When searching for an establishment in Japan, copy and paste the words “ホステス” or “高級クラブ” into the search box, then enter the name of the place where you are located after putting a space.
Hello, This is Kei!
How are you guys doing?
Today, I am going to explain Luxury 「CLUB」 in Japan.
Does the sound of Luxury 「CLUB」 in Japan make you nervous?
Right, it does.
It sounds kind of intimidating, and the prices seem high.
Well, let’s get right to it!
◆What is 「CLUB」?
First of all, let me say that there are two types of “「CLUB」” in Japan, one is the “dancing club” that everyone knows.
The other type is Luxury 「CLUB」 that I will explain here.
It’s a place where a beautiful woman, called a hostess, sits next to you, makes you a glass of water, and provides you with conversation.
You are like, “What? That’s it? right? There’s more to come, so don’t be in a hurry.
I don’t think many people know this, but Luxury 「CLUB」s in Japan are not easy for anyone to get into.
This is because…
Most of Luxury 「CLUB」s are members-only, so they don’t allow visitors at first sight. People who don’t know who they are are not allowed in.
Because if they let low-class, crude people into the bar, the atmosphere of the bar will be destroyed and they will lose credibility, so every bar has to be very careful there.
It’s normal for Luxury 「CLUB」 to have beautiful women all dressed up, but in addition to that, they have gorgeous decorations, expensive grand pianos, and that makes for a glittering atmosphere.
So, the bars really want only the classy and wealthy people with high social status to become members.
After hearing all this, “I see, I would love to become a member! I have wealth, social status, and above all, dignity. this seems like the right place for me!” If you think so, let’s move on.
Then, how can you get into a ” Luxury 「CLUB」 “?
Actually, you can join one of the following ways!
- Enter with a 「CLUB」 member (customer).
- Ask a 「CLUB」 member (customer) to introduce you to the bar and make a reservation in advance.
- If you know someone who is related to the 「CLUB」, ask them to let you in.
In other words, as I explained a little bit earlier, in order to protect the dignity and atmosphere of the bar, they cannot just say “anyone can come in.”
However, in rare cases, if the club judges that the customer is worthy of our dignity, there are some clubs that say, “It’s okay as long as you keep the bottle and exchange business cards”.
If the club is not too strict, you may be able to get in.
I’d like to talk a little bit about the “Mom,” the most prominent person in the bar.
There are two types of Moms: owner Moms and hired Moms. The owner Moms are the managers, while the hired Moms are paid monthly or on commission.
In any case, the women called “Moms” play an important role in the operation, and they have to handle a huge amount of work, not only sales and customer service, but also the hiring, firing, and training of hostesses and male staff, salary evaluation, and sales management.
It’s Mom’s job to manage the entire club from a broad, managerial perspective.
They work hard. Moms are great, aren’t they?
It’s not just drinking with the customers.
From the outside, it may look like “drinking business is easy,” but it’s really hard work.
◆What is the price of 「CLUB」?
The amount paid per person at 「CLUB」 is usually around ” 50,000 to 100,000 yen.”
But, some of the top 「CLUB」s charge 70,000 yen just to sit in a seat, so it’s not unusual to pay hundreds of thousands of yen per visit. Plus, some of the customers spend over a million yen in one night!
What is the breakdown of the price?
For example, if you were to use a bar in Ginza, Tokyo, by yourself…
- Table charge (from 20,000 yen)
The fee is charged when you enter the bar and sit down, and the time is usually 90 minutes for one set.
- Bottle keeping (from 30,000 yen)
Bottle keeping is a system where you order a bottle of whiskey, brandy, or other liquor and have it stored so that you can drink it every time you come to the bar.
As a general rule, you need to keep the bottle, but there are some exceptions, such as bars that offer a “partitioning” system, where you can set a certain amount of money in advance to enjoy the drinks, in which case the bar will use the “house bottle” that they own. This system seems to be well-received by the organizers who are in charge of the after parties for groups.
- First set (from 10,000 yen)
The first set (from 10,000 yen) includes a small bowl of food called “Otoshi” (appetizer). By the way, many places have a small amount of food that you can eat in one bite if you want to. That would mean 10,000 yen per bite! haha
- Minerals ( from 2,000 yen )
Mineral is the price of water, which is necessary to drink whiskey, brandy, and other alcoholic beverages with water.
- Hostess charge (from 3,000 yen)
In most bars, the hostess charge is “0 yen”, but there are some bars that charge a fee.
By the way, just because you nominate a hostess, it doesn’t mean that she will stay next to you for the whole time. She may leave her seat, go to another seat, and then come back again.
- Boy charge (from 3,000 yen)
The boy charge is a fee charged to male staff members who carry drinks and food, clean up, and do miscellaneous chores.
- Time Charge (from 5,000 yen)
Time charge is an extension fee that occurs after the time of the table charge (one set) has expired. Most bars automatically add time charges in 30-minute time blocks, so if you stay too long, before you know it, you’ll find yourself paying more!
By the way, in a Luxury 「CLUB」 they don’t let the customers know the time.
It’s not smart to do so.
The male staff will say, “Sir, I’m sorry to interrupt you. Would you like to extend your time?” If they interrupt your conversation, it will ruin the good atmosphere.
If you really want to go home after checking out for a set of 90 minutes, you should tell the hostess in charge first!
Now that I’ve mentioned the term “hostess in charge,” I’d like to explain a little about it.
In a 「CLUB」, there is a unique system of hostesses in charge and hostesses who are designated.
The “permanent appointment system” means that as long as the hostess in charge doesn’t leave the bar, all the sales made by the customer will forever be credited to the hostess in charge.
In other words, when a customer of the hostess in charge comes to the bar, even if the hostess in charge is on vacation, the fee (sales) spent by the customer will be added to the hostess in charge’s evaluation.
Don’t you think it’s an interesting system?
Even if you find a hostess you like in the bar and nominate her a lot, the sales are not added to the price of the hostess you nominated. That’s why the hostess in charge is responsible for calling and writing thank-you notes to customers, sending year-end and New Year’s gifts, and even collecting accounts receivable, called “Tab Payment”.
It’s really a huge responsibility.
There are many hostesses who are unable to collect their tab payments (accounts receivable) and end up owing a large amount of money and are stuck in repayment.
So, the hostess who is nominated by the customer has no benefits, but it’s actually not true, she gets the nomination fee and the hostess who is in charge of the customer can thank her in various ways. In addition, if the hostess in charge leaves the bar, you may be able to become the hostess in charge of that customer.
So the benefits are pretty good.
It varies from bar to bar, but I’ve heard that in most cases, in order to be put in charge of a customer after the one who left the bar, you have to be Accompanied by the customer at least three times.
By the way, ” Accompanied” is a system where the hostess and the customer enter the bar together.
The time limit is “until 21:00” in most bars.
You can have dinner with the hostess and then enter the bar, or you can meet the hostess in front of the bar and then enter.
I’ll touch on a few important things here.
For hostesses, it’s easier to feel unsafe when they are Accompanied rather than After.
This is because After is a little scary, but Accompanied is something that happens before work starts.
However, be careful if you find a hostess who always asks you to accompany her in front of the bar, even though it is considered safe to do so! You are most likely being used as a ” sucker “! haha
In addition, I’d like to explain “After”.
After refers to going out with customers after business is over, and there are many ways to have fun, such as going to a bar together or having a light meal.
However, it is not a matter of course for After every time.
The original meaning of “after” comes from aftercare, after-following, and after-sales service, which is necessary only when the tables of the customers in charge of the bar overlap during business hours, and the customers are not allowed to sit down and are not satisfied with the service. That’ s what “after” means.
Hostesses at Luxury 「CLUB」s understand the importance of satisfying their customers.
One thing to note here.
I’m sure you understand that it’s not a matter of course for hostesses to take you out for After, but there’s an unspoken rule for the person who invites hostesses, so I’ll explain that too.
That is, don’t make them stay with you for hours.
And at the end of the night, you should always give them money for a cab ride.
Never try to get into her room while dropping her off at home in the car, or get into a cab with her and take her to a hotel.
She will definitely not like you if you suddenly do something like that. Be patient and patient until the hostess likes you. Something good might be waiting for you if she likes you. If you hurry, you’ll get around! haha
It’s definitely better to be gentle and gentlemanly at first.
First of all, respect the hostess’s privacy and make her feel at ease.
By the way, the time limit for After that is preferred by hostesses is one hour.
Why one hour?
Most of the Luxury 「CLUB」s are open until midnight.
When the club is over, all the hostesses and customers get into a cab at the same time.
Have you figured it out yet? That’ s right.
They know that it’s hard to catch a cab at that time, so they’re going to deliberately shift the time a little bit.
Most of the gentlemen who have been drinking in Ginza for a long time do the same.
And if you have a lot of cab money, you give 30,000 yen each to the hostess.
That’s so cool! That would make you popular!
- All charges (from 3,000 yen)
A charge incurred for providing a luxurious interior and a sparkling atmosphere.
- Service charge (from 40%)
A service charge incurred for the total amount (subtotal).
- Card fee (from 10%)
Charges incurred when you pay by card.
In addition, if you order drinks, food, fruit, etc. for the hostess, the amount will keep piling up.
◆What is dress code in 「CLUB」?
What you wear is very important!
Most Luxury 「CLUB」s have a “dress code,” and light clothing such as T-shirts, half pants, sweatshirts, and sandals are a definite NO!
The safest thing to wear is a suit.
Otherwise, go with formal wear!
By the way, I talked to a male staff member of a 「CLUB」 a while ago.
He once told me that if a customer wears less than 3 million yen from top to bottom, including clothes, “you can judge him as an unworthy customer. That’s what he was taught once.
I guess the Japanese saying, “All customers are gods,” doesn’t apply to Luxury 「CLUB」s.
The customer chooses the bar, but the bar also chooses the customer.
Also, the hostess will be chosen based on the mood of the customers, so if you are looking for a high level of customer service, I recommend that you come dressed appropriately.
◆What is manner?
Manners in the bar are also important.
If you have bad manners, you will be disliked by both the bar and the hostesses.
The following are prohibited items, so be sure to check them out.
《 Prohibited Items 》
- Choking on alcoholic beverages
- Taking pictures in the bar (including recording)
- Touching the hostess’s body
- Drunkenness and shouting
- Verbal abuse or harassment
- Arrogant attitude
- Unreasonable bargaining
- Making other customers feel uncomfortable.
◆People who are suited for Luxury 「CLUB」s are the following people
- People who have money and time to spare and like to drink with beautiful women.
- People who think that they need the help of a beautiful woman in a business meeting.
- People who are allowed to write off their receipts as expenses and want to use them for entertainment.
- People who want to be recognized for their value, even if they have to pay for it.
- People who are mentally exhausted and want to be healed.
- People who want to seek advice on their work or discuss their problems with Moms or hostesses
- People who want to have a meal with a beautiful woman, even if it is Accompanied.
- People who have money and time to spare and want to find a mistress or lover.
◆People who are NOT suited for Luxury 「CLUB」s are the following people
- People who don’t have enough money or time
- People who are not good at social gatherings
- People who are not interested in beautiful women
- People who want to spend their money and time only on themselves.
- People who can’t be nice to the staff and hostesses.
- People who have a bad drinking habit and change their personality when they drink.
- People who are arrogant and look down on others.
◆Where are Luxury 「CLUB」s at?
Now, there are many of them all over Japan, but the most famous places are…
- Hokkaido (Susukino)
- Miyagi (Sendai)
- Tokyo (Ginza, Roppongi, Akasaka, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro)
- Yokohama (Kannai)
- Ishikawa (Kanazawa)
- Nagoya (Nishiki 3-chome)
- Kyoto (Gion)
- Osaka (Minami, Kitashinchi)
- Hyogo (Kobe)
- Fukuoka (Nakasu)
◆Sammary
What did you guys think? Was it interesting?
The structure of Luxury 「CLUB」s is something that is unique to Japanese culture, so it may not be very attractive to foreigners.
Many people may not be able to hide the confusion over the complicated and unintelligible fee structure….
But in a way, social gatherings such as “Luxury 「CLUB」s” are very important in Japan.
In one 「CLUB」, the president of a consulting company and the president of a paper manufacturer became friends through an introduction by Mom, and a hit product was born. In another 「CLUB」, the president of an IT company and the director of a pharmaceutical company became friends through a golf competition sponsored by 「CLUB」, and a new company was established.
And don’t underestimate a woman who works in a ” Luxury 「CLUB」“. It’s not easy for an ordinary woman to be able to entertain and care for men of the highest social standing. It also requires a high level of education.
If you look at the educational background of the hostesses who actually work there, you will find that many of them have graduated from top-tier universities. I’m sure you can’t experience the genuine “hospitality” of highly intelligent and beautiful women who have put in more effort than most people, unless you go to a Luxury 「CLUB」.
A glittering, high quality space, beautiful women and great drinks, a special experience reserved for the very chosen!
Oh, I want to be rich! haha
See you later, everyone!