, accurate numbers of these are hard to come by, though we did read an interview with a sex worker at an Ikebukuro ...
Bloomberg has published an interesting in-depth article on hostess clubs in Japan during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Champagne, chandeliers and glitzy cocktail frocks are all part of the fantasy world conjured up by Japan's hostess clubs. The coronavirus has delivered an unwelcome dose of reality."
Since the outbreak, much of the media reporting and imagery promoted by politicians has unfairly blamed nightlife for spreading the virus, rather than the various other factors (also) responsible such as crowded commuter trains, offices, and regular izakaya and restaurants.
It is true, however, ...
These news stories are coming thick and fast.
Just Monday we reported on the emergence of a service using Zoom to offer a virtual hostess club experience.
Now there is SmaCaba, another remote hostess club service.
With a typically Japanese mashup of "smartphone" and "kyabakura" (cabaret club, a euphemism for hostess club) for its name, SmaCaba links hostesses and customers through their handheld devices. The session that a customer enjoys with an available hostess is conducted via LINE, Zoom, or Skype. Sessions are available from 7pm every day except Sundays.
The customer/user pays with ...
We recently wrote about the various ways that the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the adult industry in Japan.
While certain prostitution services are attempting to exploit the crisis for its marketing potential, the plight of hostesses is gaining attention. Kabukicho, where many hostess clubs are located, has been identified as one of the probable causes of the spread of the virus in Tokyo due to the closely confined nature of the clubs. One-fourth of people in Shinjuku infected in March were working in role connected to nightlife services.
With nightlife in the capital essentially dead ...
