“DHP Publishing/Cocoro Books ‘Japan’s Bar Girls Bare All’ is a pictorial book featuring the beautiful women working the Japanese hostess bar scene. A book definitely for the Japanophile who just can’t get enough of hot, young and sexy Japanese women who one might be able to spend some time with by visiting their hostess club, that is if you have a lot of money and a credit card handy. The photography is beautiful, titillating and wild!”
BOOK: Japan’s Bar Girls Bare All
AUTHOR: Toyoshima Yoichi
COMPANY: Cocoro Books (DH Publishing, Inc.)
PAGE COUNT: 80 pages
RELEASED ON: March 28, 2008
JAPAN’S BAR GIRLS BARE ALL – In the first of its kind, this full-color photo collection brings together some of the prettiest bar girls from across Japan. Known as “hosutesu”, these young women are the flowers of the “water trade”, serving drinks, telling jokes and massaging the egos of their many clients. But who are they really? Here we meet some 50 professionals up close and find out more about what it’s like to be a bar girl in Japan. Contains over 230 full-color photos!
I have seen depictions of Japanese host bars in Japanese dramas many times but it was until my first trip to Japan, during a walk through an area near Kanagawa University, I would see the white Mercedes Benz parked on the sides and right up front, a beautiful Japanese woman urging me to come inside and join her for a few minutes and buy her a drink.
The Japanese hostess, young women who are willing to sit with you, flirt with you, hear your problems out and spend time just being there for you that is if you are willing to pay a lot of money just for a single drink or more and fortunately, I learned from other Japanese friends experiences about these hostess bars and how some people have even gotten into debt and for some guys, even get these mental delusions that they have a girlfriend.
Sure, for those who have knowledge of Japanese culture, there are always stories about how these women make so much money to the gifts that they receive.
Well, Cocoro Books has brought a book to the US titled “Japan’s Bar Girls Bare All” featuring 50 professionals from several clubs in Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai and Hokkaido.
The book features these professionals in poses, lingerie or beauty shots and for those wondering if there is nudity, sorry ecchi fanboys, there are no nude shots.
But still, I actually found the book to be quite intriguing. From the two-page monologue of a hostess bar freak who ventures these kyabakura (hostess bar) and has become so addicted that he has spent 500,000 yen on a girl in a few months and actually mentions how the cost is much more when you add up the bill at the bar plus the nomination fees.
Because in Japan, these hostess go through a “companionship system” and by being a companion, the hostess gains points and as the points accumulate, her pay will increase.
According to the monologue, being the hostess’s companion three times will earn the customer a right to go on a date with the hostess outside of the bar and will be released from the time, money and space restrictions of the hostess bar.
And on his 8th date with a hostess, she never asked for anything but some help with her down payment for a purchase of an apartment.
And I would imagine that many of these beautiful women know how to get into these men’s pocketbooks and thus, this is where the book comes to play.
Outside of the beautiful and sexy photos of each woman (mostly two pages dedicated for each hostess featured), there is a brief interview section which the club the hostess works at, her first name and answering a question of “what is the most expensive present that she has received?”
The answers by some of these women are quite surprising
One answers that she makes $20,000 a month. Another said that someone bought her an apartment resort, another had someone buy her a Lexus, another had someone who bought her a Louis Vuitton bag, BVLGARI watches, Coach handbag, Hermes Birkin (bags that cost $10,000-$100,000).
Of course, those that are “well-known” within the hostess club scene rake in a lot of money but there are women featured who do not receive luxurious gifts.
One woman named Tomoka received a darts machine and another hostess named Azusa who just received a bicycle.
But in the most part, a large number of these women receive expensive gifts or new clothing and I would imagine, probably get what they want.
It’s an interesting contrast to the United States where many young women who do something similar are involved in strip clubs or something that involves possibly daily nudity to a group of men, while these young women Japan focus on men and help build their points and try to keep them as companions in order to increase their pay and even date their customers.
But all-in-all, “Japan’s Bar Girls Bare All” is a straightforward book featuring dozens of women in full-color pages. Very good photography and if anything, the book focuses a large majority of the women who are very beautiful and sexy. So, for those wondering… no the photographer didn’t just cover your average girl, the women featured are women that look very much like gravure or bikini models but are in fact, employees at hostess clubs.
I would imagine that this book is targeted to those who are familiar with these women or the Japanophile who digs Japanese women (especially knowing that they have the opportunity to be a “companion” by visiting their club.
It’s a very niche book but its another one of those books on Japanese pop culture that I enjoy DHP Publishing/Cocoro Books for what they have managed to bring to the US.
There will always be a demographic of fans who are attracted to these niche books and with “Japan’s Bar Girls Bare All”, it goes beyond just looking at hot, sexy women in lingerie or a mini-skirt, these are women that these individuals might be able to meet and spend some time with (that is if they are willing to pay the money for that time).
Sure, there is no nudity but these women show you another side to them, a sexy and wild side of these women through the beautiful photography and learning what the most expensive gift their “companions” have purchased them is very intriguing.
So, if you definitely are curious about these women and heck, maybe even one day meet them (or date them), no need to import this book from Japan, it’s now being released in the US by Cocoro Books for a very good price, so check it out!