[P R E V I O U S P A G E]
What the media really latched onto as the manifestation of the corruption of the kogal's morals was enjo kosai, a euphemism for their money-for-sex trade. As the number of girls who looked up to the lifestyle of sex, drinking, karaoke, and good times increased, they were greeted with waiting legions of older men willing to pay them for sex. This was facilitated by the Telephone Clubs. These are establishments where men pay to be connected to girls who call for free (or are in fact paid to talk to the men and keep them on the line), and after being connected, any negotiations between the two might be possible. There are many "chat areas" from which one can choose the type of partner they are looking for, and Telephone Clubs invariably have an area whose name connotes the fact that it is an area designated for one to meet young girls.
As a booming private sex trade industry took off, men were willing to pay similar prices for inexperienced high school girls at Soapland and other brothel-type venues. For a time, to be paid for sex was good for the girls, who might earn on average between ´30,000 and ´50,000 per outing. As the market heated up, the tables turned. A huge increase in the numbers of high school girls involved in the trade was followed by even more poser girls pretending to be kogal. Girls engaged in the traditional sex industry found that they could make more money independently. Even some office girls moonlighted as kogal to make ends meet.
This sudden influx of willing participants created an oversupply in the market, and prices plummeted as the customer base became better informed. The position of the girls became more vulnerable, and yarinige, a term describing when a customer flees the scene of intercourse without paying for services rendered, was coined and used not uncommonly. Even as fringe participants in the market dropped out, average payment continued to seem bottomless until prices as low as ´5,000 were recorded just over 6 months ago. Many kogal, used to large incomes, were in debt. The cell phone and drink bills started to pile up.
The desperation of the situation could be heard on one message I heard at a Telephone Club. "17-year-old high school student is seeking 'Daddy.' One time: ´5,000. As I'm pregnant, and saving money for an abortion, condoms are not required. Please leave a message at box number X."
The withdrawal of kogal from the private sex trade has not been accompanied by a similar withdrawal of the patrons they have attracted: the Japanese salarymen. A quiet rivalry has developed between the high schoolers, contemptuous of corporate sell-outs and authority, and the soulless drone salarymen oyaji who have provided the financial backing and demand leading to the situation today. One product of this rivalry is oyaji-gari (meaning "oyaji hunting"), where a kogal, propositioned by an older man, leads him down a side street where her friends, male and female, jack him for his money with some swift kicks of revenge. Another is in the recent decrease in the difference in age between high school girls and their partners. Whereas before relationships with older men were often sought as a source of financial support, more high schoolers are turning to their own for partners. With high schoolers dating high schoolers, segregated from society both by its attitude towards them and vice versa, they have built a sort of tribalism, a line between themselves and general society.
To hear Japan's high school girls talk about the oyaji, and vice versa, it is surprising that they are describing the same relationship. The word which most often describes the kogal's impression of Japan's working men and their fathers, is nasakenai (pitiful). Many, when asked about their fathers, see them as slaves to their work who sacrificed their relationships with their families and daughters. Most of their fathers drink nearly every night, whether it's after work at a bar or at home late at night, served by the wife.
Most likely unsatisfied sexually at home, he is suspected of occasional cheating vis-a-vis sex-for-hire. Kudaranai, meaning mundane, is a word which also comes up with regards to the life the kogal's fathers lead. Three kogal I talked to were surprisingly open about their sexual relations with older men for money. An interesting turn took place when one began saying that, "It really isn't for the money." It's a large breach of my understanding to comprehend why such beautiful young girls would choose to bed old men, besides for money. "It's also that I feel sorry for them," she continued. She was surprised to answer, "Yes," when asked if her older patrons somehow reminded her of her father. She had never thought of it before. Not only did they remind her of her father, but by being with them, she felt that she was giving something to them that she saw as a need for her father.
[N E X T P A G E]
