Staged Seduction Chapter Summary

In the introduction of the book Staged Seduction: Selling Dreams in a Tokyo Host Club, Akiko Takeyama discusses the socioeconomic factors that contributed to the creation of neoliberal society, which created women who are willing to spend money on hosts and men who are willing to provide those women hosting services, which developed hosting industry in Tokyo. To discuss the rise of the industry, it is crucial to understand the role neoliberalism plays in the post industry society. In the 1980s, the governmental policies on economic and labor systems emphasized individual freedom of choice, and this neoliberal ideal urged young men, including hosts to seek individual success by working as hosts (Takeyama 7). At the same time, more and more young women were able to obtain a disposable income because of new service industries that allowed them to join the flexible labor; and with the help of economic prosperity brought by the bubble economy, those women shaped an affluent consumer culture, which led them to spend money on hosts (Takeyama 7). Takeyama asserts that the affluent consumer culture among women did not change even after the burst of economic bubble, and that contributed to developing the hosting industry (Takeyama 7). …show more content…
In chapter 1, Takeyama articulates the development of Tokyo as a place in which people pursue their future successes in the neoliberal society. In the 1980s, the government started to develop Tokyo as a global city, which demonstrates Japan’s modernity and prosperity; and this not only makes Tokyo a place where wealth and resources concentrate, but also makes Tokyo a place that reflects national identity (Takeyama 26). Since then Tokyo has developed as a place where people enjoy luxurious lifestyles and the affluent consumer culture and has become a center of media’s attention (Takeyama