VS Hostess

January is the baddest month for bars and restaurants in Japan.
Because most people used much money for drinking in December, we think January should be the cheaper month. So, we don't go for drinking so much.

But, if others pay money for drinking, we don't have the reason to avoid the oppotunity of drinking. Especially if our company pays money, drinking is the right an duty of labourer.
I went to drink with my customers recently. It must be a WORK. So, of course, I don't pay money at all.

We went to Yokohama. I didn't know a good drinking place there, but my customers knew very much. I followed them. In general, when drinking with customers, I should be a host. So, I have to arrange the time, place and everything for drinking. But, this time was opposite. It was a rare case.
We went to a new izakaya, and enjoyed good raw fish and a lot of Japanese Sake.

After a while, we became drunk.
One of my customer started to say " To be honest, your company's price is expensive!"
I was also drunk.
"No, you are getting good service."
Price or Service is a subjective matter. So, we can't reach complete conclusion at all.
Our argument was just a chat.

On 1st izakaya stage, my customers paid money. This was a rare and rare case.
I had to invite them to a next stage. But, as I wrote above, I didn't know a good place in Yokohama. So again, my customers took me another place.

The place was an old-style small bar. We call such a place "Snack", in Japan.
There were four hostesses there. They served us for drinking.
Their average age was perhaps over fifty. The head hostess must be over sixty. As you can imagine, the place was very classical and antique.
My cutomer had kept his own whisky bottole. We drunk his whisky. It meaned our drinking cost was almost zero. We enjoyed Karaoke in the Snack. I had to sing old Japanese songs, because the audiences were not young.

I could enjoy this drinking time, but this was also a WORK. So, I shouldn't be treated by my customers. Thus, I ordered another new whisky bottole for them. Of courese, I payed it. (Correctly, my company payed it.)
The price was 30,000 yen!
I knew the net price is under 3,000 yen. I was very suprised. However, I couldn't have cancel my order.

Maybe, most people might think why we drink in such an expensive place? I think so too, and I don't usually come to this kind of place.
This kind of place is a community for the people with power.
In fact, some customer I met in the Snack were company's presidents. They don't like a cheap and noisy drinking place for young people. I can understand matured hostesses are good for them.

I think this drinking was an impressive experience for me.
Now I can't forget the sixty-years-old head hostess with a sparkling red shirt.