Why Famous Host Clubs Who Perform “Local Business Trips” Are So Popular

Host clubs are a hot topic these days. What is particularly surprising in the press is the service charge of Kabukicho host clubs.

A 38% service charge and a 10% consumption tax are added to the restaurant’s food and beverage bill. This sometimes results in the magic that when one orders a million yen worth of drinks, the bill comes to about 1.5 million yen.

 

However, this is only the Kabukicho price, and the service charge at local restaurants is usually in the 10-20% range. However, even in local areas, the “Kabukichoization” of fees is now remarkable.

“Kabukicho is in the midst of a host club bubble, and there is no place to open a new club. But there is no end to the number of hosts and managers who want to open new establishments. Inevitably, the major host clubs are moving into the provinces.”

Shin (pseudonym, 25), a host who used to work in Kabukicho, is now working at one of the group’s affiliate clubs in his hometown of Nagoya.

“In my case, I came back to my hometown, but the hosts who are sent to the provinces tend to have problems at their Kabukicho outlets, or their sales are sluggish. Also, sometimes the representative who opens a new store in a local area selects the members who are close to him or her. Well, it’s like a company transfer.”

At Shin’s store, there are both Kabukicho and locally hired cast members. Tact (pseudonym, 22), a Nagoya native who works at the store, says,=

“Compared to Kabukicho, many of the customers in Nagoya are girls who drink. At my store, the initial fee is 3,000 to 5,000 yen at Kabukicho prices, but other stores usually charge less than 1,000 yen, and some stores give 500 yen cash back when you enter the store. Many girls want to drink at low prices and make a lot of noise.”

There is a reason why major groups fight to keep Kabukicho prices in the provinces instead of adjusting to these local prices.

“They want to keep the conditions the same because they are competing for sales with other groups. And after all, the group has brand power, so the higher we set the price, the more customers who will spend money will come.”

Another popular practice among the major groups in Kabukicho, which are aiming to expand nationwide, is guest business trips. They send famous hosts working in Kabukicho on business trips to local establishments to attract local fans.

“A successful host will have customers from neighboring prefectures as well, so stores that are strong on SNS are increasing their business trips. For the hosts, it is more profitable than working in Tokyo. When the number of guests is high, about 10 guests are served in one day, and sales of about 2 million yen are generated, so it is cosmetically pleasing.”

 

Some hosts take their own guests on business trips.

“I used to take my guest girls and have them unload champagne in the provinces while traveling. It makes the girls happy because it makes them feel special, and it’s hard to develop a big clientele on short trips to the countryside.”

Like most companies, host clubs also undergo personnel changes, but to what extent do their female customers follow them?

“I moved to Tokyo with my boss.”

Ayumi (pseudonym, 22) is currently working as a sex worker in Tokyo.

“I thought it was romantic to come to Tokyo together and make my dream come true. All the customers except for me were cut off when they moved to Tokyo. Among hosts, I think there are two patterns: those who make a fresh start in a new place and those who solidify a big clientele and come out together.”

Ordinary company employees would transfer their business partners to their successors when they are transferred to a new company. Between Kabukicho hosts and their customers, there is still a connection that is even more out of the ordinary than that.

From the December 8-15, 2023 issue of “FRIDAY