Tokyo, Take Three: Train trouble, Shibuya 109 and Host Club

It’s been a while since I updated! This time I have a valid excuse- I spent an hour writing a blog after I visited Tokyo, and my internet crashed, so I lost it all. Understandably, I was so disheartened by this it’s taken me a long while to get around to writing it again ^^

So two weeks ago, I got my first ever full time wage. It was a great feeling to earn so much money through hard work and know that I’d earned it. After paying my bills (blog to follow) I was still left with a nice amount of money. My friend Mi asked me to go to Tokyo again, because she wanted to take me to her friend’s host club. I was curious to go and wanted to do some shopping, so I agreed.

I’ve known gotten the train system down well. To get to Tokyo for the afternoon, I have to get up at 8am. My first train is from Higashikoizumi, a station conveniently a ten minute walk from me. From there, I get a fifteen minute train to Tatebayashi. Then, I hope on the 45 minute train to Kuki, and get my final train the Shinjuku.

It was a nice day, not too hot and I wore a dress and leggings because I wanted to be comfortable. I had learned from before to bring my pull along case, save me carrying too many heavy bags. I was confident and even early for my first train, happy that I had finally worked out how to get to Tokyo.

However, after two carefree journeys, problems struck while on my third train. As always, it was packed, and I was standing. About thirty minutes into the trip, the train stopped suddenly, no where near a station. I took my earphones out to hear the locals where just as confused as I was. An announcement came over the speakers, but it was hard to make out even if I could have understood the language. I caught the Japanese word for dangerous however, and guessed there had been an accident or a problem with the tracks. As most people know, the suicide rate in Japan is very high, and people often jump in front of trains.

There was a lot of commotion outside, and I tried to listen to the conversations around me to work out what had happened.

We waited for a further forty minutes before we moved again. I was tired, having been up since early and having to stand so long in a crowded and hot train. To everyone’s dismay, the train stopped again ten minutes down the line. It was a large train because it was going to Tokyo, and it had two floors. We were all directed to move up the length of the train and exit at Omiya station. Luckily I’d heard of this station so I knew roughly where I was. I was now running an hour late to meet my friend, despite being early at the start of the day.

 

All train stations in Japan will have the line’s name in English on the board. The colour matches the train line. However, when there’s a delay like with what happened to me, the boards provide no insight.

Men were working on the tracks and we were being ushered off the platform. I started to think I was going to have to go back home. Luckily, Omiya is a large station, so after consulting with my friend and my iphone, I found another train. I was finally back on track to Tokyo, though already tired and very hungry!

Luckily this train was quieter, so I was able to get a seat and watch the view as we entered Tokyo. It’s a huge city composed of many areas. I was heading to Shinjuku station, one of the more fashionable places to be and a great place to connect to the other districts.

This time Mi and I found each other easily. We visited the local Donki (cheap store) so I could get an Alice in Wonderland Halloween costume for my school’s party (my boss is going as the Queen of Hearts). After turning down many tacky and revealing ones, I finally found a perfect one for about £20. I also got some cute prizes for the kids. Then, we took a quick train to Shibuya (there is an underground system but I haven’t been on it yet). Shibuya is famous for it’s large shopping mall, Shibuya 109. It’s easy to spot in the distance with mirrored tiles and large red, neon sign. What I didn’t know was that the main building was mostly for females, and then (most) of the male clothing is contained in another building. They’re only a two minute walk from each other.

The most famous shopping centre in Tokyo. It’s easily spotted when you come out Shibuya station.

Shibuya 109 was everything I hope for- a shopper’s paradise, especially if like me, you are into Asian fashion. Most of the shops on the bottom two floors cater for the popular Japanese style- very girly and pretty fashion, mostly pastel shades and always conservative. Then there are a few more out there shops, catering for the wackier side of Japanese fashion, like visual kei. To be honest, there was less of these than I imagined.

One thing I did notice was the clothes were a lot more reasonable than I expected. My experience of Japanese malls so far has been that most clothing shops are overpriced. However, the prices in Shibuya were actually the same or less than the clothes I’d seen before. I still couldn’t afford to spend much, and settled for a leather look, pleated skirt, which like back home, is a fashion stable in Japan just now. It was on sale for just under 3,000 Yen, about £23, which is just what I’d pay in somewhere like New Look. It came in a pretty pink and white striped bag too.

All the selling assistants, as I expected, were perfect like models. Their job not only consists of the usual retail roles, but they also model the clothes. Many times I would look at a jumper or dress, only for a sales girl to appear in front of me, showing off the item. It’s a good idea actually, because clothes look very different on people than mannequins. It also gave me good judge of sizes. In Japan, most clothing for female is S, M, L etc. I’m usually a M, because my torso and legs are much longer than the Japanese female. Shoes are measured in how many cm your foot is- I think from memory I’m a 25.5.

Mi actually spotted a famous model in one of the shops, and showed me her in a magazine the next day. We also saw her in a billboard in another store. It seems even the famous models work in the brand’s shop the represent. It’s a nice touch. I can’t really imagine Kate Moss on the till in Topshop.

It was hard to resist the lure of the lovely clothes, but I had budgeted for dinner, the host club, a hotel, and the train fare back home. After Mi found a lovely dress, we headed to Shinjuku to change in the toilets. Unlike back home, they’re very modern and always spick and span.

I had decided to wear my pink skater dress, because it’s the longest dress I own, covering my knees. Although there are some Japanese girls who dress like I would back home, because of my height and being foreign, I didn’t want to draw even more attention to myself.

Once we ready, we met Mi’s host friend R. It’s common for hosts to escort their customers to the club. However, we went for dinner first, in a nice Thai restaurant on the top floor of the station. I was ravenous, having skipped lunch in the hassle of the trains. Having bad luck that day, the waiter somehow forgot to place my order, so my food came late. I pretty much inhaled it. From what I remember, it tasted nice, but more Japanese than Thai.

We had a good time, and R’s English was excellent because he lived in American- he even had an American accent.

It started to rain (seems to be my luck with Tokyo) but it wasn’t too heavy. We left our cases in the lockers outside the station (very hand, 300 Yen for the small and 400 for the big. We split a big one so it was even cheaper). Luckily the host club wasn’t too far away because we were wearing heels.

I noticed because R was with us we weren’t approached by the usual people trying to get girls into their clubs, which was handy.

 

The club was very classy. Mi had warned me it was very bright, but I hadn’t expected just how much it would be. I had always pictures host clubs to be darker, more dimly lit, but the entire ceiling was covered in bright lights and many crystal chandeliers.

Everyone welcomed us and, and the first thing I noticed was many of the hosts looked older. R later explained to me that this club catered more for the older lady, between ages 30-40. I was surprised, but I guess I’d never thought about the age thing before.

R stayed with us as two new hosts joined us. Because I was a first timer, I got a special fixed price of 10,000 Yen (£80). This included free time (I.e. until the club closed) with different hosts, who rotated our table, and unlimited drink. I wasn’t asked what I wanted to drink- the two options on the table were either sake or soju (the Korean version). Because of the unlimited drink offer, I assumed these were the only options. I think if you are regular customer, you could probably ask for other alcohol such as wine, etc. Luckily for me I like both these drinks. I was offered them straight or mixed with water or green tea (yuck lol, I can’t even imagine how that would taste).

It was my first time drinking soju (I had it on the rocks) but I soon realised I preferred sake. Luckily they let me switch. It was peach sake too, which is very easy to drink. Apparently when you’re a regular customer, your price is determined by the % of the bottle drank- including how much your hosts have drank. As you would expect, they top up your drink without being asked. They also give you hot towels and, as seems to be the custom here where ever you go, are constantly wiping the moisture from the glasses and bottles.

We arrived at 9pm, and the first hour passed a little slowly. Only R could speak fluent English, so he acted as a translator. We covered all the common questions with the hosts- where are you from, age, boyfriends, etc. They were nice enough, but it felt a little strained. I could tell the hosts were out of their comfort zone because they couldn’t hold fluent conversations with us.

I drank a ridiculous amount, purely to fill the awkward silences and also because I wanted my money’s worth. £80 is much more than I would spend in a night out in Glasgow, so I was determined to make it worth it.

I became more relaxed and confident. Our hosts switched a lot, and I started to sense some avoiding our table. I asked, and apparently not many foreigners came to the club. Luckily, another Host, George, came to our table, and he could speak a little English. He had a funny personality, and within five minutes of meeting him, he’d told me he’d be sad if I went home to Scotland and asked me to marry him. It was all light banter, and it was the type of conversation I’d expected to have with a host, so I wasn’t disappointed.

 

Two of our Hosts. I was unhappy to learn I was older than George (left) who was only 21!! Note the super bright ceiling.

Host clubs, and hostess bars, act mainly to elevate the loneliness of many Japanese people. Due to the fact many (but not all) Japanese people are shy, they can find it hard to start relationships. Japan is also a confused country culturally: one one hand, public displays of affection are rare; on the other, hentai (pornographic) magazines and anime are displayed everywhere, with little though for children or those who find it uncomfortable. It’s a country of “love hotels”, and where people dating can go for months without sharing a first kiss. I find it an interesting paradox.

So I can understand why so many business women spend so much money coming to host clubs. It’s a social gathering, but they can be given the affection they usually find hard to find. They can play make believe with these beautiful boys. Many of the women who go to host clubs are married or have boyfriends- many men who go to hostess bars have wives or girlfriends. It’s all strictly above board. They drink, they have conversation, they sing karaoke. There are strict rules, yet hosts give out their business card with their email and number so girls can contact them outside club hours. I think most of the time this is to build rapport and make the girls visit more. Hosts/hostesses are not forbidden to have their own boyfriends and girlfriends, but it has to be kept secret from their jealous customers.

After George sat at our table, I had a more enjoyable time. We were able to converse in half English, half Japanese. He told me he was half Egyptian, half Japanese. He was certainly very tall for a Japanese man, and his legs kept bumping the table whenever he moved.

There was live music, and he told me that the newer hosts are trained in ballroom dancing. I really wanted to try, but I was a bit aware of drawing attention to myself, as Mi and I were the only foreigners and the youngest girls in the room. It was a large club, with over 80 hosts working at once.

The music soon gave way to karaoke, which the Japanese are just as obsessed with as the stereotype suggests. It was R birthday and Mi had bought him a cake, so we shared that and sang happy birthday for him. Two new hosts came to our table, and I felt sorry for the older one, in his later forties. He was old enough to be my dad, and he spoke no English at all. We made small talk about the cake, but it was very difficult to say much more.

Thankfully George returned to our table and saved me.

The hosts provide excellent customer service, and it’s something I’m not used to being on the customer end of, having worked in retail for years. Despite my dress being modest, every time we sat down, a napkin would be placed over our legs. They also escorted us to the bathroom, and had a hot towel ready for when we exited. It was a far cry from trying to find a toilet in Glasgow club with both a functioning door and toilet roll.

Mi’s a good singer, so she wanted to try the karaoke. She sang two Japanese songs while the hosts and I cheered her on with musical instruments. The time passed quickly after that and soon we had to leave. I was surprised the club shut at midnight, but it made sense since it was catered for older ladies, not party hard young girls.

The hosts at our table escorted us to the door, and George tried to carry my bag for me, but I felt that was too far. When we saw it was raining, another host offered me his (expensive) suit jacket, but again I declined.

R left with us, which I was surprised at. We went onwards to what we thought was going to be a club, but instead was a bar playing music. It was ran by foreigners and there were few people in the small place. I really wanted to dance, since it was so long since I had done so and the music was all songs I knew. Just at that point a Japanese girl and boy asked me to dance. They were drunk and it was pretty clear the girl was trying to set me up with the boy. He soon was all over me, while I tried to ignore him and just have fun. Soon even the manager was up on the dance floor, and I once again experienced the old “she’s a foreigner so she’s up for anything” trick. It became too much and I asked Mi and R if we could move on.

I was shocked to find out that in Shinjuku, all the clubs were shut by 1am. The only place to go was Roppongi, which was a good taxi drive away and very expensive. As it was raining, we headed to a karaoke joint. Mi and I planned to sleep there, because it’s cheaper than a hotel. However, most of the rooms were full. We ended up playing darts instead (which I was terrible at) and playing pool (which I was much better at). Finally we decided to call it a night. As it was raining, most hotels were booked. R went home, and Mi and I ended up in the Cyber Cafe where we’d stayed before. It looked like there was no room and the inn, and we were trying to think what to do when two spots opened up. I opted for a reclining, leather chair in a booth, because the booths which you were supposed to lie down in were too small for me. I got some chicken and chips out of the vending machine (yes, really) then settled to try and rest in the chair. I was able to chair my iphone too, which was good.

I dozed in and out of consciousness, despite it being comfortable I wasn’t able to fall asleep completely. Mi arrived a few hours later with a blanket for me (they’d been fresh out earlier) which helped. A free cup of milky tea was a good start to the day, and after a shower we checked out. It was still raining, and like Glasgow, Tokyo when raining is not fun, due to the walking involved. We decided to give the Lolita meeting a miss, and instead headed to McDonalds for a hangover breakfast/lunch. The workers were wonderfully cheerful, and I had my first every double hamburger. Mi and I watched Ouran Host Club anime while we ate, ironically seeing how we’d been at a host club the night before. We went to a shopping centre in Shinjuku so Mi could visit a music store. There were so many pretty clothes and I had to resist buying a pretty dress just for the sake of it.

 

Tokyo Haul- mainly prizes for the Halloween Party. Also my Alice costume and a wet look pleated skirt from Shibuya 109.

My train journey home was peaceful and less stressful. I even had a cute boy falling asleep on my shoulder at one point. This is more common than it sounds- at any one time, about 70% of the train’s passengers in Japan will be asleep, no matter what the time. It provides quite amusing entertainment.

Maybe because Tokyo tired me out, but this week I’ve felt pretty tired and weak. I also think I ate some dodgy meat, because my stomach has been upset and I’ve had no appetite. It’s better now, but my throat has gotten sore again, no doubt because of the rapid change in temperature from roasting hot to cool.

I had the Monday off, and I took the chance to go to Ota, because I really needed a new ironing board. For that, the best place is the Donki that I’ve mentioned before. These can be found all over Japan and are really cheap.

I got some hello kitty slippers for work (the best thing about teaching in Japan- no sore feet!), some towels and finally an ironing board. For some reason the large one I had wanted was really over priced, so I settled for a bigger, better made version of the one I already have.

I also visited the 300 Yen clothing shop on the top floor- it’s like a charity shop idea but all the clothes are in great condition. I got a light blue denim jacket with sequins in brand new condition, and a pink and black shirt with roses and handwriting print. Very similar to the tops I would buy in Jane Norman, but for a bargain at £2.50! My boss can never believe the things I find at the Donki.

 

The cute denim jacket I picked up for a mere £2.50. It’s got sequins all up the sleeves and over the back. It’s the kind of thing I’d buy from Miss Selfridge for £40.

I found this week teaching quite tiring- some of my good kids were playing up and not wanting to play ball. Also, I had my first ever lesson teaching an adult. It went badly, because a) I’d been expecting a 18 year old boy, and it was a man in his late 30s, b) I overestimated how good his Japanese was and c) every time I asked him if he understood, he just nodded, but he wouldn’t repeat things when I asked him too.

Luckily and unluckily, M was next door and realised what a train wreck the lesson was. We had a talk afterwards which made me feel better, and she showed me how to prepare my next lesson. It’s just shame she hadn’t done that in the first place. If there’s one thing I’m gaining in this job, it’s how to deal with difficult situations.

Fridays are my favourite days now, because my classes are all mainly well behaved, and I have good rapport with my Elementary class. One girl in particular, Yuki, is a wise crack, always hitting out random English like “No comment,” or “Are you sure?”. Her accent is very good and she’s very confident and clever. The other day she wanted me to close my eyes to prove I wasn’t wearing fake eyelashes, which made me laugh. She gave me a thumbs up, remarking, “Nice mascara!” in English, which made my day.

She’s a lifesaver too, after testing my maths skills and realising how bad I am with numbers, she helped me out of a sticky situation when I had to give change from a 10,000 Yen note. My boss is always busy these days so I open and close the school and maybe see her only one or two hours a day. As a result, she trusts me to take the fee from the children. I’m used to dealing with money from working in retail, but the huge denominations of notes here still confuse me!

 

I was glad for the weekend to come. Yesterday I gutted my apartment, and cycled around my area because it was nice and cool. I discovered a clothing outlet with lots of cute clothes and shoes for super cheap. Again, I resisted blowing my wage on a new winter wardrobe. I restricted my purchases to a pair of cheap jogging bottoms and a t-shirt, because I don’t have any casual clothes for relaxing at the weekend in. But it’s good to know it’s so close, and as the weather turns colder I can buy some cute jumpers for cheap.