Synopses & Reviews
The hard-drinking, drug-taking, all-night culture that dominates Tokyo's Roppongi district can be a surreal place. Overworked Japanese business men will pay handsomely for the services of a hostess--someone to talk to, someone to provide hot towels and drinks, and sometimes just a companion with whom to sing karaoke with all night. Intrigued by rumors of this strange subculture and armed with her 90-day work visa and new husband, Matt, Chelsea throws herself into the lion's den. Yet what she discovers about herself and about the inhabitants of this nocturnal life far exceeds her expectations.
Hostessing, she comes to find, has "very little to do with sex, quite a lot to do with psychology, and nothing to do with prostitution." Her personality and conversation skills are her top commodity, and Chelsea quickly finds herself charmed by these billionaire men, many of whom are funny, intelligent, even kind, and often, very lonely. But as she becomes more and more attached to her clients, Chelsea soon finds herself getting burned at her own game, as the endless presents, compliments, and destructive atmosphere of alcohol and drugs threaten to take both her marriage, and her sanity, to the edge.
Review
"Starred Review. Like Karin Muller's Japanland and Lea Jacobson's Bar Flower, Haywood's candid, lively debut celebrates the cultural complexities of modern-day Japan." Booklist
Review
"Haywood reassured herself and her husband that working as a Tokyo hostess in an upscale roppongi bar was more akin to being a geisha than a prostitute. All she had to do was look hot in a dress and heels, keep the rich customers drinking, make conversation, and occasionally sing karaoke, all for a couple hundred dollars a night. Or so she thought." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Hilarious and fast-paced, this is a book you never want to end." Famous Magazine [Australia]
Review
"An extremely entertaining debut book. She neatly hooks the reader, teasing us through her adventures in the oh-so-different cultures of urban Japan. Chelsea is wise beyond her years." The Independent [Australia]
Synopsis
Hostessing, she comes to find, has very little to do with sex, quite a lot to do with psychology, and nothing to do with prostitution. Her personality and conversation skills are her top commodity, and Chelsea quickly finds herself charmed by these billionaire men, many of whom are funny, intelligent, even kind, and often, very lonely. But as she becomes more and more attached to her clients, Chelsea soon finds herself getting burned at her own game, as the endless presents, compliments, and destructive atmosphere of alcohol and drugs threaten to take both her marriage, and her sanity, to the edge. "
Synopsis
An introspective journey into the glamorous world--and temptations--of Japanese nightlife, by former model Chelsea Haywood.
Synopsis
Starred Review. Like Karin Muller’s Japanland and Lea Jacobson’s Bar Flower, Haywood’s candid, lively debut celebrates the cultural complexities of modern-day Japan.Haywood reassured herself and her husband that working as a Tokyo hostess in an upscale roppongi bar was more akin to being a geisha than a prostitute. All she had to do was look hot in a dress and heels, keep the rich customers drinking, make conversation, and occasionally sing karaoke, all for a couple hundred dollars a night. Or so she thought.Hilarious and fast-paced, this is a book you never want to end.An extremely entertaining debut book. She neatly hooks the reader, teasing us through her adventures in the oh-so-different cultures of urban Japan. Chelsea is wise beyond her years.
About the Author
Chelsea Haywood was born in British Columbia and has traveled independently and as a fashion model since she was 16 years old, and has been featured in magazines, on catwalks, and television throughout Asia. She splits her time between London and Vancouver.