Kabukicho Legend Hitoshi Shirosaki and Popular Writer Chihuahua Sasaki Special Dialogue: “The Hosts are Dangerous, Both Now and in the Past”

A dream collaboration was realized before the 3rd anniversary of the serialization!

An in-depth discussion between a Kabukicho legend and a popular writer.

What has changed between Reiwa and Reiwa? Two people who know Kabukicho inside and out talked about it!

Shirosaki: In my six years as a host, my peak monthly number of appointments was about 350, and my take-home pay was about 30 million yen per month. My highest annual income at that time was over 300 million yen.

Chihuahua: There are hosts who are making over 100 million yen these days, but in most cases they are paid by one very fat customer. There is no charismatic person who attracts so many people like Mr. Chirosaki.

Their conversation began with such a gory anecdote. The legendary Hitoshi Shirosaki (46), who once held the No. 1 position at Club Ai in Kabukicho for five consecutive years, and writer Chihuahua Sasaki, who is well versed in the current host situation.

The two, who both know the Heisei and Reiwa eras, talked about the changes in the host business.

 

Shirosaki: The biggest sales were in September 2004, just before I retired. It was my last birthday before I retired, and there were so many customers that we couldn’t even fill the affiliated stores, so we extended the period. It was like every day was my birthday that month, and I sold about 160 million yen.

Chihuahua: Isn’t that too much? There are hosts who sell 10 million yen but have no money at all.

Shirosaki: If you don’t question the method, there were many bad guys in my time. One of my senpai, who was a rough-and-tumble type, used to beat up women and take them to the ATM, saying, “I told you I would spend 3 million yen today.”

Chihuahua: That kind of thing happened, didn’t it?

Shirosaki: Of course I didn’t do that. In fact, one woman said to me, “Enough, go home with me!” and slammed 20 million yen on my desk. I thought this would be a good publicity stunt, so I kicked that desk away (laughs).

Chihuahua: What?

 

Shirosaki: I said, “I’m going to be a host who makes over a hundred million dollars, so I shouldn’t settle with such a low price.”

One saga after another. What do these charismatic hosts feel about the changes of the times?

Shirosaki: The first thing that has changed is the way we dress. In the old days, you couldn’t wear anything but a suit. I used to wear Gucci and Louis Vuitton suits that cost 300,000 to 350,000 yen each.

Chihuahua: Nowadays, there is a lot of street fashion. Sneakers are allowed in more places now.

Shirosaki: It was unthinkable in our days. I have an image that today’s girls often wear thick-soled Prada sneakers.

Chihuahua: Then there is Balenciaga. It is my prejudice, but I feel that the more unsuccessful the hosts are, the more they wear clothes with high brand logos that are easy to recognize (laugh).

Shirosaki: That’s true. There are other things that bother me as well. I worked at “Club Ai” for only one month in 19 years to return the favor. But the way I sat on the chair, the way I held my glass, my manners were not up to par. To top it all off, when my wife came to the restaurant before we were married, some of the guys started hitting on her after they knew about our relationship. It’s sad to see a host who can’t read, or can’t read context in customer service.

Chihuahua: I want my host to hear this. How much do I have to pay you to go to Hoskla with me and scold my host? (laughter)

Shirosaki: I’m not cheap (laughs). But don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to deny the current kids. The kids of today are also doing their best. That’s why I think it’s a waste to lose out on the little things.

It is not only the hosts that have changed with the times. Twenty years have passed since Shirosaki was active in the early 2000s, and the clientele has changed as well.

Shirosaki: At that time, there were all kinds of people coming to the club, such as Ginza moms and executives from big companies. Of course, there were many female customers, but there was also the social aspect.

Chihuahua: I wanted to be a hosiery freak back then! (laugh)

Shirosaki: In those days, hosts were, shall we say, drinking establishments. But now, it has become a place for “guess what” activities. The fundamentals are different.

Chihuahua: In the past, I think the main clientele was those who had established their own financial base and used the money they earned to play host. But now it has become a place for pseudo-love affairs for young girls. Perhaps it is the times, but the number of girls with low self-esteem has also increased. When they are told, ‘I want you to spend 100,000 yen,’ they mistakenly think they are needed. But since they don’t have a foundation, they end up having to earn money through sex or other means.

The two also cut in on the “itaku joshi” (girls who need money), who are attracting a great deal of attention from the public.

 

Shirosaki: It’s difficult, but there are problems on the host’s side, too. There are a lot of girls who are in the business of love and romance. Don’t just give them after-parties and pillows, but show them dreams through customer service!　Hosts are in the business of giving vitality in that way. It’s meaningless if the customers are left with nothing but a feeling of powerlessness after they’ve spent their money.

Chihuahua: Girls also think, ‘If hosts make money through love, what’s wrong with me cheating on them with love?’ I think it’s wrong, of course.

Shirosaki: They are cool because they compete with their customer service skills. It’s a little sad that that kind of spirit and sex appeal has disappeared.

Chihuahua: Even the way of touting has changed. Now we use a matching app to find girls. The ones who write in their profile that they are a host are still good. There are some hosts who match with a girl, go out with her, and then say, ‘I’m actually a host, but I want you to see how hard I’m working.’

Shirosaki: If it’s bad, it’s a marriage scam.

Chihuahua: Some stores have a manual for that. Such stores only hire inexperienced people, so many newcomers think that this is common knowledge in the industry. It’s vicious, isn’t it?

 

Shirosaki: In my days, I had to earn my living by foot anyway. I was shy, so I used to buy a cheap beer called “Coors” from a vending machine at the entrance to Kabukicho and chug it down before going out on the street.

Chihuahua: There is also a lot of advertising using SNS. Some establishments just let the hosts transmit their private information, but others shoot fake videos as if a fight or some other trouble had occurred. It’s kind of lame because it looks like a flaming YouTuber, but it’s also popular because you get to see the unexpected true face of the person in charge.

Shirosaki: I don’t like it. If I expose my private life, I can’t play the role of an ideal host.

Chihuahua: That’s true.

Shirosaki: There is no doubt that the current host industry is working hard, and I have no intention of denying that. However, I want the host to always be a job that shows dreams. I hope that won’t change.

A place where people can forget reality and dream. Times may change, but as long as that essence remains, hosts will continue to attract people.

Hitoshi Shirosaki: Born in Tokyo in 1977. He has been active as a TV personality as well as a TV shopper for 16 years. Currently, he is planning an event in cooperation with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to raise awareness of the issue of orphaned children.

Sasaki Chihuahua: Born in Tokyo in 2000. She has been living in Kabukicho since she was 15 years old and has a wide range of personal connections. Her book, “The Disease of ‘Pien’: Consumption and Approval of the SNS Generation” (Fusosha Shinsho) is now on sale.