Lulu (left), a recipient posted on the Japanese Kabakura TikTok account. On the right is a daily activity photo of a member of the Nature girls group. /Tik Tok
Recently, news broke that a Japanese member who was active in a Korean girl group was working as a hostess at an entertainment bar in Japan.
On the 24th, a video introducing a female waitress was uploaded to a Japanese cabakura (a portmanteau of cabaret and nightclub) TikTok account. The woman in the video introduced herself by her stage name ‘Sakura Ruru’ and said, “I am a new woman who has been working for 3 months.” Lulu wore an off the shoulder dress that revealed her upper body.
Lulu continued, “I’ve been active as a K-pop idol for 6 years since I was 18,” and “I’m currently working as a ‘cabajo’ to raise money to set up a dance studio.” In this scene, several photos of Haru, a member of the Japanese girl group ‘Nature’, were shown in action. Cabajo refers to a young woman who serves guests in a cabakura.
Lulu also said she was waiting for the nomination, saying, “I wasn’t a good drinker until a year ago, but I think I’m surprisingly strong about alcohol.” He ended the video by saying “Thank you” in Korean. Kyabakura’s account features many videos of female customer service staff wearing short dresses, so-called ‘holiday dresses’. Comments on the video included, “Is this really Nature’s day?” and “What a great day.”
The Kabakura is located in Kokubuncho, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, which is famous as the best entertainment district in northeastern Japan. A woman with the stage name ‘Lulu’ is also listed in the recipient introduction section of the website. Lulu also introduced in her profile, “My hometown is Miyagi Prefecture, and I was an idol in Korea.” His birthday was February 21st, and his blood type was B.
As this video spread on social media, it became a hot topic among K-pop fans. Natur has not had any formal group activities since participating in the web drama OST last year, but there has been no announcement of disbandment from the agency. In addition, on February 21, the agency posted a message on its official Instagram saying, “Congratulations on Haru’s birthday.”
Kabakura, which appeared in the late 1980s, is a club where mostly men nominate female waitresses they like and drink alcohol there. It is characterized by hourly payment, and illicit sexual contact with customers inside the shop is prohibited. Although it is different from the customs shops like room salons in Korea, K-pop fans who have seen the current situation react with surprise.
On social media and online communities, there are reactions like “I feel like I can’t say anything,” “I’m so shocked,” “I’m bitter,” and “I hope people don’t stress my K -pop background while working in an entertainment establishment.”
An official from the agency, n.CH Entertainment, told Chosun.com on the 26th, “We are aware of the matter, but it is difficult to confirm because this is not the time of the group’s activities.” When asked, ‘Has Nature broken down?’ he said, “No.”
One day, he posted on his Instagram, “Thank you to everyone who supports me. “Right now, I can’t say what I want to say yet, so wait a little longer,” he wrote.
Hostess Kyabakura from Japan who introduced herself as “from a K-pop girl group.”/Instagram
The 9-member girl group Nature came to light for the first time with the single album ‘Feel Good’ in August 2018. An innocent atmosphere followed, but the public’s interest was very little. Then, in January 2022, they aimed for a turn by borrowing traditional African dance as choreography along with the song ‘RICA RICA’. The unconventional choreography became a hot topic on YouTube, but this interest did not last long. In addition, they released songs such as ‘LIMBO (Come over)’ and ‘Children’.
Meanwhile, in Japan, there are cases of people who worked as idols but then turned into guests. In 2022, it was shocking to hear that Manaka Shida, a former member of the Japanese girl idol group ‘Keyakizaka46’, had become an employee of Kyabakura.
Kana Kobayashi, who appeared as part of the second generation of popular Japanese girl group ‘AKB48’, said in an interview with Japanese media last year, “I have had difficulties living after a divorce and I am currently working in entertainment establishment.” Kana Kobayashi said at the time, “Some fans who came as guests knew about my predicament and even bought me champagne, saying it was ‘the price of diapers.'”
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