Glossary

VIP

VIP · vip

At hostess clubs and lounges it mostly means the VIP room or VIP seating, charged as a room fee on top of the set fee.

After Hours

アフター · afuta-

Going out with a cast member for food or drinks after the venue closes; it is the cast member's private time, not a venue service.

Event

イベント · ibento

A special night such as an anniversary, a seasonal party or a cast member's birthday, when prices and the programme may differ from usual.

Card Payment

カード払い · ka-do-barai

Settling the bill by credit card; whether it is accepted, and whether a handling fee is added, varies by venue.

Girls Bar

ガールズバー · gaaruzu-ba-

A bar where female staff chat with you from behind the counter while serving drinks; easier to drop into than a hostess club.

Cast

キャスト · kyasuto

The collective word for the staff who sit and talk with guests at hostess clubs, girls bars and host clubs.

Cancellation

キャンセル · kyanseru

Calling off a reserved table, a nomination or a dohan date; let the venue know as soon as you can.

Credit Card

クレジットカード · kurejitto-kaado

Some venues take cards and some do not, and those that do may add a surcharge or set a minimum spend.

Companion

コンパニオン · konpanion

A woman sent to a banquet at an inn or function room to pour drinks and keep the party going (banquet companion).

Service Charge

サービス料 · saabisuryou

A percentage added to the subtotal of your bill; at hostess clubs and lounges it is shown alongside tax as TAX and service.

Champagne

シャンパン · shanpan

An expensive by-the-bottle order at hostess clubs and host clubs, often accompanied by a whole-floor celebration when opened.

Champagne Tower

シャンパンタワー · shanpan-tawa-

A pyramid of stacked glasses filled from the top so the champagne cascades down, ordered as a special celebration for birthdays and events.

Shot Bar

ショットバー · sotto-ba-

An ordinary bar where a bartender serves drinks by the glass at the counter; no cast and no settai.

Scout

スカウト · sukauto

Approaching women on the street or online to recruit them for nightlife work, or the person doing it; distinct from a tout, who solicits customers.

Scout Man

スカウトマン · sukautoman

Someone who approaches women in entertainment districts to recruit them to work at hostess clubs and the like; a different job from a tout, who solicits customers.

Snack Bar

スナック · sunakku

A small venue where the mama stands behind the counter and regulars pass the evening with bottle keep and karaoke; the most everyday kind of Japanese nightlife venue.

Set Fee

セット料金 · setto-ryoukin

The base fee per unit of time that bundles the seat charge, the time and basic drinks; the guide price on a listing is basically this.

Tip

チップ · chippu

Japan has no tipping custom, and that holds at nightlife venues: there is no need to hand cash to staff or cast.

Tab (Tsuke)

ツケ · tsuke

Paying later rather than on the night; a venue extends it only to regulars it trusts.

Table Charge

テーブルチャージ · te-buru-cha-ji

A fixed charge made the moment you sit down, often with a small snack (otoshi); seen at bars, snack bars and lounges.

Dress Code

ドレスコード · doresuko-do

What a venue expects guests to wear; high-end lounges and some hostess clubs ask for smart casual or better.

Ranking Number

ナンバー · nanba-

A cast member's place in the venue's sales ranking, as in number one or "making the numbers".

Helper

ヘルプ · herupu

A cast member who sits with you while the one you nominated is at another table, or before you have nominated anyone.

Hostess

ホステス · hosutesu

A female cast member at a club, lounge or hostess club who sits with guests to talk and drink with them.

Host

ホスト · hosuto

A male cast member at a host club who sits with guests, mostly women, to talk and drink with them.

Host Club

ホストクラブ · hosuto-kurabu

A venue where male cast members (hosts) sit with mostly female guests; it is a licensed hospitality venue under the Amusement Business Act, like a hostess club.

Rip-off

ぼったくり · bottakuri

Charging far more than was displayed or explained; the trouble that most often follows a tout into a venue.

Bottle

ボトル · botoru

Ordering a drink by the bottle rather than by the glass; in Japanese you "put in" a bottle (ボトルを入れる).

Bottle Keep

ボトルキープ · botoru-ki-pu

Leaving a bottle you bought at the venue under your name so you can drink the rest on later visits.

Mama

ママ · mama

The woman who runs a snack bar or club, often its owner; guests simply call her Mama.

Mama Business

ママ業 · mama-gyou

The job of running a snack bar or club as its mama; a word used mostly on the trade side.

Room Fee

ルーム料 · ru-mu-ryou

The charge for using a private or VIP room on top of the set fee; some venues use "room charge" to mean a seat charge instead.

Wine

ワイン · wain

One of the drinks sold by the bottle at lounges and some hostess clubs, listed on the menu by brand with its own price.

First-Timer

一見さん · ichigensan

A guest visiting for the first time without an introduction; venues that say "no first-timers" (一見さんお断り) admit only people a regular has introduced.

Reservation

予約 · yoyaku

Securing a table or time in advance; hostess clubs and girls bars often take walk-ins, but booking is the sure way for nominations, dohan and weekends.

Private Room

個室 · koshitsu

A table or room set apart from other guests; at hostess clubs and lounges a room fee or VIP room fee is charged on top.

First Visit

初回 · shokai

Your first time at a particular venue; many hostess clubs and host clubs offer a cheaper first-visit price.

Reviews

口コミ · kuchikomi

First-hand accounts and ratings posted by guests who used a venue; on this site they appear on the venue page.

Date Accompaniment

同伴 · dohan

Meeting a cast member before her shift for a meal or similar, then entering the venue together.

Sales Call

営業 · eigyou

In cast slang, the messages and invitations that bring a guest back (eigyo LINE, eigyo mail); in its plain sense, simply being open for business.

In-Store Time

場内 · jounai

Inside the venue, meaning the time you are seated there; used as in jonai shimei (場内指名) to set what happens inside apart from dohan or after hours outside.

In-Store Nomination

場内指名 · jounai-shimei

Nominating, after you are seated, a cast member you liked among those who came to your table as helps.

Affluent Client

富裕層 · fuyuusou

An everyday Japanese word for people with high incomes and money to spare; nightlife venues use it to describe their clientele, as in fuyuso-muke (富裕層向け, aimed at affluent guests).

Regular Customer

常連 · jyouren

A guest who keeps coming back to the same venue or the same cast member.

Nomination

指名 · shimei

Choosing a specific cast member to sit with you; a guest who does not nominate is called free.

Nomination Fee

指名料 · shimei-ryou

A fee added on top of the set fee when you request a specific cast member, charged per cast member, per set.

Corporate Entertainment

接待 · settai

Entertaining business clients at dinner or a club; in the Amusement Business Act, settai also means cast members sitting with and chatting to guests, which is what defines a licensed category-1 venue.

Organized Crime

暴力団 · boryokudan

Japan's organised crime groups, the yakuza; the "no gang members" notice at a venue's door is a statement that they are refused service.

Full Nomination

本指名 · hon-shimei

Nominating a specific cast member by name when you enter or book, as distinct from an in-store nomination made after you are seated.

Corporate Client

法人客 · houjin-kyaku

A guest who comes on company business or expenses rather than for personal fun; a venue-side word for describing the clientele.

Late-Night Hours

深夜営業 · shinya-eigyou

Staying open past midnight; venues that offer settai, such as hostess clubs, may not by law, while bars and girls bars may after filing a notification.

Cash

現金 · genkin

Many nightlife venues are still cash-only, and whether cards are accepted differs from venue to venue.

Pickup

迎え · mukae

The collecting half of a venue's car service: the venue's car meets you at the station; cast members do not come to collect guests.

Disturbance

迷惑行為 · meiwaku-koui

Behaviour that upsets cast members or other guests; venue notices say it is not tolerated and it is grounds for being asked to leave.

Drop-off

送り · okuri

The venue's car service that takes cast members home after closing; it is not a service for guests.

Pickup Service

送迎 · sougei

A venue's car service that collects you from the station or your hotel and takes you back afterwards; common at regional and suburban venues.

Excessive Entertainment

過度な接待 · kadona-settai

Service that goes beyond what a venue's licence allows: settai at a venue with no hospitality licence, or sexual contact at a hostess club.

Drunk Customer

酔客 · suikaku

An ordinary word for a guest who has had too much to drink; visibly drunk guests may be refused entry or asked to leave.

Receipt

領収書 · ryoushuusho

Proof of payment issued on request at the bill; you are asked whose name to put on it, and it may be in the operating company's name rather than the venue's.

Nightlife Law

風営法 · fuei-hou

The law that sets licensing, opening hours and age limits for hostess clubs, host clubs and similar venues; its full name is the Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business.

Floor Staff (Kurofuku)

黒服 · kurofuku

The male staff at hostess clubs, lounges and host clubs who seat you, take orders, rotate the cast between tables and handle the bill, named for their black suits.