Kjersti Talks About Living In Japan

Q1.	Have you? So you have been to Japan.
A1.	Yes.
Q1.	How did you like it?
A1.	Sadly I got uh... ambivalent relationship to Japan. And I say sadly, because I feel in a way I did’nt give it a chance, in general as I should, because I was working there doing things I did not like and meeting Japanese people that were not very charming in my job. And my job was being a hostess. In a small club with mostly Japanese clients, and I left Norway to go to Japan because my dream was to earn a lot of money, and I heard you could earn a lot of money being a hostess. And without being damaged by it, because it is nothing about prostitution you are supposed to be just conversation you get a lot of money and then I could spend that money traveling both Japan and other countries.
Q2.	So how does somebody go about getting a job like that?
A2.	It is quite... it is getting more and more common. Like ten fifteen years ago this was very exotic, but now I heard about it from some people in Norway one girl had been there and had a good time she said. Uh... A lot of Australian girls and girls from other parts of Europe actually see it on the internet, so they can actually apply for a job while their still there. Even though they are illegal, it is totally illegal to work like that. Yes you do not have a working permit, the tax you pay is not for the government. You pay ten percent tax, every thing you owe, uh... earn to the mafia the Yakuza. So you're totally illegal but you still can apply for a job on the internet. And you can hear about it and you hear it is a lot of money, and I though I like people, I love people! I love speaking to people meeting new people, sharing experiences in general. And seeing as I am Norwegian I know my body can handle a little bit of alcohol so I would’nt be trashed every night. Because in a lot of the clubs you need to drink at least twenty-five drinks a night.
A3.	To... that could be water or that could be juice, but the clients like order champagne or they order drinks, or they want you to drink with them, so in some clubs some girls are totally drunk every night. And to cope with being, pissed up drunk. My friend worked in the most popular club in Roppongi called One Eyed Jacks, and the girls were so drunk every night that they had to take cocaine all the time just to be able to stand on there feet, and earn money, because it is such a pressure this club in particular because there is so many girls working there. So... a lot of bitches there, they treat each other bad and to be on top of everything because you get points and drink packs because you need to drink that and that much and afterwards you need to take bring the clients to another place so they can, like next door for the sports bar, sports cafe if you get them to the VIP room and they buy champagne for you, you get.
A4.	Yeah, five thousand ten thousand yen. And you get a lot of drink packs and happiness, happiness, you who. So it’s competition, competition, competition and it’s a lot of alcohol and a lot of drugs and a lot of cynicisms. Because it’s all about money, the girls want money from customers, the customers want this utopia of beautiful ladies all around or this dream about having a beautiful girlfriend or just something to grab on and look at. Basically the guys want sex and the girls want money. Everyone wants something in Roppopngi everyone wants something real bad. So
Q5.	Do, What kind of people would come to clubs where you work or hostess bars that you worked in?
A5.	Uh... Mostly Japanese businessmen over forty, and they came there after work to rewind. Some of them were very regular customers of the club that knew the Mama-san. Because most of the clubs have a Mama-san, that takes care of the girls or push them ahead or tell them they will get fines or less paid if something happens. And they care of you in a good way too, my Mama-san was uh... was in very many ways a good Mama-san. But they come there to rewind and to have a good time. The girls... some of them just want to sit there and not talk very much, some of them want to sing karaoke, like all the time. Japanese people love karaoke, and some just want to dance, and some are sleazy some are not. The main problem in the club I was working was that sixty percent of them spoke very poor English, which makes it very difficult when trying to conversate the person, and make that person happy and make that person enjoy himself. So I can say that. I can give you like a main typical conversation.
Q6.	OK
A6.	That I had with like forty percent of the clients
Q6.	OK
A6.	That was like. They started first asked me. First Mama-san came in. “This is Kjersti she is from Norway.” She probably could spot which customer that wanted what. I was trying to keep the little bit innocent look, big eyes because I was trying to avoid the sleazy customers. But I learnt that a lot of Japanese men like the innocent looks.
A7.	most of the customers are boring or sleazy. Because you’re… you’re this mental prostitution, your there… they’re buying you to show them a good time. So they can, they can actually… they can treat you like they want. But they’re not suppose to touch you. Mama-san keeps a look. But I can take the main conversation OK. Mama-san introduces us. “Here’s Kjresti from Norway” or “Kitty” was my name, Kitty.
Q7.	Kitty...
A7.	Guess it was easy... Hello Kitty... easy for Japanese people to say and people would remember my name because that was important, you needed requests, you need. So I was like “Hi, how are you? Nice to meet you,” and tried to figure out how much English they spoke. And then “Where you from again?” “Norway.” “Ah very cold there oh yes oh.” And I could go along with that. Yes cold, winter yes, yes but summer oh midnight sun. And then it was “Have you been to Norway?” “No” “Do you travel much?” Yes and they maybe say “Yes been to...” if I got this far. Then I ask “Travel business or pleasure?” “Oh business, business.” They maybe say, and they would talk about that. And usually “Oh Yes, Have you worked today?” “Ah, you travel business, oh you work to hard, oh yes” and they are like "whooo.."
A8.	But I learned one thing from this trip is that there is no thing as easy money, easy money does not exist.
A9.	It’s very sad that my approach to Tokyo, my approach to Japan, was through being a hostess. I find that sad, I do.