How Can I Go To A Host Club?

Tomoya-san, me, and my secret weapon, Yuki, at the Excellent Club Zero!

Fallen Angel readers are starting to ask what it’s really like to go to a host club, so in addition to my usual daily Japan blurbs, I’m writing a series of blog posts on the Top Ten Host Club Questions. Today’s question is:

How can I go to a host club?

It’s not impossible for a foreigner to go to a host club, but the best way to do it is to ask a Japanese female friend to take you. If you go with a Japanese woman, she can make the reservation and ask the club if it’s all right to bring a foreign guest.

She will basically be taking responsibility for making sure you understand the rules and behave like a Japanese customer. If any issue arises, the club employees can whisper in her ear and she can explain to you, without any unpleasantries. Even if you speak Japanese, it’s easier for the host to filter any difficulties through a fellow Japanese person than address you directly, because a friend can say things that a stranger can’t.

And actually, it’s more fun to go with a Japanese friend – not just because everybody will be more relaxed and you’ll have a better time, but I’ve found that when I go places with a Japanese person, we have much more interesting experiences than if we were both Japanese or both foreign. The hosts were as curious about me (a real live foreign women!) as I was about them. And because I had a Japanese friend with me, they didn’t have to worry about how good my Japanese was, so the hosts weren’t afraid to ask about my life after I asked them about theirs.

What about men? Can a man go to a host club? Some clubs might allow it, if you go with a Japanese woman and check with the club beforehand. As a rule, though, men are not welcome, even Japanese men.

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Tomorrow’s question: How do I choose a host club?

Already posted in the TOP TEN QUESTIONS ABOUT HOST CLUBS series:

Why do women go to host clubs?

What kind of women go to host clubs?

What’s it like to visit a host club?

How expensive is it to go to a host club?

What is a host club “champagne call”?

Can foreigners get into a host club?

Still to come:

Host fashion: Why do hosts dress like that?

A Day In The Life: What’s it like to be a host?