Japan Is Cracking Down on Host Clubs Where Men Flirt for Money
At 10 p.m. on a recent Friday at a bar in Tokyo's Kabukicho red-light district, young men in suits weave between tables, pouring drinks for their first customers of the evening. Under the glimmer of chandeliers, 28-year-old So checks his reflection in the mirror and explains how he became a top earner at Ai Honten, one of hundreds of host clubs in the neighborhood, where women pay to be entertained by male companions.
'No one's going to spend money on someone who looks or smells like a flabby salaryman you'd see on a train, so you need to take care of your body, your clothes, the way you smell, everything,' said So, who cuts a dashing figure in his navy suit and shock of bleached-blond hair. 'And you need to show an interest in 'the princess,'' he added, referring to customers who pay hundreds of dollars for drinks and a few hours of his attention.
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