Interesting, Ben. I had not seen that particular clip, but all anyone has to do is to check out the related video's in Youtube, and thousands of videos will pop up.

For anyone who might also be interested, I have always found some aspects of the Japanese culture to be fascinating. It is unfortunate that this video puts a spin on this as a new phenomenon, because it most certainly is not.

The maid bars are usually referred to as a broader group known as Okama Bars, but like anything else, they may differ markedly one from the other. The maids here, are dressed in a lolita like fashion, frilly dresses and headdresses, etc, but this is only a newer twist on the old theme.

The first confusion is that the name okama can mean many things. Okama Girls may simply mean the hostesses who work in these bars. At other times, it is a word that is used as slang for effeminate homosexual males, or for cross dressing gays, or for drag queens, etc. As best I can tell, It depends on how it is used. You may even see the term Okama Bar used for 'Gay Bar', and again, this can be the case, but not always.

The traditional Okama-girls were in fact hostesses, not in an internet cafe type place depicted, but most often in bars; and sometimes, in very nice bars. The hostesses who work in the later are quite often personages of great beauty and poise, who would need to be seen first hand to be appreciated. In all the establishments, however, they may or may not wait on customers; but, their primary role will be as entertainers.

When a patron is desirous of some company, the girls will sit and chat, or drink, and quite often flirt to entertain the client. Thus their similarity to hostesses everywhere, and the many bars are scattered about the cities, where a businessmen will go for lunch, and spend it in the company of one of the girls.

It is not neccessary that either party be gay, as in many places, the everyday heterosexual group is in the vast majority.

It the more traditional Japanese society, the relationship between client and the hostess may be quite intimate and friendly, but it is almost always understood by both to be a strictly business relationship, designed only to put the customer at his ease - or more recently, her ease. (Increasing drinks, of course.)

For instance, if a hostess expresses a desire to see the same play the customer does, or expresses that it would be welcomed to travel to see the patron's home village, a Japanese person would be far less likely to take such overtures as serious. Western men , and sailors, are sometimes not quite so cosmopolitain.

This causes some problems in many a westerner's eyes, I understand, because Hostesses in Japan were often thought of as having a deeper and more long term relationship than they will, and western men will usually think the hostess is interested in a continuing relationship, because they are so friendly, including expressing desires that in the west would surely signal fondness.

As for the t.v. shows that dress up men, they are very popular, and I think there have been about six. I even watched one once, where at leas three people in the room had no idea the subjects of the game show were in fact men. Most of the really good ones were pulled off youtube, I'm pretty sure, but I assume that there are still many more. Some of the results there are pretty darned amazing.

Anyway, I've found that there is only a small subset of the good people here who have
any interest in Asian cultures, so for those in the majority who do not, I apologize.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Sarah Lynn Morgan

P.S.

I wonder how many people did look any of this up. I'm home for the week, and I'd be very interested to know.