10.09.2002

japantoday > kuchikomi

New Shinjuku sex shop caters to codgers

When it comes to appealing to customer's whims and fetishes, the sex businesses in Shinjuku's raunchy Kabukicho pleasure zone have long had a reputation for entrepreneural creativity. And this summer, reports Yukan Fuji (Sept 8) is no exception.

The latest venture is a new type of "date coffee shop," where the male customer meets prospective hookers while sipping a cup of java before making a selection and escorting her to a nearby love hotel. What makes this establishment special is that its clientele is limited to men over age 50, and most of the females who service them are in their 30s and 40s.

"They're mainly housewives now, but in the past, some of them have had experience working in bars or similar types of places," the shop operator tells Yukan Fuji, who adds that he had initially planned a business that operated after midnight.

"Most of the girls, like housewives or unwed mothers, say they can only work at earlier times, that it's difficult to do this work during late hours. So they requested to work earlier. That's why instead of a night club, we operate as a coffee shop."

In principle, an entrance fee of 3,000 yen entitles the customer to sit on the premises and order coffee or other beverages, including alcohol, for as long as he likes. There are usually three to four women on the premises at any given time. If the customer sees one he finds appealing, he can request a "date" with her on the spot.

"Most of our customers are in their 50s," says the operator of the unnamed shop. "They mainly seem to be salarymen or gentleman types with a bit of time on their hands. The ladies who work here are in their 30s, with some in their 40s and 50s as well.

"We came up with this formula because older customers want a place where they can relax; younger men are absolutely not admitted."

Perhaps for this reason, the shop is also extremely popular with the girls. It seems they appreciate older men, who tend to lack the desperate aura of horniness that characterizes so many young fellows who patronize the sex business. And as the word gets around, there's been no shortage of available females seeking work there, in search of a little money on the side.

"It's more than that, though," says the shop operator. "A lot of these women don't have any sex life at home to speak of. Although they're rank amateurs at this business, even the first timers are just as hot to trot as the customers."

The shop currently operates only one or two days a week.

"If things start to take off, we'll start opening every day," the operator tells Yukan Fuji.

September 9, 2002

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