Kabukicho’s Moral Decay Unveiled: Sexual Harassment Remarks Shift from Customers to Hosts, Alarming Scene Reports Surface

The flashy Tequila Ferris wheel, when seen as the result of enduring sexual harassment, can appear sad. Nowadays, while there’s stricter enforcement against sexual harassment comments from men to women, awareness regarding sexual harassment comments from women to men seems to be lower. During the February 18th broadcast of “Dareka to Nakai” (on Fuji TV), actress Yoko Maki (41) repeatedly made comments to actor Arata Mackenyu (27) such as “I thought you could impregnate me” and “sexy”, which drew uncomfortable reactions.

 

It’s not unnatural for women to have sexual feelings towards young handsome men. The problem lies in not recognizing that directly conveying such feelings to the person is considered sexual harassment. While it’s important to be cautious of such remarks in private or at the workplace, both men and women tend to have decreased literacy in this area, especially in nightlife where boundaries are blurred.

 

“People often say, ‘If an older man said those things to a hostess, it would cause a huge uproar.'”

 

So speaks Masaki, a host (pseudonym, 22), with a wry smile.

“Many times, I’ve been creeped out by people who referred to their sexy helpers as walking sex. Some would casually touch you even when you’re sitting next to them. Others would go as far as touching your lower body. And there are customers who get angry if you resist. I heard about a senior host who, during a cross-dressing event, had a customer stick their hand under their skirt. It made them realize for the first time what it feels like to be groped as a girl, and they were really down about it,” says Masaki.

Both in host clubs and cabaret clubs, there’s the existence of pillow business, but it seems more common in host clubs to turn it into material for conversation.

“There are times when extreme statements like ‘I poured champagne because he put it in me’ or ‘I had a failure during the last pillow session with my client’ echo through the club via the microphone during the champagne call. Even among hosts, there are those who hint at offering pillow services to cute customers regardless of money.”

In both host clubs and cabaret clubs, pillow business exists, but the frequency of making it a joke is indeed higher in host clubs.

“Put it in (the male genitalia) for me, so I poured champagne in,” “I had a performance failure when I was doing pillow business with my client the other day,” and other extreme statements like these may resonate through the microphone during champagne calls in the club. Hosts also sometimes insinuate that they would engage in pillow business with cute customers regardless of financial considerations.

As a result, there are female customers who are driven by the anxiety of not being considered cute or seen as a woman unless embraced, and they become even more fixated on engaging in the pillow business.

On the other hand, within the customer service from hosts to female customers, there are also things that could potentially be considered sexual harassment. For example, they may say, as a compliment, “I can totally embrace you,” and they may touch the breasts in front of other cast members in the store, as an extension of body contact.

In the author’s experience, there have been times when they felt like they were about to have their hand put into their underwear and been told at a bar, “You made me hard, so lick it.” While some people may find such sexual gestures from handsome men exciting, it is not a universal sentiment. The perspective of viewing the other person sexually, sexually evaluating them is a double-edged sword for both men and women, and if the other person feels uncomfortable, it constitutes sexual harassment.

Kabukicho, where people drown in alcohol and the power of money serves as a kind of absolution, should still uphold a minimum level of morality.

From the March 15, 2024 issue of “FRIDAY