Strange. Last week, three people asked me if I have been to a hostess club. To be more precise, one of them asked me which hostess club I frequent. (He just assumed I must be frequenting one!!!) Yes, all three of them were male, and all three of them were Japanese.
Still. I didn't think going to a hostess club was so big among Japanese people (okay, men) my age. I didn't even know they were, but then again I'm not really interested in what other people do, so it's not really a big deal.
I guess this is something a Salaryman Impersonator such as myself should take note. Personally I was never really interested in going to one- unlike most men from older generation, I don't have a wife you got married to just because of peer pressure (in the old days, staying unmarried beyond age 25 was considered to be very bad) or because of career pressure (again in the old days, being married was almost a prerequisite for men's promotion- you got family to feed, you are less likely to be, you know, disloyal to the Company). Many of them, as years went on, found out his wife was almost a stranger (which she was to begin with), didn't have much in common or maybe didn't even share the same kind of sense of humor. So they needed to go to some place else for agreeable female company.
I'm not even married so I don't have this problem. Moreover, I have more female friends than guy friends, so if I need to chat away with someone over some beer or wine, I just text one and meet up.
Also, they want to know your phone number or keitai e-mail address at hostess clubs. (Hostess club customers like to be called up or texted from girl from the club; personal touch, you see) This would freak out a small-time security nut such as myself. I think I'm just not for the whole scene. Sorry WH and Ukifune in my 'hood!