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Japan Today
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Concept cafes explode in popularity in Japan
By Michael Hoffman The world bursts at the seams with fun, pleasure, joy. It may not look that way but it's so. Cares banished, time transcended, laughter resounding, champagne corks popping, clothes flying open (not quite off), anime music throbbing and in the whirlpool bath in the center of the room a bikini-clad young woman completes the picture of wild, joyous abandon. Shame on those of us not of the party! We could be. We too are invited. It's as near as the nearest 'concept café' – konkafe in Japanese – very near indeed if Spa (July 29-Aug 5) is right in estimating their number in Tokyo alone (vagueness of definition makes a precise count impossible) at 1,400. What is it about pleasure, though, that debauches it almost at birth? Does it contain the seeds of its own corruption? Is it peculiarly vulnerable to infectious invasion? Spa recalls with nostalgia the innocence of the first konkafes. They were 'maid cafés' (meido kissa), born with the century, circa 2001. This was the heyday of the otaku, Japan's Peter Pans, chronologically adult boys and girls whose lives were more virtual than real, whose social and sexual relationships were with manga and anime characters. Maid cafés were their Neverland, spreading outward from Tokyo's Akihabara, capital of virtual and electronic Japan. The maids, waitress-hostesses in maid costumes, were (seemed at least, which here amounts to the same thing) anime characters themselves, with their pink bows, lace frills, high socks and winsome smiles. The pop culture site Magical Trip offers this description: 'Stepping into a maid café feels like wandering into another world You're greeted with an energetic 'Welcome home, Master!' and instantly released from everyday life… Just this form of address ('master,' 'princess') makes you feel like a special existence… The atmosphere inside is also noteworthy. The gorgeous and cute decorations make you feel like you've stepped into an anime world.' There's nothing new under the sun, at least nothing that isn't as old as it is new. Replace the word 'maid' with asobi-onna (women of pleasure) and suddenly we're back 1000 years in time. They didn't call it 'anime' then, but they may almost as well have, and if the fantasy unfolded on boats instead of cafes, what of that? 'By the end of the 10th century,' explains historian Janet Goodwin in 'Selling Songs and Smiles,' 'asobi-onna had developed their distinctive practice of using small boats to stage entertainment for men at ports' on rivers near Kyoto. She quotes a courtier named Oe Yukitoki (955-1010): 'The younger women melt men's hearts with rouge and powder and songs and smiles, while the older women give themselves the jobs of carrying the parasols and poling the boats… A tryst on a boat on the waves equals a lifetime of delightful encounters.' Wouldn't he have felt right at home at a maid café? If only it could have stayed that way! Impossible. Success invites imitation, imitation proliferation, proliferation novelty, novelty diversification, diversification competition, competition pressure, pressure expansion of services demanded and offered – and before you know it, the maids aren't 'serving' any more, they're 'servicing,' with all the wrinkles and ramifications that suggests. It's that kind of world, we're that kind of species. Seven hundred years after Oe the scene had evolved into the urban licensed pleasure quarters, of which the 17th century novelist and (sic) priest Asai Ryoi (1612-91) wrote, 'By her nature a courtesan is a woman who… dresses up and adorns herself, and so is quite alluring… Her charming willowy tresses, her face lovely as cherry blossom, her eyebrows with mascara recalling the deep green treetops of the distant mountains… And how lovely when she moves, swaying back and forth; truly she could easily be mistaken for the living incarnation of the Amida Buddha! When compared with this creature, a man's wife can hardly seem more than a salted fish long past its prime!' To return to the sordid present: 'It's a glutted market,' a 20-something konkafe operator tells Spa, 'and competition for customers is hot so that more and more 'services' have to be offered' – more fetishes catered to, some of which Spa describes but we need not, lest the imagination atrophy. Struggling to keep things under some semblance of control is the Adult Entertainment Business Law. Revisions to it went into effect last month, tightening controls and driving numerous establishments into bankruptcy – partly owing, Spa hears, to operators mischievously alerting police to competitors' alleged violations. Others don the protective mantle of konkafe innocence, obscuring their real identity as hostess bars, girls bars, kyabakurabu (cabaret-nightclubs) and suchlike 'soapland' ero-entertainment venues. Boundaries blur, lines are crossed, anything can happen and much does. One of the law's aims is to keep minors out. Underage staff and underage clients bedevil the industry. More distasteful still is the hiring and exploitation of girls with development disorders and mental illnesses. 'No wrist cuts,' reads a sign Spa hears of posted publicly in one konkafe – the macabre and the erotic as kissing cousins. This too the magazine hears from one konkafe operator: 'So many women want to work in konkafes.' (Why? one wonders in passing? Because it beats office work? Because it's pseudo-showbiz?) 'The inevitable result,' the operator continues, 'is a 'cast' of mixed good actors and bad. It's a problem. Among them are young women with development disabilities. The other day (one of our girls) was followed home by a stalker. She had no sense of danger. She told us later, much pleased at the coincidence, 'Near my house I met a regular customer' – while I, listening to her, broke into a cold sweat.' No harm done, apparently – but it's a predatory world, and defenselessness is terrifying. © Japan Today
Cosmopolitan
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Every star sign's horoscope: What June's Strawberry Full Moon in Sagittarius will mean for your life
This 11th June Full Moon will tempt you to broaden your horizons and set new goals that create movement, follow a purpose, and unlock deep truths about your nature and desires. For full immersion in this vibration, give your sub conscious permission and encouragement to bring forth hidden truths and personal insights that speak to where you want to go, who you wish to become, and what purpose you find truly inspiring. Full moons always adopt the nature of the sign they're in, so the Sagittarius moon connects to truth, travel, movement, purpose, and philosophy. Sagittarians are ruled by Jupiter and tend to land on their feet, encounter good fortune all through their life, and love to exit their comfort zones to find new adventures and horizons. This is the MOOD right now. We are all thinking a little bit more like a Sagittarian (and hopefully enjoying some of their famous good luck too). What truth will this moon reveal to you that provokes a need to move, change, re-set your goals or create a fresh, inspiring plan of action? Let my tarot cards guide you, and let the truth be unveiled. Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by The Fool. A completely fresh start awaits. Something unexpected and potentially quite a radical departure from what others might expect from you right now. But that's you all over, Aries, because you're full of vitality and courage. You have ideas and you execute them straight off the bat. If it feels good, you're all in. This new beginning will involve travel, technology, progressive ideas, and possibly an Aquarian! Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by the Eight of Swords. An objective and honest reappraisal of who you really too long you have compared yourself and your life to others, even those on screen or who project a false aspiration. For too long you have created your self image based on what you ASSUME others think of you. All of that will fall away this Full Moon leaving you with a clearer, authentic, and pleasing take on who you are and what you're all about. And it's THIS self who's taking charge from now on! Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by the Page of Cups. Your inner child has the best ideas about what you should be doing! All Geminis are known as Peter Pans, forever youthful, childlike, imaginative, playful. And you are never too far from your inner child's dreams and hopes. So go all in and let this version of you set the agenda this year. What daydreams are floating around? What whimsical ideas about how to live a beautiful life feeling fulfilled are in play? Capture them. Record them. Research and prioritise them. And do them. Do them all. You are gifted with a powerful imagination- so use it. Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by The Hierophant. Rebellion is afoot! And you're not naturally a rebellious character so this has been provoked by something powerful, something you can't ignore or go along with any longer. Surrender to this path and follow it wholeheartedly. You know yourself very well already and you wouldn't be stirred to action unless it was necessary. Fight back, say no, create your own version, step down, quit, reinvent the system. Stand tall, you have great force. Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by the Knight of Cups. You want the fairytale. So get the fairytale! Leo, you were born to lead a dramatic, larger than life kinda' life, especially in the realm of romance and relationships. You're not one for settling, you're not destined to endure a loveless, dull, or tense partnership. You want the fairytale in love, and this is what you deserve. So, go find it. Believe in it. Look for Water sign folk- Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio- they could be your dance partner in this enchanted story! Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by the Page of Swords. Do what you'd do if you knew you couldn't greatest enemy is your own inner judge or critic. You can undermine and sabotage your hopes and dreams singlehandedly, by pouring scorn and doubt all over them. The Page of Swords asks you to consciously, forcibly over-ride this voice and replace it with one of encouragement and optimism. Activate your greatest ambition. It can happen. You can do this. Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by the Five of Wands. You don't want peace. And that's saying something because you are the epitome of tact, diplomacy, and harmony. But sometimes the rift or conflict is too intense to just try and ride over it. Stuff needs to be said. So, take a deep breath, and say what you need to express. Be direct, honest, and let them say their then see where you stand. Both sides need to vent, and the common ground may emerge, or not. And, if not, don't be afraid to call time and create peace by exiting this situation. For good. Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by the Six of Cups. You miss them. It takes a lot for you to admit vulnerability or that someone from your past still has a hold over your heart, but this is the truth. So, admit it and face into what that might mean. Maybe you need to reach out? Or process events again and let yourself heal some more. Or say sorry. Or do whatever it takes to create your own closure. Use this Full Moon to analyse this situation and decide upon a course of action that will help you move onwards in the best way for you. Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by The Star. A wish can come true. And you KNOW you can make this happen. It is your Full Moon, after all, so the tarot is sprinkling you with some extra fairydust from The Star card. A wish pass, a cosmic permission slip to get whatever you want! Know your goal. Visualise it happening. Instil belief. And then take overt steps in its direction. You have more good fortune and luck on your side right now than you can imagine. Don't waste it. Follow your most heartfelt dream. Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by The Wheel of Fortune. You are ready for a change. And that's not your usual mode, you are one for being in full control of your realm, and almost having everything in it nailed down! But, you're restless, curious, ambitious. Change is coming, you can feel it, and this Full Moon is a chance to identify the one thing you MOST want to be different and make a shift in this area. Be the doer vs the done to. Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by Justice. You don't think something is fair and you're going to put it right. Aquarians are incredibly fair, honest and humanitarian folk. The pure soul of the zodiac. You can see something has happened in your realm that doesn't sit right with you, and this Full Moon you will see what you could do to correct it (even though this probably isn't on you), and you will take steps to do so. Folk respect and look up to you. For exactly this reason! You hold the line, you have a strong moral compass, you take action when things aren't fair. Your Full Moon in Sagittarius revelation, that will change your onwards path, is illuminated by the Ten of Coins. You are craving stability. And you're ready to take responsibility for that. We all drift in life sometimes, just going with the flow, letting events unfold, not really thinking too much about the future or where we're headed. You have been in this mode a while and you're leaving that phase now. You are entering a build it, make it happen, take control, and create certainty phase. Long term plans are in. Contracts and binding agreements are welcome. Investment (vs spending) is the new go-to. Working on the future and building the right foundations is where you're at. So, make those plans and make yourself feel more secure about your life's trajectory. This is all in your hands, and you're going to enjoy the process.
