Hello, everyone.
This is Enta.
That's interesting—I see!!
I came across an article that made me think that, so I’d like to share it with you.
We old guys totally get it, lol.
I found out that the man goes to hostess clubs.
I'm a man in my 40s. I don't go to hostess clubs.
I’d always wondered what was so fun about paying money just to have a woman listen to me.
I understand the desire to feel relieved by engaging in sexual activity, so I actually found the adult entertainment industry easier to understand.
About 20 years ago, when Masuda was in college, there was a cheerful assistant professor (or maybe the title had already changed to associate professor by then) in his lab.
Whenever he goes on business trips for academic conferences and the like, he drags his students around to bars even though the professor has told him to stop, and
In the end, he was taking students to hostess clubs. I was taken there once myself, but I had absolutely no idea how to enjoy myself, and
He sat in the chair, frozen like a rock.
Just to be fair to university professors, I should point out that even back then, professors like the ones described above were in the minority, and
I think professors who take students to hostess clubs are probably an endangered species at universities these days.
After that, Masuda worked as an engineer at an IT company.
I enjoyed my job, I liked writing code, and even on projects that were in turmoil due to bugs, I still had a pretty good time because I could see the end in sight.
Even though we generally refer to them as “IT companies,” the corporate culture likely varies greatly from company to company, and probably varies significantly from department to department as well.
At least in my department, we would sometimes go out for drinks with our bosses or project teams, but not a single person ever went to a hostess club, and
Even when we were really letting loose, it was just a matter of going to karaoke after a night out at a bar.
Masuda has come to be recognized within the company as having a certain level of ability.
The project I was working on was running smoothly, the team atmosphere was great, and I was able to lead a leisurely life, focusing on maintenance while studying new technologies in my spare time.
Although the service sometimes received complaints, Masuda actually quite enjoyed handling them.
If we view this as feedback from customers who have paid us, we can better understand their needs and improve our services even further,
It also gave me an opportunity to think about what problems I should solve.
I suppose they were commended for their proactive approach to handling such complaints.
I was appointed leader of a new project.
That's when things start to look a little iffy.
It was a new business project proposed by one of the executives.
I can't give specific details, so I'll use a hypothetical example, but it was like a company that had been developing supercomputers suddenly getting into the Bitcoin business.
Naturally, there are no experienced employees within the company.
That executive, too, had only the kind of information available in business magazines like *Toyo Keizai* (i.e., the same information available to the general public), and everything was a matter of trial and error.
However, since Masuda-kun is a hard-working and talented student, I was encouraged to believe he would be able to lead the project successfully, and
I was under the false impression that I could do it, so I ended up taking it on.
That was a mistake.
First, let's look at the structure.
I gathered several talented juniors from the team I used to be on, as well as a few peers and juniors of my own generation who, although I’ve never worked with them, are highly regarded.
Everyone was full of enthusiasm.
Since it was a project championed by the executives, there was virtually no need for internal negotiations to assemble a team.
I asked the team members to catch up on the technical aspects, while I, as the project leader, devised an exit strategy for that technology.
In short, we needed to determine the direction of this project—even if only in broad terms—by deciding what kind of service we were creating and for whom.
A few months have passed, and I've mostly caught up on my technical studies.
However, neither Masuda nor any of the other project members had the slightest idea what kind of service this technology would lead to.
The department head was required to submit a project progress report once a month, while the executives mentioned above were required to do so once every three months.
Initially, the reports focused on trends in research and development and startup activity overseas.
In addition, he would gloss over the issue by compiling research papers and technical documents—such as those describing what technologies currently exist—and providing simplified explanations.
About a year later, an executive said, “We understand what kind of technology you have, but it doesn’t seem like it will lead to any new business at all.”
It was a reprimand telling me to think things through properly.
Masuda explained what was technically feasible and noted that other companies, both in Japan and abroad, were still in the research and development phase and had not yet been able to turn their work into viable business ventures.
At that moment, the executive mentioned the name of a certain startup.
It's a startup based in Silicon Valley, and of course, Masuda has already been keeping an eye on it.
This company possesses the following technologies and is currently raising funds to use them to develop the following business ventures.
Why can't we do that? However, like many startups, Masuda recognized that his startup did not currently possess the necessary technology.
What startups do is inspire people to dream.
We’ll gather people willing to invest in that dream, use that money to hire researchers and engineers who can bring it to life, and then set about implementing it.
Although success can sometimes happen by chance, in most cases, development fails even after the funds raised have run out, and the company falls apart.
That's what a startup is.
Masuda's team strongly identifies with the "dream" this startup promotes.
If that dream comes true, it will give rise to all kinds of businesses and earn the gratitude of many people.
However, there was a huge gap between the current state of research and development and the realization of that dream.
Masuda didn't have a way to overcome that, and it's likely that many companies around the world still don't have a way to bridge that gap.
However, the executives were not convinced.
We can't let this new venture fall through.
The reason was a prediction that a faction within the company—which had opposed this executive’s new business venture from the outset—would use this failure as a pretext to spark internal factional strife.
From here on, the problem becomes increasingly complex.
It was a new venture that had no chance of succeeding to begin with, but the project’s goal gradually became to make it appear, on the surface at least, as though it were going well.
The executive accompanied me on a visit to the Silicon Valley startup I mentioned earlier and secured funding and a business agreement.
And then they made a grand announcement to the outside world.
I went there, talked to them, and found out that, just as I had initially expected, the company didn't have anything that could be called technology.
All we had was information on the latest trends in research and development—information that Masuda’s team had spent several months catching up on.
Saying they wanted to accelerate their new business, they unveiled a mockup. The goal was to widely publicize the vision for the future service to the outside world.
I got a LINE message from a friend at another company in the same field saying, “I saw that presentation—it’s amazing.” I’m starting to feel like I’m in cahoots with a con artist.
Naturally, the members of Masuda’s project team were aware that both the startup’s technology and the mock-up our company had released were nothing but a paper tiger.
However, due to internal political considerations—and to prevent the rival faction from finding out—the status of the research and development was kept completely confidential even within the company.
Masuda's mind collapsed.
In meetings with executives and in external communications, it is necessary to convey that the company’s technology and future services hold great promise.
However, the project team was in a state of gloom, and the discussions centered entirely on how to bring this project to a soft landing.
One by one, our top performers left to take other jobs.
It goes without saying—no one would ever want to commit this kind of technical fraud.
Masuda, whose mental state was beginning to deteriorate, had stopped doing anything but sighing at home, and had lost his appetite.
His baldness was getting worse, and he was starting to look like a typical middle-aged man.
One morning, I just couldn't bear to go to work anymore, so I confided in my wife, saying I might not be able to go to work anymore.
My wife naturally understood how tough Masuda's job is right now, so she told him, "You don't have to push yourself."
He told me it was okay if I quit my job.
When someone asked me, “Is there anything I can do for you?”,
I just told her that I wanted to bury my face between her breasts, and she let me do it first thing in the morning.
After holding it between my breasts for about five minutes, I could tell it had had some effect. I felt a little more energetic. I think I might be able to go to work.
When I told my wife, “I’m feeling more energetic,” she mistook it for a dirty joke and asked, “Does that mean you want to do it right now?”
Masuda accurately described the situation.
Of course, I'm also grateful in a sexual sense, but,
I told her that being cradled between her breasts had restored my spirits, and that the comforting feeling of being held there had given me the courage to go to work today.
My wife, looking a bit puzzled, said, “So there are nutrients that can only be obtained from breast milk, I guess,” and saw me off.
I’m not quite sure what “so-called” refers to, but what my wife is saying is 100% correct, and I felt grateful to have married such a smart wife.
What happened next. Like a psychopath, Masuda promised the executives success, while encouraging team members to request transfers or look for new jobs.
I gradually disbanded the team, and in the end, I quit too.
I guess I really do prefer jobs where I'm close to the customers.
Even when I received complaints, I was able to fix the service without suffering any psychological damage.
However, I just couldn't stand having to put up with complaints from executives while working on R&D projects that didn't generate any revenue.
But when I realized that this must be true for many middle managers at companies as well, I finally understood why men go to hostess clubs.
I still remember that "Eureka!" moment.
Many men out there are forced to curry favor with their incompetent bosses at work, and
The fact that much of the work I'm doing right now is so pointless,
The fact that I’m constantly being forced to apologize, yet I can’t quit my job because I need to make a living.
It is this dilemma that is driving me mad.
And I think what can heal that isn't sexual services, but rather a momentary sense of psychological well-being.
Just as I’ve been going to work every day since then after getting sandwiched between my wife’s breasts,
Some men go to hostess clubs or adult entertainment establishments.
That's more of a care service than a sexual service.
Thinking about it that way, I’ve come to understand the meaning behind the recent trend of supporting one’s favorite idol.
I used to wonder why people got so into idols and characters, but,
That isn't so much an escape from reality as it is an activity intended to care for one's mental well-being.
That’s just how harsh modern society is.
After coming to this understanding, I decided to contact the associate professor who had mentored me back then.
I want to say that, even though I still don't go to hostess clubs, I now understand how people who do go feel,
I also felt a desire to apologize for my own naivety back then, which had turned me into a rock.
That professor had become a professor at a regional university, and there he had risen to the position of board member and vice president—I was amazed at how far he had climbed the ranks.
I tentatively sent him an email, and he replied right away, suggesting we go out for drinks while catching up on what we’ve been up to.
I visited that professor's lab and asked about his recent situation.
It really made me realize how amazing people are who are always so cheerful and brighten up those around them.
We went to an izakaya near the university, talked about various things, and then discussed the above theory about hostess clubs.
After thinking for a moment, the teacher said, “Practice is better than theory, after all,” and took me to a hostess club.
To be precise, it wasn't a hostess club—it was a Philippine pub.
When I pointed that out, they said that Philippine pubs are cheaper and more fun.
She must be a regular—a crowd of girls quickly gathered around the teacher.
The teacher slowly said, “Let’s sing~!” and started singing “Kento and Haiyoro” with us.
Just imagine.
The sight of an elderly man past his sixtieth birthday dancing to the upbeat song “Hai Yorokonde” while singing with an absolutely stunning voice.
I think that was the time I laughed the most in several years. I was laughing so hard that tears came to my eyes.
I had to laugh at my teacher, who, even after turning 60, still manages to master the latest hits, and I realized that the song he chose—"Hai Yorokonde"—was a message from him to me.
After that, we all had a great time dancing to “bling-bang-bang-born” and doing other things.
As I was leaving, the teacher said,
About that "hostess club = cleavage" theory from earlier—I don't think it's right, though.
Sure, there’s probably some truth to that, but even going out to an izakaya with coworkers and having a wild time has its own form of care, doesn’t it?
So, instead of overthinking everything like that, just enjoy the moment.
Society probably needs places like that, too.
It’s true that today’s visit to the Philippine pub wasn’t for relaxation—it was simply a fun night out.
I see. I'm going because it's fun—that's a pretty obvious reason.
"But you know, sometimes when I order something expensive, she'll let me bury my face in the cleavage of her breasts."
It seems the reason the teacher switched from a hostess club to a Filipino pub was because of the physical contact.
I finally understand why men go to hostess clubs.
*The canonical tag has been set.
The illustrations were added by Enta on his own initiative.
