Category Archive for Nightcrawling
HOST CLUB AI: BEST KABUKICHO SHINJUKU HOST CLUBS & BOYS. JAPANESE KITSCH DECORATION, CRAZY GAUDY LIGHTS INTERIOR.
Welcome, ladies… to the gaudiest place on Earth! The Norway TV show (which we Pirates hosted and arranged) filmed inside Club Ai, the popular chain of host clubs in Kabuki-cho (the red light district of Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan).
The clubs are run by this mustachioed fellow, Mr Aida. He used to be a host boy, then opened up his own establishment in the 1970s. Now he lives in a gilded apartment packed with kitschy objects, overrun by a menagerie of cats and dogs — including his three giant poodles.
Mr Aida stole his wife, Akemi, from her boyfriend at the time. Her wig is divine; her skin is as smooth as a baby’s.
I’m not sure who did the interior decoration of Club Ai. But I’m assuming he was on heavy doses of Jesus Juice.
Famed Norwegian photographer Per Heimly couldn’t stop taking pictures inside Club Ai. So much kitsch and tackiness in one room!
First Mate Naomi, who does the arranging/locations/translation, was equally snap-happy. (She took most of the photos in this post.)
Like a good Japanese host boy, TV host (and Norwegian royal) Ari Behn offers Suntory Whiskey to the ladies.
There were a million places to check my makeup.
The bathrooms were also jam-packed with lights and gaudy objects.
Club Ai’s decor highlights the fantasy world of the host club. The female customers want to get as far away from bland reality as possible.
Have you seen the excellent documentary, The Great Happiness Space? (I review it in this post.) Host boys weave a web of romantic lies, but most of the clients are willingly ensnared… and have some venom of their own. Others, however, put all their savings into this substitute experience of love — a bubble that quickly bursts.
What do you think of Japanese host clubs, and the (false) relationships between the boys and their clients? Is this type of romantic outlet more harmful than not?
PS: Our TV hosting and “fixing” (arranging, researching) company has been busy. Last fall, I was the presenter for the Tokyo episode of Roam, a Sony Australia-produced TV show starring the Two Tims (of Travel Oz fame). The series will debut in August, on a major international network (to be announced soon!) And I’ll be in the very first episode.
Big hug if you “Like” the Roam Facebook page, which has photos and fun updates on the show. For more about La Carmina & The Pirates, please check out our site. Our services include making arrangements for TV crews that wish to shoot in Japan and worldwide (clients include CNN, NHK, Travel Channel, Canal Plus, Sony Australia, Dutch Pepsi.)
Song of the Day: I’m loving everything on Intergalactic FM. Italo, electro, disco, minimal streams.
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MERMAID BAR IN ROPPONGI. JAPANESE GIRL IN BIKINI, SWIMMING IN FISH TANK. HOSTESS CLUBS, TOKYO JAPAN.
I’m often asked: what’s it like, being on travel TV shows? What goes on behind the scenes? I’m going to attempt to answer these questions by bringing you more photos from the NRK Norway documentary shoot, which took place last October-November in Tokyo. (Photos by Naomi Rubin, my First Mate fixer.)
Every show requires weeks of planning. Naomi and I bring our ideas to the producers, and when they’re approved, we make precise arrangements with the locations and people involved.
In this case, the producers had heard of a bar where a real-life Ariel swims in a giant tank. We found Mermaid Fusion, a hostess bar in Roppongi, and got permission to bring in our cameras at an exact date and time. (Schedules are tight and days are long, while working in the field.)
We didn’t have time to scout out the location beforehand. Thankfully, the lighting was adequate — and what a scene! Clad in a gilded bikini and mask, a Japanese swimmer gulps air from the top of the tank…
Then she submerges herself into the abyss, gracefully flipping her limbs through the water. Beautiful.
The Prince of Norway, host Ari Behn, wanted to be a “mer-man.” After much cajoling, we convinced the Mermaid Bar owner to let him enter the tank. The murky water and narrow but deep space is harder to swim in than you’d think.
Ari has a magnificent tattoo of a winding snake. The tattoo artist used a meticulous dotted effect, which I’ve never seen before.
We also cast the girl who Per is romancing (she’s a hostess at the bar). The lines aren’t scripted, but the scenes and storylines are prepared in advance.
Soon, I’ll upload clips from the Norway TV show, so you can see the action yourself!
PS: I did a guest post for The Diplomat, an Asia-Pacific current affairs magazine. It’s about how artists can work together and get their creative juices flowing, to help Japan’s recovery. The article is after the jump and here.
Got any questions about what goes on in a travel television program? Or TV shoots in general? Leave a comment, and I’ll do my best to fill you in.
Song of the Day: Every New Dead Ghost (An underrated Goth rock / post punk band.)
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