I think… I think this article is off? Host clubs and hostess clubs are certainly predatory. But I don’t get the sense that the goal is debt for the sake of coercion. It’s generally just the first order goal of getting money by charging ridiculous sums for drink and conversation.
As a foreigner it’s hard not to crack up seeing adverts for these things. They seem like a mix of corny for host clubs and just generic horny bait like gentlemen clubs for the hostess clubs.
I would say it wouldn’t fly in America but Japan seems to be a step ahead. Reaction cams come to mind. This service would probably do amazingly well in the US with a slightly different aesthetic.
I'm probably too obsessed with Japanese pop culture than is good for me so I'm very aware of host and hostess clubs as represented in anime like Gin Tama and video games like the Yakuza series.
There are a lot of ideas from Japan like cat cafes, maid cafes, and cat maid cafes that are hard to import to the US. For instance they tried to start a cat cafe in Ithaca but the public health department wouldn't let patrons enjoy food and drink and interact with cats at the same time.
Even if no actual prostitution happens in connection with a host or hostess club that kind of organization has many of the same problems, particularly with violence. For instance, prostitution is often mixed up with organized crime because there's a need for "law enforcement" but the cops can't do it. If a customer goes over the line somebody has to kick their ass but it has to be done in a sustainable way in that there is some accountability, customers have some recourse in a really bad situation, etc. All things that an organized crime organization that has the right position in the community can do but it's not something you just want to open the door to.
They literally opened a SNAKE CAFÉ over here, where folks could order smoothies and then hang out with "pet snakes" and reptiles that were apparently kept under Plexiglas at all times. It didn't last long enough for me to try out. :-(
The thing about reptile stores is that there seem to be two categories:
* The scientific types, where the have family histories longer than your typical European monarch's for each animal, and a temperature and humidity control system more powerful than your smartphone to maintain EXACT OPTIMAL CONDITIONS to optimize lifespan and breeding yield.
* The people who can't resist "just another snake" until the wife says "unless you want to turn the place into a reptile shop, we can't get another one", and they call the bluff.
I've been visiting a shop that's clearly the latter lately; one has to remember to shut the door when entering lest something wander out into the neighbourhood. I suspect your 'Snake Cafe' might have been a riff on that strategy where he doesn't actually have to sell the snakes.
Not even close to similar imo. Host clubs are also not maid cafes. Maid cafes are a high entrance fee and a bunch of cutesy food and interactions. Hostess clubs are girls, perhaps themed (maybe… maid?) and just talking to you and having you buy them absurdly priced drinks.
As a foreigner it’s hard not to crack up seeing adverts for these things. They seem like a mix of corny for host clubs and just generic horny bait like gentlemen clubs for the hostess clubs.
I would say it wouldn’t fly in America but Japan seems to be a step ahead. Reaction cams come to mind. This service would probably do amazingly well in the US with a slightly different aesthetic.