Kyabakura & hostess clubs

Hostess clubs and kyabakura, where the bill is a set time, a nomination fee, and drinks.

Kyabakura (キャバクラ) and hostess clubs are rooms where you sit with staff who pour drinks and keep the conversation going. The visit is a table and a block of time. In a bar, the bill is the drinks. In English both kinds of room are often called hostess clubs. Kyabakura is the usual Japanese name.

A typical bill has three parts. Set time is the charge for a fixed length of the visit, and it can be extended. Those blocks are often 30, 50, or 60 minutes. A nomination fee, called shimei (指名), is added when you ask for a particular person. Drinks are charged for the guest and, as a normal part of the system, for the staff at the table.

The total depends on the neighborhood and on how long you stay. Reviews name the place, the time block, and what the bill covered. This introduction stays general.