"Toda soaplands, pricing"—say it out loud and some people get it instantly, while others don't. (Soapland is a bath-style format; fuzoku is Japan's licensed adult-entertainment business.)
I'm 42 and still out there working the floor of this world, so I'll lay it out from a real-world point of view.
Why this topic matters
Information about fuzoku is surprisingly disorganized. Beginners especially tend to end up not even knowing where to start looking.
ElonThe first time I went to a soapland in Yoshiwara I was 25. Back then I didn't have the pearl in yet. These days, the reaction when I go in with the pearl is one of the little joys. The conversation with a girl who asks "what is this?" turns out to be surprisingly fun.
What this actually means
In a word: whether you know it or not completely changes the quality of the experience.
ElonI don't aim to conquer every soapland in the country, but I've made the rounds of each region's "signature soaplands." My conclusion: service quality and cleanliness aren't proportional. There are dirt-cheap shops with god-tier hospitality.
What I've written here is the essence of the knowledge I've built up over 20 years.
To wrap up
Elon42, single, living alone. When nearly your entire paycheck disappears into fuzoku, you naturally develop an "eye" for it. That's not a brag and it's not regret—I'm just putting it down as fact.
If you've got questions about this topic, hit me in the comments or on social. And check out First Class Ruby while you're at it.