I have lived in Japan for 11 years now and this culture has always fascinated me, it is such a gray area of society. Something Japanese people acknowledge yet never talk about, it is something that many foreigners are very curious about. It is expensive to go to a host club (even with first time discounts sometimes!) however, for some people it doesn't matter because the offer of companionship is worth it. I can understand this, it can get quite isolating especially when you don't exactly fit in, feel comfortable with yourself, or just want to find a little piece of love. There are many kind of hosts, some like this one running away and trying to make a life, while others chase the luxury lifestyle in hopes they'll hit it big. But Hosts also work under a time limit because as they get older, it can get harder to compete. Not everyone gets to be Roland. I wonder... what do hosts do after they "retire?" If we could get a documentary about that, it would be interesting. Is there a group that helps these people transition to other jobs?

For being 15 minutes, this video is really impactful

I know this is off topic. But the cinematography on this video is amazing

When he was describing disneyworld fantasy I was not expecting to see Mickey actually there 💀

I didn't think a 15 min video could break my heart in so many ways...and that Disneyland allegory was just ouch.

This video just melted me.... I wish he finds peace in his lifetime.

This is a sad story,very well presented and told though. I can't imagine the pains both the hosts and their clients go through mentally and my question in the end is to what gain eventually? Especially as the main character tells us,it's mostly all an illusion. Very sad .

This is genuinely one of the most powerful videos I've ever watched. Well done.

Why the low views?? This video is amazing! Well done, how it’s shot, the topic, the twists.. more if this please!

His English is good compared to those I've met at Kabukicho. I can't put myself in his shoes but somehow understand his sorrow, wish him a happy life!

What a story. Would love another few hours of this!

The guy's English is actually pretty good, man

This story was deeply impactful, really sad hearing his backstory of being kicked out for being trans and then working as host. But hearing that hosts are like mickey mouse selling a fake love fantasy to many clients who also have adult industry work was very direct, i appreciate this

his story made me cry :( i just wish he is better now

He must be in so much pain…

The cut, a pause, the purely black frame and just the narrator's voice. Well captured.

this has more twists than a m knight shyamalan movie. I’m in awe. how do you even find a subject like this?

Such an interesting story. I would love to hear more from this guy

i am in Kabukicho as a photographer with clients 4-5 times a week for several years.. this is the real Tokyo most tourists and casual japan observers have no idea about...well done.. 15 minutes and really strong impression. Also love the camera work.

an unusual, strange but very well told story, film

heart wrenching stuff...

What an interesting person. And what a sad story, especially towards the end. I hope he finds peace and closure about how experiences. I'm a trans man, and currently navigating the relationship with my mom, who prefers to ignore that aspect of me. So that unexpectedly resonated a lot as well. Hope he's doing better a year later. Hang in there!

I just wanna give him a hug and tell him he is doing great, he’s been through to much

Great video much like an older doco I watched while living in Japan in 2008. "Great Happiness Space: tales of an Osaka Love Thief".

It's sad that most of the clients are prostitutes. But I guess they just want the connection without the stress of a real relationship. And because of their jobs they aren't judged as much by the hosts. Really great short documentary I wish it was longer

This was enlightening. Heart wrenching…this situation reminds me of a group of desolate hearts yearning for genuine love and enriching and fulfilling human connections.

Glad this vid came across. Thank you for sharing. Great docu. His English is very good! Haven't seen from this perspective b4. Glad he has a good life with gf❤. It is a hard life especially if your mom is not accepting you for who you are. ❤ There is a famous case where a manager of a hostess bar in love with a host and wanted all to herself and stabbed him. Glad he survived. He didn't want her to get the punishment which is so generous of him.

"Our job is to sell happiness to the girls."

We need more such content from him. Ive been to Japan many times, and it’s sad to see so many lonely ppl in such a big city His English is amazingly good…perhaps he had a good start when he was young? I think he studied overseas as well

absolutely amazing DP work. the effort in the production is inspiring. thank you for making this ;_;

,,hartverscheurend,, ik hoop voor hem dat hij veel geluk mag hebben in zijn toekomst 💞

This is so heartbreaking 😭

Thank you for sharing this. Hope hope is in the end of this

Searched host clubs expecting explanations and how hosts are bad. Was not expecting this

Very deep. I feel you Bro. When you finally succeed. Give back by helping others. Salute!🙏

The Great Happiness Space, 2006 documentary explores this topic in more detail

wow those were rough 15 min! i love the cinematography of this thing!!

This is so well documented

I relate to him in that way, changing yourself to please others because it is easier than changing them or dealing with their reactions. Eventually it becomes too hard to live like that though

this should get more views

I like the editing and video itself is very good...

I'm speechless after watching this video. I hope the universe always sides with us and brings us all its goodness.

Amazing

Brilliant vid

too short for such a great video

This was amazing!

We all have to live the best life we can, who are we to judge!!

this was so interesting to watch and it was so suprising for me that he is a transgender i wish him all the best he sounds super nice and his english is prettyy good

So so so sad

Was not expecting that plot twist😮

Nice video

i’m trans too. even in hard situations, seeing another person like me reaches really deeply into my heart. i wish you well

where is his social? i want to follow him and support him!

A heartbreaker for sure

no fucking way, in 5:01 you see a host as number 1, he's one of my japanese friend kae san, we actually met while playing apex, dude is a chill dude with good income. If the host club shown in this video is ACQUA then that's 100% him. He told me that he's a host and he's very popular in the club, if he doesn't goes to the club he start to stream all day apex and valorant in twitch.

Beautifully told story but why end it so upruptly?

Damn. This was so sad. I wonder how he is now.

what lens was used for this?

i did not see that twist coming at all.

Who is that guy's name? I really hope that he can find his happiness with his only one true love 😢

It breaks my heart that his family isn't supportive just because he's trans. I hope one day his family can try to understand him and accept him for who he is because life is short and they threw away their son over his gender identity.

Sorry life like this drinking spending end up wasting and bad health also mental health. Very depress after number of years.

Dystopia

Poor guy :(

日本独特の文化。浮世絵を英語にするとfloating world。これが日本のイメージであり、幽界のようなイメージ。

i have so many thoughts about this documentary…

This is so sad :(

que vida tan triste de estos jovenes Dios mio

i hope he finds the confidence to stop talking to people who don't accept him for who he is, even his mother. chosen family can support him where she refuses

Pray for them

I feel sad for him. I hope he will find happinnes in life.

The liver must be incredibly tired

His girlfriend committed suici*e , 16 weeks later he already groomed and is exploiting another young woman . To say into a camera that he feels like at the moment he's making the two of them happy is wrong on so many levels . This young man is not OK.

I had no idea kabukicho was bad. It’s like Newport Beach compared to America lol

Incredibly sad

i had no clue hosts even existed, wtf

this is so cruel from a mother. I love my daughters but if they feel as a man, I would never put a pain on them just to feel good while they are in suffer. No, you must not change for anybody! ❤

Do the girls and his girlfriends know that he's transgender? He didn't address this at all. It's also extremely heart breaking that his family kicked him out because he's transgender.

so sad

It makes me feel bad for the girls that want companionship in the wrong places.

Off point but didn't think I'd be flipped off by Mickey when I clicked this video 😮

Very interesting video. Didn’t know the clientele were mostly prostitutes. I’m an American living in New York City, and my new roommate happens to be a hostess. She comes home in the early morning hours and sometimes gets sick from drinking too much sake. It’s sad that because she’s a student here from Japan, and this is the only kind of job she could get.

There's a lack of workers in Japan but education is expensive, pays are low and working environment is harsh so lots of young people end up wasting their life on this crap instead. So sad.

This job looks good but do the wrong ideas. As this guy good heart, not just money, night life is change the mental health principles and moral of life, is twisted everything.😢

❤

Sorry but can someone tell me if his eyes are altered in some way?

How is money made in the red light district as a host.

Ive been to korea and japan. In these clubs scenes the happy people are sad and the user becomes the used a cannibalistic environment unless you follow your own path.

sad farking world we live in.

Oh man. Can they drink zero alcohol? The issue is when alcohol is part of the job then it can be a slippery slope

There are the women paying the hosts who in turn pay for the drinking event but i can't shake the feeling that there's more to this scheme hovering above it all like a black cloud. The reasons why so many young women and men participate is well documented but where does all the money eventually go?

I really like animes but the culture of Japan in the relationships are so fucked up.

That thumbnail looks weird

Relationships based solely on the exchange of money are hell.

When he revealed he was transgender that was quite literally the biggest twist I've ever experienced

He has heart he needs to do something else

John 3:19

The major problem with this host/hotess business is that its the CLIENTS that create this massive social issue. If the clients invested their money in creating their OWN business (start up/freelance, etc) with their own talents and abilities, they would invest in THEMSELVES instead of basically donating their cash to a host/hotess. It's just another form of drug since their self-worth is so low, they pay another person to give them FALSE feelings. Just so they can feel alive. I can't believe this type of business is even legal actually. It shouldn't!!

Aki your beautiful. Don't be an host.work like an modeling. Your are to good to be an host. Cutie. 🙏😳🤗🤗🤗💖💖💖💖

So sad. The girls/women are street-walkers longing for real-Love, and they pay young men to flirt w them? [Is there no self-help or religious group to help them escape??]