These days, everyone wants “experiences,” not “stuff,” so how about digging into your Santa sack for presents that deliver #youllneverguesswhatwedids that could only come from (where else?)…Japan! This year, give the gift of… 1 …making your own Panda Face sushi and finding out who’s the fastest panda-grabber in the land Seen at the Akihabara Yodobashi CameraContinueContinue reading “Top Ten Crazy Holiday Gifts From Japan 2018”
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Top Ten Crazy Holiday Gifts from Japan 2017!
It’s that time of year, when everyone who’s easy to buy presents for already has a big satisfying check mark next to their name, but the ones who don’t are driving me crazy, because I just can’t think of anything that will surprise and/or delight them. Or at least make them scream when they openContinueContinue reading “Top Ten Crazy Holiday Gifts from Japan 2017!”
Top Ten Crazy Holiday Gifts From Japan 2016
Yes, it’s that time of year again, when you comb your list of friends & family for those who truly deserve that rare and awe-inspiring gift from Japan… 10. If there’s nobody on your list who needs a MANEATING VAMPIRE PURSE, you need to make new friends. Nom…nom…nom. Spotted this at Design Festa, but it’s also available at malicious.fashionstore.jpContinueContinue reading “Top Ten Crazy Holiday Gifts From Japan 2016”
2015 Top Ten Crazy Gifts From Japan!
It’s time for Only In Japan’s yearly holiday gift round-up, and it looks like 2015 is holding its own! I can pretty much guarantee you’ll be the only one to bestow one of these awesome gifts from Japan on your nearest and dearest… 10. Warm in winter, cool in summer, give this CREEPY CONSTRUCTION WORKER HEAD TOWEL, so they can enjoy displaying their brains asContinueContinue reading “2015 Top Ten Crazy Gifts From Japan!”
Ten Best Stocking Stuffers From Japan!
10. SUSHI SOCKS Because who wouldn’t want their feet to look like two slabs of raw fish? (Seen at Loft in Shibuya) 9. DIY CROSS STITCH PHONE CASE Because: needlepoint phone case! (Seen at Loft in Shibuya) 8. ANIMAL SKELETONS Yes, Real animal skeletons. In pretty decorator colors. (Seen at Tokyu Hands in Shibuya) 7. DEVIL WAXContinueContinue reading “Ten Best Stocking Stuffers From Japan!”
Top Ten Only In Japan Holiday Gifts 2014!
10. What do you give the person who has everything? They’ve already got a one-shot coffee maker. And a one-shot tea machine. But I bet they don’t have a ONE-SHOT MISO SOUP MAKER! Because who doesn’t consume so much miso soup they need it instantly at all times? (Seen at Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara) 9.ContinueContinue reading “Top Ten Only In Japan Holiday Gifts 2014!”
Inside Tokyo’s Wildest Host Clubs
Turn down the lights, hire a bunch of cute hosts, and keep the drinks coming, and it shouldn’t matter what your club looks like, right? Actually, no. Designing host clubs is a lot like designing casinos and supermarkets – if you want to inspire women to spend money like water, you better make sure you have a bunch of these:ContinueContinue reading “Inside Tokyo’s Wildest Host Clubs”
Top Ten Only In Japan Holiday Gifts 2013
10. I bet the person on your list who has everything doesn’t have a THOUSAND DOLLAR RICE COOKER! It doesn’t slice, dice, or clean up the kitchen for you, but it does feature a cooking liner precision-milled from a single block of steel, for the ultimate in perfect heat distribution! Seen at: Yodabashi Camera, AkihabaraContinueContinue reading “Top Ten Only In Japan Holiday Gifts 2013”
A Day In The Life: What’s It Like To Be A Host?
“My name is Sakura, and this is our newest host, Yua. If you join us tonight, you can see what a new host does!” Join veteran host Sakura-san as he teaches his new recruit “Yua-kun” the ropes! First, a run-down of a typical day in Yua’s life: 11:00 a.m.: Wake up* Noon: Go to theContinueContinue reading “A Day In The Life: What’s It Like To Be A Host?”
How Do I Find A Good Host Club?
It’s a well-kept secret that there’s a website with listings for host clubs in cities all over Japan. It’s called HostXHost. Naturally, it’s in Japanese…but fear not! I can show you how to navigate the highways and byways to get a feel for the hosts and their clubs! Here’s what the home screen looks like.ContinueContinue reading “How Do I Find A Good Host Club?”
How Can I Go To A Host Club?
Tomoya-san, me, and my secret weapon, Yuki! It’s not impossible for a foreigner to go to a host club, but the best way to do it is to ask a Japanese female friend to go with you. If you go with a Japanese woman, she can make the reservation and ask the club if it’sContinueContinue reading “How Can I Go To A Host Club?”
Can Foreigners Get Into A Host Club?
In pictures taken at host clubs, customers’ faces are always fuzzed out to protect their privacy. Not everybody wants their grandma or their boss to know just what kind of fun they’re having in their spare time! It’s possible, but it it’s not quite as simple as walking up to the doorman and asking toContinueContinue reading “Can Foreigners Get Into A Host Club?”
What Is A Host Club “Champagne Call”?
Sometimes a customer orders a special bottle of champagne, and all the hosts in the club temporarily abandon the customers they’re entertaining and gather around her table for a “champagne call.” Laser lights and/or music starts up as they assemble from all corners of the club. Then, while a waiter prepares a tray of emptyContinueContinue reading “What Is A Host Club “Champagne Call”?”
How Expensive Is It To Go To A Host Club?
Will going to a host club blow your budget for a month? The answer is, it won’t if you’re careful. Most clubs have an “introductory price” of ¥2000-¥3000 that includes one to two hours at the club being entertained by the hosts and a bottle of either saké, shōchū or brandy. If you go with someoneContinueContinue reading “How Expensive Is It To Go To A Host Club?”
What’s It Like To Go To A Host Club?
Let’s slip past the secret door and find out what it’s really like to go to a host club! When you arrive for your reservation, at some clubs you’ll be handed a photo album before being seated at a table. Inside are glamour shots of all the club’s hosts, and you’ll be asked if you’dContinueContinue reading “What’s It Like To Go To A Host Club?”
What Kind Of Women Go To Host Clubs?
In case you think the kind of women who go to host clubs are all loser dogs who can’t get a boyfriend, think again! Many of them are women who have too many men after them, not too few! What kind of woman pays a guy to spend time with her? The truth might surpriseContinueContinue reading “What Kind Of Women Go To Host Clubs?”
What Do Women Want?
Meet the professors at Boyfriend University So, why do women go to host clubs anyway? That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? What do women really want? Ask any host and he’ll tell you: women want to be wanted. But you have to be able to tell how a woman wants to be wanted. AContinueContinue reading “What Do Women Want?”
Top Ten Only In Japan Holiday Gifts 2012!
10. For the film maven on your list who camped overnight in line at the movie theatre to see the new Evangelion…ANIME EYES SLEEP MASKS (seen at Village Vanguard) When the anime-lover in your life hears herself described as a person who even dreams in CGI, now she can smugly respond, “Like a BOSS!” Seen atContinueContinue reading “Top Ten Only In Japan Holiday Gifts 2012!”
Bottle of Dom, Anyone?
Got to bed last night at 2:00 after passively breathing in about two packs-worth of cigarette smoke at a most excellent host club. These days in Kabuki-chō, it’s illegal to smoke out on the street, but inside a club? Fire ‘em up! It was pouring rain and freezing cold outside. I thought it’d be aContinueContinue reading “Bottle of Dom, Anyone?”
Host Club 101
Tomoya-san, me, and my second cousin Yuki enjoying ourselves beyond the call of duty at the Excellent Club Zero in Kabuki-chō. I’m happy to report that the geisha world is alive and well in Kabuki-chō…only these days it’s populated by gorgeous young guys decked out in visual-kei style whose job it is to entertain women like the princesses weContinueContinue reading “Host Club 101”
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