The Struggles Of A 35-year-old Kyabakura Hostess

My name is "Nagamine Arisa", and I am 35 years old.

I work as a hostess at a kyabakura in Kamata.

One day, after finishing work, I was changing clothes in the dressing room when I overheard some young girls whispering in the back...

"Hey, did you see Arisa-san's bag today? She apparently bought it again?"

"Hmm? That brand-name bag? It must have been expensive... But where does she get that kind of money? Is she doing something like offering sexual favors for business?"

"I don't know about that, but since she's already an old lady, she should just quit this place, right...?"

"Yeah, she can't get any private room requests, and she's only doing support shifts, so it's kind of embarrassing, isn't it?"

"Ahaha!"

(Damn it... You girls will understand how I feel when you're in your 30s!)

I started working at the kyabakura 10 years ago. Back then, I was working at a call center for a major telecommunications company, but I felt intense stress daily due to the mental burden of dealing with phone calls and interpersonal relationships.

One day, on my way home from work,

"Good evening! You're cute, miss! Are you interested in working as a kyabakura hostess?"

A scout approached me and struck up a conversation.

I was surprised to hear that I could earn an hourly wage of 5,000 JPY just by talking to male customers, so I decided to become a kyabakura hostess.

The first five years were great. I got a lot of private room requests, and the drink-back amounts were no joke.

There were times when my monthly income exceeded one million JPY...

First of all, a kyabakura hostess's salary consists of an hourly wage plus private room request fees. On top of that, there are drink-backs.

When you get a private room request, you receive the full amount of the request fee, and for each drink ordered, you get half of the price as a back. There are also bonuses.

If you rank within the top three in the number of private room requests at the club, you receive a special bonus. I was so happy back then because I had been the number one hostess about five times. The bonuses are substantial: 300,000 JPY for first place, 200,000 JPY for second, and 100,000 JPY for third.

"Good evening, Tamura-san! Thank you for the private room request!"

"Oh, Arisa-chan, you're cute as always. Feel free to order anything you like!"

"Thank you very much!"

Everyone treated me like a princess, and I was so happy.

Ten years as a kyabakura hostess

However, ten years have passed since I started working there at the age of 25, and now I am a veteran at 35.

I'm struggling more than I expected because I can't get as many private room requests...

I was able to get private room requests until my 20s, but now I mostly do support shifts.

"Hey, Arisa-san, is Miyuki-chan not back yet?"

"Umm... sorry, she seems to be requesting another private room request... She'll be back soon..."

"Come on, I paid for the private room request. This is getting frustrating."

"I know, right...?"

Every day, I have to appease customers who requested other hostesses.

Well, I guess the support shifts are meant to fill in and keep the atmosphere going.

"Can you please ask Miyuki-chan to come back soon?"

"Yes, please wait a little longer."

"I'm not buying you any drinks because I only buy drinks for the hostesses I request. I don't buy drinks for anyone else."

"O-okay..."

I'll explain this because it's a common misunderstanding. Just because you request a particular kyabakura hostess doesn't mean that she will stay at your table the entire time.

The time she spends with you is divided equally among the number of customers who have requested her within the time limit.

So, for example, if one set is 60 minutes and there are two other customers who have requested the same hostess, she will spend 20 minutes with each customer, including you.

Therefore, the more popular a hostess is, the less time she can spend with each customer.

There is a significant difference between popular and unpopular hostesses.

When I was number one, I received brand-name bags and was taken to luxury restaurants by my private room request customers, and I lived in the upper floors of a tower mansion.

But now, I live in a cheap apartment, cook most of my meals, and, of course, I can't expect to receive any expensive brand-name gifts because I don't get any private room requests.

This is the reality.

Even when I want to shop on my phone...

"Sigh... I want this brand-name necklace... But I just bought a new bag on loan, so I guess I can't..."

I still haven't gotten rid of my habit of spending freely, which I picked up when my income was higher.

When girls turn 30, some of them quit and find other jobs, but those without academic credentials or qualifications often end up returning.

Even if they manage to find another job, many end up in non-regular employment, which can be even more miserable than working at a kyabakura.

Thinking about all this makes me worried about my future...

(What will become of me in my 40s and 50s? I probably won't be able to get married... I remember receiving marriage proposals from a few customers in my 20s, but now I don't even have anyone requesting me... It's depressing and sad.)

Come to think of it, there were a few girls who dated customers and eventually got married.

That's quite a rare pattern, though...

After all, people usually don't choose someone in the water trade as a marriage partner...

But I need to work harder to get more private room requests.

However, even when I spend money on hair and makeup or cosmetics, it doesn't seem to work out...

All I end up with is less money.

In the end, only a handful of young hostesses are successful in this line of work.

Most kyabakura hostesses are in a situation where they have no choice but to cling to the club, enduring and persevering.

One day...

I received a phone call from my friend Risa, with whom I used to work at the kyabakura.

"Hey, Arisa, how are you? How's it going lately?"

"Well, I'm not getting many private room requests, so I'm struggling financially..."

"I see... I'm working at a delivery health service now, and I'm making pretty good money. Why don't you come work at my place? It's a mature women's club, so being in your 30s is on the younger side..."

I hastily declined.

"I'm sorry, Risa, but I can't do that... I can't even stand it when old men touch my butt, so there's no way I'm going to strip for them... No way..."

"I see... Okay, I understand..."

Studying to become a licensed nail technician

I thought it would be impossible to continue as a kyabakura hostess, so I started studying hard to become a licensed nail technician.

I wanted to do something that made girls beautiful, so I thought about it a lot and decided to take this path.

When I had free time, I sat at my desk and studied.

I don't plan on switching to a mature woman kyabakura or anything, so I'll keep trying my best!

However, since I'm not used to studying, it's hard to maintain my focus. Still, I persevered and stuck with it.

And then, a year later...

Thanks to my efforts, I somehow managed to get the qualification!

I graduated from the kyabakura and successfully changed jobs!

There are a lot of challenging aspects to my new job, but I'm gradually getting used to it.

I hope that one day, I'll be able to open my own shop.

Sometimes, I think back on my days as a kyabakura hostess. The glamorous world may shine on the surface, but the struggles that come with it are not worth it. I have no intention of ever going back.