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Success vs Self Confidence

Based on the data I analyzed, it leads me to believe that kyabacula hostessing has become a desirable profession for multiple reasons which all relate to eachother. Due to the fact that the profession has become more widely accepted within Japanese society, paired with the glamorous portrayals of wealth and fame shown in media, the thought of being paid good money simply for conversing with men becomes extremely attractive for any young girl stuck in a bad economy with no other reliable work options. As far as the stigma surrounding the occupation, and the effects on self-esteem, both seem to negatively affect women working as kyabacula joh. However, the extent of these consequences differs depending on demographic characteristics and other outside factors. This is important to look at because it brings up a new issue of gender relations within the Japanese workforce. Even with all the glorification of the lifestyle of a hostess, these girls must still be able to realize the continued stigmatization of this type of work. Young women have so little viable options for maintaining their well being that they willingly flock to a profession associated with sex work, that can ultimately have negative effects on their personal welfare as well as their sense of self. This would suggest that new job solutions are required in Japan which are open to all genders and can promise stability in future occupational endeavors free of stigma.

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Hostesses Through Media

Since there was no groups or booths reminiscent of anything relating to Japanese hostesses at the J-Pop Summit, as you wouldn’t really expect there to be, I have taken to the internet in order to find visual media relating to my topic. Within this first photo is a billboard placed on the side of a wall depicting an advertisement for a hostess club, using many young girls clothed in matching white dresses with full makeup and hair done. This photo shows a great example of the allure of becoming a hostess. It shows promise of beauty, fame, and money, which are all extremely desirable characteristics for any young girl stuck working a minimum wage job.

These next two photos show more of an average night for someone in a hostess position. Their time is mainly spent sitting with and talking to customers, as well as fetching their drinks and lighting their cigarettes. Although they still get the glitz and glam of dressing up and doing intricate hair and makeup on a nightly basis, the main purpose of their job is really to feed their customers egos while engaging in flirty conversation. To an extent, this does seem like easy money, since they’re mainly being paid for talking to people. However, at what cost does this come to their self esteem?

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Qualitative Data for Geishas

As I previously mentioned, although Geishas are commonly thought of in reference to prostitutes, they are professional entertainers and hostesses. Their job is to create a pleasant attitude for their customers, who typically tend to be politicians and businessmen. They are trained in traditional Japanese arts, including playing a variety of instruments (for example, shamisen and koto, which are traditional Japanese stringed instruments), singing, dancing (specifically ninon buyo), and acting. The word geisha itself means “arts person.” 

Although geisha exist throughout all of Japan, they are most concentrated in Kyoto and Tokyo. As of 2007, an estimated 2,800 geisha existed in Japan as a whole. As of 2009, there were approximately 200 geisha and 80 maiko (apprentices) within Tokyo, and about 20 practicing geisha in Osaka. Of those geisha in Tokyo, there are still six active communities, including Akasaka, Asakusa, Kagurazaka, Mukôjima, Shimbashi, and Yoshichô. 

The special teahouses which geishas entertain in are called o-chaya, where food and drink are served and Japanese-style rooms may be rented. The world of the geishas also holds a certain air of exclusivity. Basically, new patrons should be recommended by preexisting customers. Also, fees in order to be allowed into this world are very high. All in all, this conglomeration of ideas has provided inspiration for countless films, novels, and plays, including Madam Butterfly (1904), Nagai Kafu's Geisha in Rivalry (1917), and Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha (1997). 

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Quantitative Data on Geishas

In Japan, Geisha culture is one of the oldest professions. It is said that the Geisha culture started about 400 years ago. Today, only about 1000 Geishas remain in that profession while back in the 1920s to 1930s there were close to 80,000 Maiko and Geisha. If you didn’t know, Maiko is a technically a Geisha. the word Make literally translates to dancer child.

Typically, Makes started their training of the 6th day of the 6th month of their sixth year of age. However, nowadays, they typically start around the age of 15 after they get out of junior high school. It takes at least 5 years of training to actually become a Geisha. It is recorded that the oldest working Geisha is Yuko Asakusa who is 93 years old.

In the 17th century, male entertainers were actually the first ones to call themselves Geishas. Soon enough, they became outnumbered by female Geishas by the mid 18th centuries. The female Geishas were seen as trendsetters and fashion icons. They became the confidants of men with important stature who were politically influential since they were bound by a code of secrecy. However, the amount of Geishas decreased as the 20th century rolled in. Although the amount of Geishas is decreasing, the profession shows no signs of dying out.

I think that thee facts are interesting because many people are under informed when it comes to Geishas. Typically people assume that Geishas are like prostitutes because of the inaccurate portrayals; for example, in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha they are portrayed as prostitutes. However, that is a misconception. It is also a misconception that Geishas can only be males and I think that it is such an interesting fact to know that the first Geishas were males. I believe that people need to be more well informed about Geishas, therefore, I thought that researching all this data was quite interesting and important.

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Geisha Culture in Japan

Geisha culture is something that is specifically unique to Japan. However, the term was not always used specifically in reference to what we recognize as a geisha today. Throughout Japanese history, doctors, certain scholars, martial arts experts (referred to as bugeisha, with “bu” meaning military), foreign language teachers, puppeteers of the Bunraku theater and Kabuki dancers were all referred to as geishas, with the term being used for entertainers. What we think of today when hearing this term is the private entertainer geisha.

The role of geisha was originally performed by men, and around the mid-eighteenth century it transitioned into a position for women. Although geisha has become mistakenly associated with prostitute, the main domain of geisha entertainment originally started within teahouses. These were the centers for high-class acts and exquisite entertainment with geishas being held as respected women within society. For some time after 1875, geisha entertainment emerged beyond the teahouses and began to go public. As their numbers grew and Japan began to modernize, their role became questionable, as a fight began between becoming westernized and upholding tradition. At this point, geisha culture began to decline, and many began to function as part time entertainers rather than using this as full time lifestyle.

Geisha women are extremely talented and highly accomplished in a variety of entertainment styles, including dance, song, narrative singing, and acting all with the highest level of elegance. They began their training as young as age thirteen, which involved the leading their homes in order to live in specialized training houses. While they are trainees, they are referred to as maiko, live in a geisha home known as okiya, and work with an older mentor or sister called an onesan. They establish a sense of sisterhood while living here, and are trained in order to gain a high level of mastery in traditional Japanese instruments, including the shamisen and shakuhachi, as well as in singing and dancing, and are even taught social skills and other customs aimed to help them communicate with clients.

Face painting is another unique aspect of geisha culture. They are adorned with thick white makeup from their faces to their necks, their eyes and eyebrows are generally defined with black and red, and they have very cleanly drawn red lips. This makeup style is included in their training procedure, and they spend extensive time preparing their faces and perfecting their style in accordance with a specific routine.

Today, this aspect of Japanese culture is beginning to fade, as women gain independence and explore new forms of self-development rather than devoting themselves to the world of the geisha.

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