10 Facts About the World of Hosts, or Nightclub Entertainers, in Japan That You Didn't Know

Kapanlagi.com - Besides being known for the adult film industry, Japan also has a very popular world of nightclub hosts. Hosts are male/female entertainers who work in a nightclub to accompany customers. They can also be hired to be a boyfriend or girlfriend.

From several cities, Tokyo, specifically Kabuki-cho, is one of the largest districts in Japan that provides nightclub host services. Most of the customers who come are workers or college girls who are feeling lonely and want to be entertained by handsome men.

One of the main factors to become a popular host is, of course, an attractive appearance. With that, customers will be interested in using their services and are willing to spend a lot of money to buy drinks or other menu items at the club.

A while ago, the Asian Boss YouTube channel conducted an exclusive interview with one of the most popular hosts in Japan named Akaya Kunugi. From there, various interesting facts about the world of nightclub hosts that you rarely know were revealed. What are they? Check out the list below..

1. Number 1 Male Host in Japan

Credit: Youtube - ASIAN BOSS

During the interview, Akaya was the most popular host in Japan. His monthly sales always remained at an average level. In fact, his face was also displayed on various megatrons on Kabuki-cho district streets.

"My name is Akaya Kunugi. I am a professional host. I work at a host club called Acqua Group and I work at its main branch. This host club is the largest in Kabuki-cho, which also means it is the largest in Japan. So I am very proud to work here," Akaya said.

2. Main Duties of a Host

Some of you may think that being a host or entertainer is a negative thing. But what do these hosts and their customers actually do?

"We entertain guests, especially women, while having drinks. Sometimes there are girls who feel lonely, so they want to be entertained by men. Maybe we can't really fulfill what they want, but we are here to drink and have fun," explained Akaya.

3. Target that Hosts Must Achieve

Credit: Youtube - ASIAN BOSS

In addition to entertaining customers, hosts must also be clever in persuading them to buy drinks or other menus at the club. Because, the hosts also have a monthly sales target that is quite fantastic.

"All hosts have rules, if you can't generate US$ 4500 (equivalent to Rp 65 million) per month, you have to clean the club for 2 or 3 hours before your shift starts and clean it again after closing," he explained.

4. Main Income from Commissions

As it turns out, hosts who work in nightclubs are paid quite low by the company or group that employs them. They can earn abundant money from commissions or tips given directly by customers.

"Not paid per hour, everything is from commission. My payment is US$ 18 (equivalent to Rp 263 thousand) per day after deductions. I know it's illegal, but I have a dream. I can really get paid if I work, not just cleaning. And generating US$ 4500 (Rp 65 million) is my goal,"

5. Must Have Money Capital

From Akaya's story, it is also known that the hosts are allowed to exchange numbers with customers, then go on a date outside of work. However, of course, all expenses outside of that must be borne by the host themselves. Akaya also tells about how he could become popular even though he initially didn't have much capital.

"When you don't have money, you won't get customers. Guys always want to look cool in front of girls, but what if a host acts cool and pretends to be popular, but when invited out by customers they can't buy anything? That's why I changed my approach to customers and started being honest about myself. I told them, 'I don't have money. I'm the least popular here'. But when I started being open, customers actually supported me. Since then, my sales skyrocketed," Akaya reminisced.

6. Website to Evaluate the Ranking of All Hosts in Japan

Credit: Youtube - ASIAN BOSS

In this industry, it turns out there is a website that summarizes all the sales results of the hosts every month. And from there, the ranking of the hosts can be determined, from the most popular to the least.

"That's a bit exaggerated. I'm not the number 1 host in Japan, but rather the number 1 host in all branches of Acqua Group in Japan. So there is a website called 'HOSTxHOST' where all the hosts in clubs throughout Japan are listed. On that website, they always update the monthly sales results of each host and there is a ranking," said Akaya.

7. Serving Male Customers Too

As a male host, most of Akaya's customers are women. However, there are also some occasions where he has to serve male customers, of course with a slightly different approach.

"Half of them are college girls. Girls who work in the nightlife industry also come here. 99% of them are women, the remaining 1% are men but with a more feminine heart. There was once a male company president who came here with a lot of women. So my task is to make him look cool. If I have about 10 or 15 regular customers every month," continued Akaya.

8. The Largest Tax in the World

Credit: Youtube - ASIAN BOSS

The prices of the menus provided at the Kabuki-cho nightclub itself can be said to be very expensive. Akaya also revealed that there is a very large sales tax of up to 45%.

"The smallest amount they usually spend is US$ 300 (IDR 4.3 million), and the most can reach US$ 35,000 (IDR 511 million) per visit. The tax here is 45%, one of the highest in the world," explained Akaya.

9. Do Hosts Always Have Sex with Customers?

The question that may be the most curious is whether hosts are allowed to have sexual relationships with their customers. The answer is yes, as long as it is done consensually.

"I don't know if sex is always involved in the host world, but what is certain is that hosts have sex with customers only when they want to. One of our duties is to exchange numbers with customers. If everything is going well, it means that the girl is willing to go out on a date with me, and when she falls in love with me, I can ask her to visit the club again. That's how we make a living," concluded Akaya.

10. Regular Customer Testimony: Akaya

Credit: Youtube - ASIAN BOSS

Afterwards, Asian Boss also conducted an interview with one of Akaya's regular customers, whose name was not mentioned. The girl candidly admitted that she now often comes to the club just to meet Akaya. She is also willing to spend a lot of money to have fun with Akaya.

"About a year ago. I was walking around Tokyo, and then he invited me to come. Since then, we have always been in communication. At that time, he was looking for customers on the streets. I really enjoy my time with him, he is also handsome and funny," said the girl.

"The cheapest champagne drink here is US$ 700 (Rp 10 million). If you add entertainment, it can be much more expensive. When he becomes the number one host, I bought a large bottle of cognac that costs around US$ 110,000 (Rp 1.6 billion)," she concluded.

(kpl/gtr)