kyabakura
Kyabakura hostess clubs, where men pay to spend time with a girl who will pour their drinks, light their cigarettes, and generally lavish them with attention, are a common sight in Japanese cities. The equivalent for female customers is a host club, where women can be waited on by smartly-dressed male hosts. A newer addition to Japan’s nightlife scene are cross-dressing bars, which fulfil a niche gap in the industry.
At Bar Prince, in Tokyo’s Nakano ward, the boyish-looking staff in ruffle-trimmed “little prince” outfits are all cross-dressers. The bar operates a strict women-only policy which extends to staff as well as patrons. At hostess clubs, the customer is king: but at this club, the stated mission is to treat every customer like a princess.


Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Is Starbucks Japan’s new Valentine’s Day Frappuccino worthy of your love?
Hokkaido has an Ice Festival that’s less famous than the Snow one, but beautiful in its own way
We followed Tokyo’s mystery walking map and ended up creating our own bar-hopping adventure
We put weird food in curry to make it “un-curry-like”, find a killer secret ingredient instead
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminating
In Japan, skip the makeup counter and head to the convenience store for these 5 great cosmetics
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
Pokémon Lego kits are finally on their way!【Photos】
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods, drinkware and candles for the 2025 holiday season
10 times to avoid traveling in Japan in 2026
Our 52-year-old pole dancing reporter shares his tips for achieving your New Year’s exercise goal
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino and latte for Valentine’s Day
Princess Mononoke magnets return just in time to treat yourself to awesome anime decorations
Umamusume anime girl plushie recalled for having parts she absolutely should not have【Pics】
Giant hotel rooms in Osaka reflect the new non-niche face of travel in Japan.
Japanese women showing rebounding interest in giving Valentine’s Day chocolate【Survey】
We ate sushi made from Japan’s most expensive tuna ever【Taste test】
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
Human washing machine pods coming to Japanese hotels【Photos】
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminating
In Japan, skip the makeup counter and head to the convenience store for these 5 great cosmetics
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
Pokémon Lego kits are finally on their way!【Photos】
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods, drinkware and candles for the 2025 holiday season
Private booths are coming to Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains even sooner than we’d thought【Video】
These leggy felt figures are utterly fabulous, totally bootylicious and only barely safe for work
New KitKat pizzas are coming to Pizza Hut Japan
Tokyo farewells Japan’s only double-decker Shinkansen with a special escalator at the station
The Japanese dog cafe that isn’t technically a dog cafe
Testing 23 different yakiniku dipping sauces from the Japanese supermarket to find the top three
The mystery of the phantom “sake pass card” at Japanese alcohol vending machines
We tried 12 different gummy candies from a Japanese supermarket and found the most delicious one