Host girls in Japan: my most-viewed pic from trip

host girls: 21st century geishas
Originally uploaded by JeanineAnderson

This quick snap is of two "host girls" in the Shibuya neighborhood of Tokyo.
Host girls and host boys are frequently seen in the "entertainment" neighborhoods of Tokyo (and other major urban centers) in the late afternoon and early evenings. Girls are hurrying to their clubs jobs and boys are hanging out on street corners drumming up customers. Host boys and host girls earn their money by socializing, flattering, and developing emotional relationships with their regular customers. Modern day geisha.

A documentary on the sub-culture host industry, titled The Great Happiness Space: Tales of an Osaka Love Thief, was produced in 2007 and is available on Netflix. (Which I don't have, so someone get this movie and invite me over, please.)