There’s one piece of dating advice that a mama and hosts all agree on.
Our reporter Takashi Harada is hoping to step up his dating game in the lead-up to Christmas, to avoid being left dateless on Christmas Eve, the most romantic night of the year in Japan.
However, by his own admission, Takashi doesn’t think of himself as a cool type of guy that easily attracts women, so to help change that, he decided to seek advice from a few professionals whose job it is to be alluring, heading down to the host clubs in Tokyo’s Kabukicho.
▼ The entrance to Kabukicho in Shinjuku.
Hosts know how to make the ladies swoon and keep them coming back for more, so Takashi had high hopes that they would be able to give him some pointers in fine-tuning his own powers of attraction.
▼ Could Takashi ever have the same electric appeal as gents like these?
Luckily for Takashi, our reporter Mr Sato had recently been in touch with the people at Smappa! Group, a company that operates a number of bars and host clubs, so they were happy to help Takashi out with his questions.
His first stop was Club Haru, where Takashi met with the manager, or “mama”, who would be able to give him advice on how to be appealing, from a woman’s point of view.
▼ Mama Haruka Sato (no relation to our Mr Sato)
Takashi: “I’ll ask you bluntly — are there any specific characteristics that make you think ‘this type of guy is unattractive to women?”
Mama Haruka: “Well… it’s just my personal opinion, but I think the most important thing to avoid is a sense of uncleanliness.”
Takashi: “Certainly. Being unclean always leaves a bad impression. Um, so…Mama Haruka, do you often look at men’s shoes?”
Mama Haruka: “Yes — yes, I do. It’s something I pretty much almost always notice.”
Takashi: “Because the sneakers I’m wearing right now are really dirty…so what you said about uncleanliness startled me, I have to say.”
Mama Haruka: “They’re not excessively dirty (laughs). If you’re wearing white sneakers, you can buy an eraser to clean them.”
Takashi: “Oh, that’s kind advice! Are there any other things that you think make someone undesirable?”
Mama Haruka: “Other things are only talking about yourself, and having unbending opinions. But first and foremost, a sense of cleanliness is important.”
Armed with that information, Takashi thanked Mama Haruka for her time and headed out to his next stop, making a mental note to buy an eraser for his shoes later that day.
▼ Takashi’s next appointment was with Ryo Mizunami, a representative from the Bond host club.
Feeling awkward and sweaty, and slightly intimidated by the picture-perfect specimen of a host standing next to him, Takashi took a seat and began his enquiries into how to avoid being unappealing to the ladies.
Takashi: “Mr Mizunami, if you were to think of the characteristics of an unpopular man, what comes to mind?”
Without missing a beat, Mr Mizunami replied: “I think it’d be a lack of cleanliness.”
Yet again, cleanliness, in terms of personal hygiene and a neat appearance, was the top answer. Other things Mr Mizunami mentioned in terms of unattractiveness were dishonesty, impoliteness, and immaturity.
These were all good things to note, and when Takashi stood up to take his leave, he tried his best to be polite and hide his scruffy sneakers and sweaty brow from Mr Mizunami as he left the building.
▼ Finally, Takashi had a chat with Mr Naruse, at the Awake host club.
Takashi: “Is there something you can think of that would make a man unattractive?”
Mr Naruse: “Well, I guess it would be a lack of cleanliness.”
▼ “Again???” Thought Takashi, as he sweated nervously and silently berated himself for not wearing better shoes that day.
Mr Naruse went on to say:
“Also, in my opinion, it can be a bit difficult when women think of you as a ‘kind man’. Of course, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be kind to people, but sometimes being seen as too kind, or more like a pushover, can put you in the friend zone.”
Cleanliness and kindness…Takashi felt like he’d been stabbed in the chest as these are two things he’s long been insecure about. In a previous relationship, his girlfriend broke up with him, saying he was “too kind”, and he remembers not understanding what that meant at the time.
Since then, however, Takashi has developed a wider range of interests and hobbies to make himself a more interesting and well-rounded individual who isn’t always obsessing about his love life.
▼ As for cleanliness, though, Takashi still has a bit of work to do in that regard…
Whether he finds a date for Christmas Eve or not, Takashi has vowed to at least have a cleaner workspace by then. And you can bet he’ll be throwing away his worn-out sneakers too, as they’re well past the point of being fixed with an eraser.
So if you’re looking to find a date, not only in Japan but anywhere, you might want to heed the advice of a mama and the hosts in Kabukicho. And if you do get a gate, be careful not to get scammed by a con artist like we did in Kabukicho!
Related: Smappa! Group
Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]