Last night i watched The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief, a story documenting the life of male hosts in Japan, interesting to say the least.
I’d heard plenty of background about these guys prior to the movie and having been in the equivalent bars for blokes, i wasn’t surprised by most of it.
The story follows a guy, Issei-san, who is Osaka’s number 1 host and now owns his own club, Rakkyo Cafe which employees 20 or so guys.
Before watching the movie i thought it was bullshit that these guys were pulling in anywhere from novice $10k up to skilled dude $30k to an impressive $50K per month if they’re masters of their trade.
Pretty much the whole 75 mins is shot within the 4 walls of the host bar with many of the regular patrons being interviewed so it’s an easy watch.
Also, the people that make up the customer base is considerably different to what i was told and opposite to what you find in Hostess bars which makes for an interesting story within the doco.
I took these photos of the billboards on a walk around Kabukicho on the weekend. I noticed how many host bars there were about the place and also saw a considerable number of these guys leaving for home, dishevelled at around 3pm Sunday afternoon, which also makes more sense now i’ve seen the movie.
Watching the movie i went through many emotions, admiration and jealousy at the start followed by anger, pity and a hatred towards these guys.
It really is an interesting story and the film is quite well done, it’s in Japanese with English subtitles so it’s easy enough to follow.
In the end i had an appreciation for how hard it would be to pull this off day in day out, i couldn’t do it.
I know a couple of lads from back home, that with a full head of hair 10/15 years ago, would have absolutely slayed this scene, both have since retired from the singles game.
I’m positive both will say WTF when they see the coin these fellas are making.
If you have any interest at all in the seedy side of Japan then this movie is a must see, it provides a great insight into the whole industry.
I procured my copy from the internet, not sure where else you can get it, maybe there’s some more info on the official Great Happiness Space site.
Similar Posts:
- Tilt Shift Pictures Of Japan
- Silicone Love Dolls
- Miss Nippon 2008 / Miss Japan 2008 – 28th of January
- Love Hotel Map
- Old Photos Of Japan
You might consider subscribing to my RSS feed or starting to follow me on Twitter
{ 3 trackbacks }
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
i’d go to one of the female hostess clubs if only my japanese was good enough
I go and my Japanese isn’t that flash …. admittedly i do go with Japanese guys which makes it easier.
I know, I know. We always laugh when we see those guys standing out in front of the clubs, pencil-thin and dressed like rock stars. The elf-shoes always kill me. How do they walk in those things? Every time I see one of them, I think, Who the hell do these guys think they are?
Well, I guess we know that they’re the guys who rake in more coin in two or three months than some of us make all year. And, I’m sure they’re pulling major @$$ to top it off.
Issei-san says early on in the piece he has no trouble pulling tail. It’s a great watch Billy and probably even better when there’s nothing lost in the translation.
interesting post. i’ll check out the link later. thanks
Sounds like an interesting documentary Neil – I will have to check it out.
I find it intriguing that women feel the need to pursue this type of no strings attached companionship but oddly enough it doesn’t strike me as unusual that men have been taking part activity of this type for ages. It’s a double standard – I know, I know…but it is indeed an interesting subject to look into if you are interested in the culture of Japan.
I read about these “male geishas” a few months back on CNN. With the independent Japanese woman making more advancements in the workforce, they use these outlets to have fun spending their hard earned cash with no strings attached.
I told myself, if all else fails, i can resort to a life of a male geisha. Maybe start that trend here in HK.
Some of the girls are dropping between $1000 and $5000 a night …. they’re not pulling these dollars from office work, they are pulling to get the dollars though
Grab the torrent and check it out, if you have trouble getting a good one send me and email and i’ll send you the one i used.
sounds good.
>The elf-shoes always kill me.
LOL, amen. Slightly less elfish versions have already infiltrated the salaryman outfit in the area where I work. The ones worn by those glamor boys are pretty outlandish though.
Maybe I should become a host… I dunno if I could do it though, well, thanks for the movie recommendation, I’ll check it out!
i never understood this day of age why women are attracted to such….fruit cakes. has anyone noticed this? that dudes who look like the biggest sissy, cries more then a 5 year old girl, even wears stuff thats meant for women (EMO), get the girl but then after 2 months of even less the chicks get sick and tiered of it, leaves him, but then the next dude in most cases is the same… a female friend tried to explain it to me once but all she did was even make me more go ”WHY IN GOD’S NAME, WHY?” so can some one try and explain to me again? why?
I’ve still got all my hair, Neil.
Sorry mate, you weren’t one of the guys i was referring too …. you know very well who i mean though. You’re too nice and honest, you wouldn’t have the bastard in you to do what needs to be done, not sure whether that’s a complement to the other guys though!
My bastard detector is on high alert. If I got paid for the carry on I managed while “hosting” through the nineties I would be a wealthier man than I am today. These days I am broke and without the hair I am now having to pay lasses to host me. What a turn around. Not sure if I could have pulled the 80’s Adam and the Ants look that these young nippon lads are working though. Luckily with age the libido slows a little, the chanderlier is no longer required for swinging and I am very comfy buttering up for a good old R&T at 466. ps Just pop the Reg Grundy’s in the lemon squash for me love.
Hahaha, very funny mate, some memories there. Regardless of the look required …… that aside, my main point being, your skills and silver tongue in that environment would have Issei-san running for cover. Sickens me to see him pulling 50K in per month for moves and dialog that at best would see you playing in the B team in the Melbourne scene.
“Just pop the Reg Grundy’s in the lemon squash for me love” ….. if we had a dollar for everytime that was told we wouldn’t need to work either.
I was surprised to see some of the younger salarymen dressing like this, in a tamer version of course.
They look like girls. Or they have been in a coma since the L.A. metal scene.
Thankfully most of the hotties I know think the same.
I don’t know any girls that like this ‘girlie man’ look either Chris.
Interesting…I wonder why so many women pay them so much money?
No idea why they can get soooo much, i wouldn’t mind being on the receiving end of a bit!
I don’t get it. The guys look like drag queens and the girls hook to pay them to pay attention to them. I just don’t understand. My favorite part is watching them strike out on the corner. They hook it like Julia Roberts in the 90s. I pity Issei but when you spend your life becoming a rotten lying shell of a person, you can’t expect to be very happy.
Likewise, i dont know how they can live with themselves ….. i`d end up spilling the beans after a few days …. i couldn`t string girls on like that.