Some of you here may find this article/interview interesting on the new class of guys who's job is to entertain women at expensive clubs;
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/feature/1238
The subject of sex was also raised in the article;
"Then there is sex. Even though it is not on the menu and a legal element needs to be navigated as to protocol ― what's done in private without direct payment is not the police's business ― succumbing to a request for physical favors might be a last resort in getting a customer to return.
"Once it happens, she will want it to continue," says Yuga of the type of customer referred to in host slang as a "makura" (pillow). "Of course, the host will then request that she make a return visit to the club. Otherwise it won't happen again. It is a part of the service necessary to meet the customer's demand.""
I think there is often probably a fine line between some the more courtesan-like gigolo's and some of these male host club entertainers.
Another article on host bars and the guys who entertain in them;
"Host bars were on the fringe of Japan's entertainment industry for a long time, catering mostly to desperate singletons and sugar mummies. Gradual shifts in gender politics have allowed them to enter the mainstream, catering to Japan's new generation of confident, well-paid, savvy young women. In some cases, these women are young, single, and highly desirable, but lack the time or inclination for a serious relationship. While Japan's women wait for the male domination of their society to erode, host clubs offer an escape from the passive roles many women are still forced into. Now, the industry is worth more than ￡300 million a year in Tokyo alone.
Late at night, host bars may also provide welcome rest and entertainment to hostesses and other girls who have finished their shift in nearby bars and brothels. Having spent hours pampering others, they are quite happy to pay for the same treatment. In many cases, these girls are, like the hosts themselves, financially comfortable but lonely – their lifestyle making it difficult to form relationships outside the sex industry."
http://www.japanfortheuninvited.com/articles/host-bars.html
To be honest, to me these guys sound almost exactly like the geisha of old. In the olden days, in certain respects the purpose of geisha was to offer a girlfriend like relationship to her client, who was often a mature man who had spent hs life in an often unhappy arranged loveless marriage and who had spent his life working and building up money and contacts.
If i liked the geisha he met at the teahouse and wanted to further their relationship together, he would become her patron- she would offer him affection, sophisticated conversation, entertainment and even a love of sort, she would make him a more personal part of her life, almost like sharing her diary with him, in return that he pay for her time and honour to be her patron etc. The large amounts of money he would dote on her would go towards her personal expenses, like buying kimono and makeup to ensure that she stays looking beautiful and fashionable, to help pay off her debt to her shared residence that she was brought up in so she can become more independant, to further her training and to make sure she can go visit nice places etc.
For most geisha, no matter how talented and popular they were, it was vital to attract a man willing to be their patron if they wanted to gain more independance and really make a success out of their carear.
I think these host club guys in a way offer the same sorts of things that geisha did of old, like girlfriend/boyfriend type relationships and general affection etc in exchange for money, except the entertainments on offer are a lot more modernised and gender roles have been reversed.
I think one of the reasons why geisha and maiko were so popular in the past was because almost everyone in old japan was in arranged marriages- pre-marriage dating was very rare, it was very difficult to have boyfriend/girlfriend type relationships. So men who were rich enough and had the right contacts, could afford to have these sort of privilaged relationships with geisha and maiko.
Now days arranged marriages are not the norm in japanese society, even marriage itself is on the decline. But due to the rise of power women have had in japanese society in recent times, they are no facing the same old problems which men in japan's society have experienced throughout the ages- except its now more of a case of rather not being allowed to have girlfriend/boyfriend type relationships (although this may be true for the younger music celebrities in japan, with their every move being heavily judged and criticised by their patron companies and the media in general, it would be very difficult to have a successful meaningful relationship with anyone in such a high pressure environment which lacks privacey etc), they don't have the time for them outside of their carears.
These women still need love, attention and affection though, there's still a soul and a heart behind those monotome buisness suits and killer heels, so i can understand why these women would want to go to these clubs- afterall every women likes to feel like a princess once in a while
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