J@pan Inc Newsletter<br>The 'JIN' Japan Inc Newsletter<br>A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends<br>in Japan.<br>Issue No. 452 Wednesday February 13, 2008, Tokyo<br><br>------Metropolis Magazine Valentine`s Glitterball-------<br>
<br>Glitterball is back!<br>Tokyo's favorite party makes its triumphant return on<br>February 14, 2008-Valentine's Day.<br>An institution for nearly a decade, the Metropolis-hosted<br>Glitterball was on hiatus this year due to the closing of<br>
Velfarre nightclub, but 2008's version promises to be better<br>than ever.<br><br>Roppongi hotspot Alife will host over 1,000 V-Day revelers<br>for a night of eating, drinking, dancing, making friends-and<br>who knows what else.<br>
Prize drawings, swag bags, and Tokyo's funnest crowd will make<br>the reborn Glitterball the highlight of the Tokyo social calendar.<br><br>CORPORATE SPONSORS WELCOME<br><a href="http://www.metropolis.co.jp/glitterball" target="_blank">www.metropolis.co.jp/glitterball</a><br>
<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>This week's JIN comes from a young woman who worked in the <br>hostess trade in Japan. It chronicles some of her experiences and<br>wider observations about the industry. To read part one please<br>
visit: <a href="http://www.japaninc.com/jin429" target="_blank">www.japaninc.com/jin429</a><br><br>What do you know about hostessing? Part two<br><br>In the first part of this series, the topics that were covered <br>were: an introduction to the industry, how to identify the <br>
different levels of 'mizushobai,' who the hostesses are, and <br>some insight into the culture of hostess clubs. In this part, I <br>focus more on the business side and ask the question, is it <br>possible to make good money as a hostess?<br>
<br>Sales<br><br>Like any other sales job, a hostess should target a certain <br>audience and must balance profits against expenditures. A <br>hostess is essentially an independent sales contractor who owes <br>some allegiance to the club where she works, who take part of <br>
their wages in 'dues' and each woman is financially rewarded or <br>punished based on performance. <br><br>Obviously with this industry as with any other, there is a <br>supply and demand ratio to deal with. Uniqueness is very <br>
important because it will help you to stand out among the other <br>girls; in effect carving a niche market. This is a risky move <br>however, because it limits your customer base and the <br>opportunities. For instance, there was the 'crude girl' who <br>
would talk about any raunchy topic; she was able to attract <br>older gentlemen who needed excitement or large groups of men <br>out to have fun. Conversely, her act would not go over well with <br>the lawyers and business owners who were generally more <br>
reserved. These are the most desirable because they are the ones<br>who will come every week in order just to enjoy your company. <br>They are the clients who buy you and themselves matching Rolexes <br>and take you on trips to Hawaii. My sempai (senior) was known <br>
for collecting and maintaining these types of customers. For <br>the three months that I worked in the high-end Japanese club, <br>she was the 'number one' which is the girl that makes the most <br>money for the company; much like the leading sales person in <br>
any company. In the hostess club, the number one, two and three <br>received a monetary bonus every month. This amount varies from <br>club to club, but it is clearly enough to allow some women to <br>make a successful career out of their profession.<br>
<br>There is a wide variety in the type of girls who work in the <br>hostess business and many 'exotic' clubs hire foreign workers. <br>Usually these clubs will have only foreigners working there and <br>they will mainly be of one nationality in order to target a <br>
certain market; Eastern European, Chinese, Philippine, <br>Brazilian, etc. A lot of clubs may be foreign but very mixed in <br>terms of origin too. These clubs market themselves as places <br>where the client can speak in another language, or if their <br>
'product' cannot speak Japanese they have to market themselves <br>as being at the lower end, because of the language barrier. The <br>foreign women who can speak Japanese are known to work in <br>Japanese clubs where the clientele and the workers are only <br>
Japanese; where the pay is better and the overall working <br>conditions are cleaner.<br><br>[Continued below...]<br><br>------------------- Financial Times------------------------<br><br>Established in 1888 and published in 23 major cities, the<br>
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<br>[...Article continues]<br><br>How much does the hostess make? <br><br>Because in this industry the product is the 'experience,' every <br>hostess is expected to behave a certain way, and dress a certain<br>way. Physical appearance is very important and is seen by <br>
hostesses and club owners as an investment. To start, the <br>low-end hostess clubs require that the girls wear heels and a<br>skirt or a simple dress. This is the most basic requirement. <br>Moving up the price ladder, it follows that the requirements <br>
placed on the women grow. In the high-end Japanese clubs, the <br>pay is better and the opportunity to meet rich clients increases<br>however, the expenses are also greater. Women must set their <br>hair every night, wear full face make-up, more expensive outfits<br>
and with shoes, and the highest level clubs expect their <br>hostesses to wear a different dress every night, as well as <br>never traveling by public transportation, either by their own <br>cars or by taxi. Additionally, most hostesses have fake nails <br>
which is not a club requirement but you are seen as not being <br>as good as the others if you cannot afford to purchase that <br>extravagance. I<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">n the high end clubs,
the ownership will further <br>deduct from a hostesses' wages, the cost of flowers for the <br>bar, toilet paper, snacks for
customers, and even the cost of <br>electricity.</span>To put this in perspective, the expenses for one <br>night of work, before nails and expenses, can be:<br>
<br>Hair: JPY 3,000<br>Taxi to and from work: JPY 3,000<br>Dress for that night: JPY 10,000<br>Total: JPY 16,000 <br><br>A hostess working at a higher end club could expect about <br>JPY20,000 (JPY4,000 per hour) and upwards per night. So only if <br>
a hostess cannot maintain loyal customers, and get something on <br>top of her basic salary, is there is an opportunity for a decent<br>steady income. That said, tips/gifts can double or triple a <br>night's fee easily. Bonuses are the only normal form that any<br>
kind of 'commission' takes.<br><br>For the women who work in these clubs, many of them cannot get <br>any other work, or the draw of the money is so great. However, <br>if a woman cannot carve a niche market without being too <br>
exclusive, then they will be stuck in a lifestyle that is too <br>extravagant for their means. <br><br>By 'June'<br><br>----------- Java Training Course in English -------------<br><br>You don't have to leave Japan in order to enjoy<br>
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<br>If you have been considering setting up your own company,<br>find out what it takes to make it successful.<br>Terrie Lloyd, founder of over 13 start-up companies in Japan,<br>will be giving an English-language seminar and Q and A on<br>
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<br>For more details: <a href="http://japaninc.com/terrie_lloyd/" target="_blank">http://japaninc.com/terrie_lloyd/</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Marcus Evans Events - Supported by J@pan Inc<br>
<br>-Customer Relationship Excellence<br>15th - 16th April 2008, Hilton Tokyo<br><a href="http://www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13548" target="_blank">http://www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13548</a><br>
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