2019.04.07

A Unique Place to Find a Partner in Japan (Aiseki lounge)

aiseki-lounge
If you live in Japan as a foreigner, you may want to find a partner, but it may be difficult for foreigners to find a Japanese girl/boyfriend due to the language barrier. There is such a place where men and women can easily meet each other.
 
Some of you may have heard of Go-Kon (a joint party that has the same number of guys and girls socializing in a group).
 
The Aiseki lounge I am going to introduce is essentially an alternative to Go-kon. Therefore, it’s not like going to Kyabakura or Japanese host (high-class hostess).

 
The boys or girls you are going to talk to are not professionals working for the lounge. As some of you may be interested in this place, I give you an introduction of Aiseki lounge.

*Aiseki means drink with opposite sex
 

Aiseki lounge? What is it???

@MoteGuide

 
Aiseki lounge is a bar decorated with fancy and gorgeous interior.

 
The bar allows customers to check the traffic ratio of boy and girl on their phone and even order food and drinks.

 
Most Aiseki lounges serve food and drink unlike Aiseki izakaya (buffet style.) They basically remove the biggest challenge, starting a conversation with strangers. They give a great environment to talk to strangers.

 
Well-known Aiseki lounge in Japan would be “オリエンタルラウンジ” and “JIS”. In this time, I will introduce you Oriental Lounge (オリエンタルラウンジ) .

Oriental Lounge

@oriental_lounge
 
You can find this place all over in Japan from Okinawa (Southern part of Japan) to Hokkaido (Northern part of Japan) .
There are four locations in Tokyo (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shibuya Ekimae, and Machida).
 
Resion Info: https://oriental-lounge.com/#shop
 
This place offers all you can drink, and they have a variety of drinks such as beer, wine, and cocktail.

 
According to the website, female customers get two orders of food for free until 10:00 pm. Girls can literally drink and eat for free.
 

There are two different times :Aiseki time and non Aiseki time.
 
During Aiseki time, you socialize with opposite sex while non-Aiseki time is to just eat and drink without the opposite sex. Male customers need to pay JPY3600(roughly USD33-) for an hour during Aiseki time.

 
On the weekend, they pay even more JPY4200(roughly USD39-) per hour. You may find it reasonable comparing to going to high class hostess bar (it’s really really expensive).

 
The bar gives male customers a right to switch girls for their request if they tell the server. It will not get awkward between girls and boys since girls will not know that boys requested “change girls”.

 

Rules at Oriental Lounge

Price

Men Women
Price JPY500
(roughly USD5-) 		JPY500
(roughly USD5-)

※Entering Charge. Exclusive Drinks.
 

Oriental Lounge has a dress code

  • -No flip-flops
  • -sweaters
  • -workout clothes

 
One thing foreigners need to care about that dress code is Japan is not tattoo friendly. You can’t wear clothes showing your tattoo at this bar.
 
Sometimes, they refuge the single customer based on crowdedness of the bar.

 
Additionally, Oriental Lounge in Shibuya never allows a single customer to enter the bar since it’s always busy there.
Interior of Oriental Lounge;

https://oriental-lounge.com/media/detail/id=238
The picture is Oriental Lounge in Chayamachi in Osaka. As you see, the interior is very gorgeous and beautiful.

 

One thing male customer needs to care about

If you are a male looking for a partner here, you do not want to expect too much of this. I heard most female customers come here to eat a free meal.

 
Sometimes, it gets really awkward at the table, and they may just eat food and leave the table without talking to you. It’s possible. So, make sure you prepare yourself to just treat random girls to dinner without getting their phone number or anything.

 

Is it worth it to give it a try?

@oriental_lounge
 
As I introduced Oriental Lounge in this article, you can find this place anywhere in Japan.
 
If you are traveling to Japan, this could be a great experience whether if you meet a girl. The price chart does not mean you need to stay there for an hour or two hours.
You can leave the bar if you do not want to stay any longer.
 
Also, Aiseki is one of the unique Japanese experiences that you cannot see in other countries. It might be worth to give it a try, and if you don’t like, you can just leave.
 
If you are a female, “why don’t you get a free meal in Japan?”. Everything (food and drinks) is free and you will get to know the local Japanese people. You could have travel information (sightseeing spots, restaurants, unique culture…etc) from them. If you feel uncomfortable, you can always ask the server to leave the table.

 

AISEKI IZAKAYA: A new style of finding a partner in Japan
AISEKI IZAKAYA: A new style of finding a partner in Japan

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MizunoSYO

I’ｍ a banker, weekend author, and a person who loves to try new dating apps (looking for a girlfriend!)