The good, the bad and the desperate: Tokyo's raunchy underground clubs
Who's number one? Single men are the cash cows of the Happening Bar scene.Note: Names and identifying information have been altered to protect privacy.
“I don’t like old men, but if I don’t think about it too hard, I can have sex with anyone,” says a 20-something housewife named Mari, following a liaison in an essentially public bar with a balding salaryman twice her age.
“I had never been to this sort of place before, but my friend kept talking about it,” she explains. “Recently I’ve been under a lot of stress at home, so I finally told her, OK, let’s go see what it’s like.”
Like many of the English teachers, office workers and other patrons here in Tokyo's Kabukicho, Mari has ducked out of her "normal" life this morning to show up at one of the area's Happening Bars -- private clubs where singles and couples gather for what the Japanese euphemistically term “adult play.”
“Today I had sex with about 20 men. It was kind of like playing a sports game, but we were all connected. It felt very friendly.”
Saori, another housewife, explains that Happening Bars have become a weekly destination for her.
“My husband doesn’t know,” she admits.
“When I first started coming I felt guilty and thought that maybe I should get a divorce. But then I realized that I like being married and I like coming here, so I keep it a secret.”
A venerated pastime
Speaking to a small audience taking a break outside one of the playrooms that ring the bar area, a company president enthusiastically relates legends of ancient villages in Japan that would hold annual swapping festivals.
“That was before European contact,” he notes.
It seems that deep within the Japanese psyche, sex -- like so many other aspects of life in the country -- is considered a group activity.
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While numbers aren't clear -- establishments easily come and go -- browsing the web in Japanese for “happening bar” or “couple kissa” will reveal that there are many such clubs, particularly in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho and Shibuya's Dogenzaka areas.
Edward, a jet-setting Brit comments, “I am usually pretty careful about letting on that I am a swinger when I am around Americans, but in Japan I find I can be more open.”
Pay and play
Most Happening Bars offer a pub-like atmosphere where members are welcome to drink, chat and get to know each other before moving on to more intimate play areas.
In addition to an initial membership fee, bars collect customer information and require photo identification on joining.
Members then pay an entrance fee every time they visit. Single women can usually get in for free, couples pony up about ¥5,000 to ¥8,000 and single men end up paying for the party often at ¥10,000 or ¥15,000 each.
Participation in any sexual activity is purely voluntary. But that’s not to say that it isn’t expected.
If couples and single women don’t play with the club’s revenue base of single men, the cash cows will move on to more fertile pastures. Losing a repeat big spender because he had a bad night is a business risk that managers hope to avoid.
