I don't like downtown areas. I never go alone to Ginza, Roppongi, or especially Kabukicho, because I feel like I'll be drawn into a dark world. Think about my favorite restaurants. They are all located in secluded areas away from the hustle and bustle, starting with Visconti on the outskirts of Daikanyama, Chanterelle in Motoyoyogicho, Bistro Partager in Shinsen, Cochon Rose in Tanimachi 4-chome in Osaka, and Macure (formerly Unic) in Kitahama.
When I think back, when I went to Paris for the first time, I rented a residence on Rue Ponthieu, one block north of the Champs-Élysées, without knowing the area at all. It was a red-light district with the Lido and other attractions, and the room was renovated from an old building, so the sounds of the hustle and bustle continued to be heard all night, and the colorful lights of the neon lights shone through the gaps in the curtains. It was a painful experience. The sound of ambulances frequently rang out in the middle of the night. At the time, it was said that there were no guns in Paris, but I remember being so anxious that I couldn't sleep properly. Having learned my lesson, the following year I decided to stay at "La Villa" on Rue Jacob, behind Saint-Germain-des-Prés on the Left Bank.
Moreover, the reason I went to Kabukicho this time was to visit a host club, which was a pretty heavy mission. I accompanied Shimada, the author of the book "Gourmet Communication," who wanted to research the suit situation at host clubs. In 2018 , I published the edited book "Six Keywords to Understand Handsome Hosts" (Rokusaisha Shinsho), and through this connection, I have become close friends with Tezuka Maki, the president of the Smappa Group, which operates many businesses, including host clubs, mainly in Kabukicho. Also, since last year, Tezuka and Shimada have been participating in the annual Ikaho wine party held every June. So, the last thing we did at Ikaho the other day was talk about suits for hosts, with the three of us, including myself.
Y+, the only monthly host magazine currently in its ninth year, initially featured contrasting styles, naming hosts who wore casual clothes "neo-hosts" and hosts who wore suits "butlers." Eventually, suits disappeared, and the casual clothing style became polarized between the BTS -style "Shinjuku boys" and the dark, slightly dark "urajuku" style. Still, suit-wearing host clubs are still alive and well, although they are a minority, and of the seven Smapa Group host clubs, there is only one where all the staff wear suits. I decided to visit one of these, "Smapa! Hans Axel von Fersen."
The Smappa Group offers several "tours" to allow people to easily experience the host culture. One of them is the "wine tour," which I took. It costs a fixed price and takes about two hours. If you can make it work, you can visit two restaurants. Shimada-san, who went for the first time, Takahashi Yuki-san, a food coordinator who is a member of Ikaho, and Kato Reina-san, editor-in-chief of Tokyo Walker, all seemed to enjoy themselves, but I, who had previously taken the same tour as Anda Gyoza's Anda Yuko-san and others, just couldn't fit in no matter how many times I went. Chairman Tezuka came to greet me wearing a suit made by Shimada-san, so I spent the whole time talking to him.
The author hesitates to go to a host club as a male customer. After all, it is a social place for female customers, so I think that hosts find it difficult to deal with male customers. So what is it about hosts that attracts me? First of all, personally, it is their good looks and fashion. However, as a sexuality researcher, what interests me is nothing other than the "homosocial group". For example, a cabaret club or a high-class club in Ginza, a place with hostesses. Are there any places where all the employees are female? There will always be men as managers, waiters, and so-called "in-house staff". The presence of silent and reliable men who support the glamorous hostesses is essential. However, the employees of a host club, including the backstage staff, are all men. Such a group of men is called "homosocial". The delicate relationship between "homosocial" and "homosexual" is one of the important themes in gender studies. A representative work is "Men Bonding" by Sedgwick, a female researcher who died at a young age.
Although it is a job that caters to women, it is a daily life filled with men. The aspiring hosts live together in one room of an apartment, which is like a "training dormitory" for the Johnny's Entertainment agency. It is full of a boys' love atmosphere, and this twisted and complicated relationship, which can be said to be good or bad, is what attracts me to hosts. So, even when I watch the hosts serving women, my heart is not there.
Well, that aside, a restaurant where everyone wears suits is still well-behaved. Tezuka-san said that this is probably the only restaurant where the proper etiquette is observed, such as kneeling down and making eye contact with the seated customers before placing drinks or water on the tables. However, there seem to be various problems with the way suits are worn, and the women seemed to enjoy Tezuka-san's and Shimada-san's fashion checks.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and the four of us were brought back into the hustle and bustle of Kabukicho. We hadn't eaten yet, so we decided to go for a light meal somewhere. Tezuka-san had told us about a good pizza place, but Kato-san, who also wrote the book "Get drunk for 1,000 yen = Senbero," suggested Sichuan or Korean food. It seemed like they had a restaurant in mind. The author immediately recommended Korean food. Just behind the host club is Shin-Okubo, so we thought we would head there, but just down an alleyway just past the host club, we found a Korean restaurant with a vinyl tent. The bright storefront stood out against the darkness of Kabukicho. We almost thought we were in Jongno. This was it, the author strangely convinced himself that Korean food was the only option after the host club.
The restaurant, called "Tencho," was run by a friendly manager on the day we visited, and the customers were all Korean, so the food was authentic. The water parsley pancake was amazing, and the sweet and spicy pork hotpot called "Jumulrok" was the best. Drinking makgeolli from the aluminum cups that we used to drink skim milk powder from in school lunches was also very tasteful.
Before I knew it, it was time to go home, and I was heading to another station by myself, so I suddenly felt anxious. I asked Shimada-san to check the way, and I walked as fast as I could, thinking that I had to get out of this town as quickly as possible. I felt a little relieved when I saw the landmark park, but I was still in Kabukicho. I walked a little faster, and finally felt a sense of relief when I saw the entrance to the Seibu Line station.
It was a night where I was overwhelmed by the energy of the people who work in Kabukicho, where every day is a "festival." Thank you, Shimada-san, for inviting me.
This month's recommended wine: "Languedoc-Roussillon, France's largest wine producing region"
"Faugeres 2016 AOP Faugeres Carmel & Joseph" 2,500 yen (excluding tax)
Burgundy, the Rhone, and the Rhone River lead to the Mediterranean Sea. Southern French wine, especially the Languedoc region that spreads along the west side of the Rhone River, is known as Languedoc-Roussillon wine, which means "Occitan".
Well, I'm sure many of you are familiar with the word "Occo". Languedoc-Roussillon produces nearly 40 % of all French wine, but there are few wines that call themselves appellations. It is a major producer of daily wine, with the production of wines that were previously called Vin de Pays (local wine), which is one rank lower, accounting for 80 % of the total in France. And the representative of these is "Vin de Pays Occo".
"Mythique", with its striking orange label and owl mark, and "Terrasses de Guilhem (now Moulin de Gassac)", a daily wine made by Doma Gassac, which produces high-quality wines comparable to Bordeaux, are both quality-price wines for everyday use that are well-known in Japan, and are all from Languedoc-Roussillon.
Languedoc-Roussillon is also a major producer of varietal wines in France, where all kinds of grape varieties are grown. However, the region is originally known for its Grenache and Carignan grapes, and wines bearing the appellation are made using these local varieties.
Faugeres, which I will introduce this time, is one of the appellations that represent Languedoc. At least 50 % of the local varieties listed above must be used. In particular, 10 to 40 % Carignan must be used. The producer, Carmel & Joseph, is a maison established in 1995. They are a négociant specializing in Languedoc-Roussillon, located in the village of Montille near Carcassonne.
The Faugeres varietal mix is 50 % Syrah, 30 % Grenache, and 20 % Carignan. It differs from the Cotes du Rhone that we introduced previously in the presence or absence of Carignan. By comparing the two, you can appreciate the unique spiciness that makes the most of the fruitiness, and the generosity of southern French wines that are more expansive than cohesive, unlike Rhone. We hope that you will take this opportunity to enjoy not only local wines, but also the various appellation wines of Languedoc-Roussillon.
For inquiries about the wines introduced, please contact AVICO Co., Ltd.
Biography
Osamu Seki Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions.
He specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory, and is a director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
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