Hostess clubs are a prominent part of Japanese nightlife, providing a space where men can pay for the attention and flirtatious conversation of hostesses as the alcohol flows. But most people would readily admit that the world of hostess clubs has a darker side. Still, in recent years both host and hostess clubs have also gained some standing in popular culture.
At a recent contest held in Tokyo to coincide with the release of the film ‘Judas’, the ‘True Number One Hostess’ was crowned out of 5,500 entries from all over Japan. Netizens agree that she seems an unlikely winner with her girl-next-door looks, but most agree that she is a good choice for the crown.
From Model Press:
Legendary Hostess General Election Takes Place: The True Number One is Decided
On January 26, ‘The Legendary Hostess General Election’, an event to decide the true number one hostess, took place in Tokyo.
The event was also held to commemorate the release of the movie ‘Judas’, in which a hostess club is featured, and there were some 5,500 hostesses who entered the competition from all over Japan. Based on voting that took place online and through nominations for over a month from November 20, 2012, 29 girls made it through to the final round. On the day of the final, for one day only ‘club Judas’ was opened, and after serving the customers, the final vote was held, and the true number one hostess was selected.
The final 29 girls gather for a group photograph.
It was Akane Manami, who works in a club called Zuu Tokyo, that stood out in the grand prix. Akane, who showed off her beautiful legs and bust in a white mini-dress, welled up with tears as she commented with joy:”It’s like a dream. I was so nervous that I couldn’t sleep last night. Is it really right that someone like me should get this prize…’
In addition, Misaki Ayame, who plays the lead role in the film, the actor Itao Itsuji, and the writer of the novel, ‘Judas’, Tachibana Kurumi also attended the event. About Manami’s win, Misaki commented, ‘I’m so happy for her. Please, go back to the club you work in and tell them all about today’s tale of triumph!’, while Itao made the audience laugh, saying, ‘Since she’s won the grand prix here, I’d like her to enter the next R-1 grand prix [a competition for solo stand-up comedians]!’. Furthermore, Tachibana gave her thoughts on the day, saying ‘At the end of the competition, Manami cried so beautifully, I was moved.’
Ayame Manami receives her certificate from Misaki Ayame.
From Left: Tachibana Kurumi, winner Akane Manami, Misaki Ayame, and Itao Itsuji.
◆ ‘I don’t want to have you taken from me by Dan Mitsu‘
The film ‘Judas’ is based on Tachibana Kurumi’s autobiographical novel, a bestseller that sold around 3,000,000 copies through it’s shocking realism and the overwhelming charm of the ‘bad herione’. Misaki plays a high-school girl called Erika, who fights her way after jumping into the lustful world of hostess clubs, under the name ‘Kurumi’. Itao plays a man called Saeki, a customer of Erika’s (Misaki) who embodies lust and the light and dark sides of wealth. Though she reigns as the number one hostess in the club, manipulating men and earning huge amounts of money, the fear and solitude that lurk in Erika’s heart are portrayed in detail.
On the release of the film, Misaki took to stage in a long, low-cut red dress, and said ‘Today I came here in character’, and she also nestled up to Itao. The previous day, Itao, who has just featured in a film where Dan Mitsu plays the lead role, said ‘Recently I’m getting a lot of roles like this (where I’m surrounded by women)…’, to which came Misaki’s decisive comeback, ‘I don’t want to have you taken away by Dan Mitsui’. Continuing, Itao said laughing, ‘Today’s she’s made me feel really good. But women really are frightening’, and amidst all the fun, the evening ended.
Comments from Hamusoku.com:
ハムスターちゃんねる:
She looks like Nagasawa Masami.
ハムスター名無し:
Not bad!
ハムスターちゃんねる:
She doesn’t seem like a hostess. She’s just cute.
ハムスター名無し:
She’s better than those girls who looked like hostesses in the coming of age ceremony the other day.
ハムスター名無し:
Compared to the girls behind her she’s really really cute.
ハムスター名無し:
Next…! She’s cute, though…
ハムスター名無し:
Nah, I’d keep her.
ハムスター名無し:
I was expecting something outrageous, but, she’s actually pretty. Still, is she happy to get this kind of title?
ハムスターちゃんねる:
She’s beautiful, but things get complicated when I think that she’d take all my money. Still, she’s prettier than the celebrities there.
ハムスター名無し:
I’m disturbed because she looks cute in a normal kind of way.
ハムスターちゃんねる:
A lot of hostesses are like this…worrying.
ハムスターちゃんねる:
She’s on a different level to those number one high school girls from wherever in Kanto
ハムスターちゃんねる:
She’s cute, just right.
ハムスター名無し:
She’s waaay cute.
ハムスター名無し:
I didn’t expect this, but I’ll keep her.
ハムスターちゃんねる:
I don’t know, but if you want to drink with a girl who’s cute in a normal way, then is it necessary to go to a hostess club? If you going to the trouble of going there, I think it’s better to have a sense of surrealism, even if she’s really gaudy.
ハムスターちゃんねる:
For a woman, this seems like a really embarrassing prize to get.
