Sunday, April 18, 2010

Great Article on Japanese Host Clubs

I forgot to publish this post. One of my top favorite Japan blogs, Tokyo Moe, shared a link to this great interview with a guy who does group portraits of hosts.

Japanese host clubs in photographs.
Or, "More Hair Than Face."

CNNGo: Where does that specific host style come from -- with the feathered hair, dark skin, etc.?

Numata: I think they are imitating popular male idols like those from Johnny's Jimusho. There is a lot of crossover with gyaru-o style. And I think they try to match their customers' style which is very gyaru. When I started taking pictures though, the hosts didn't look very gyaru-o. They just wore suits and didn't have that crazy feathered hair. There are still a lot of old-school hosts who look like enka singers. The guys before the gyaru-o came in looked like Takuya Kimura. The mainstream hosts now don't really have that fake tanned skin anymore though. It depends on the place, but there are many guys who look like Visual-kei bands too.

This seems so straightforward but I'd never thought about it before. What will hosts look like in twenty years?

5 comments:

Tokyo Moe said...

Thanks, Beth. I am a big fan of your blog, too!

Tokyo Moe said...

Oh, and the caption "More Hair Than Face" is hilarious!

Manga Therapy said...

What are your thoughts on host clubs in general?

I think they're popular because they highlight certain flaws that people have.

You can read my thoughts at: http://www.mangatherapy.com/post/963839654/host-club-phenomenon

anne said...

iv seen a program on tv on Japan and their was an artical on these host bars the guys seem really nice and that also they remind me of the guys in the Jrock bands with theuir crazy hair but i think some of the women get a bit obbssesed with certian guys i remeber seeing one girl and she kept going back every night just to see one guy and she hoped somethingwould happen maybe hed date her outside the club but sorry honey dont think thats gonna happen but in Japan anything goes if a host club opend in my town it probely close with in the week lol

anne said...

iv seen a tv program only the other day on Japan and it featured and itim on these host clubs first thing i thought these guys look like japanese rock stars with the crazy hair they look if they belong in a jrock band the guys themselfs came across to the camera really sweet and friendly but guess whhats what their paid for but its the coustemers sometimes you cant help but feel sorry for one girl she was young spent all her wages at one club she went their every single night to see one guy and booked him for her whole stay also she said shed love to see him maybe one day out side the club i thought how silly hell never date her asa boyfriend shes just a coustemer to him thats all becouse he said later [subtitled]hes no memory who came through the door the night before his minds a blur also i think these guys are kinda like male Geshas in a way and even though they dont do sex pepole might get a wrong idea about them i dont condem the clubs and i wish all the guys in them the best of luck and they are really cute guys but i wouldnt be seen dead in one of those clubs and if one of the Hosts pesterd me to come in id hit him with my bag its not my thing