Digging up the dirt on 'ear-cleaning' salons

NAGOYA--They have sprung up across the nation in entertainment districts. And the service they tout--having one's ears cleaned while resting one's head on a woman's lap--might seem to suggest other favors awaiting those willing to pay.

But operators of so-called ear-cleaning salons insist they are not fuzoku, or sex-related businesses, despite the intimate setting they provide customers.

In August, a female employee at one such ear-cleaning salon in Tokyo and her grandmother were fatally stabbed by a man who frequented the establishment where she worked.

According to police, the 41-year-old suspect became obsessed with the 21-year-old woman, and spent between 300,000 yen and 400,000 yen a month on visits to the salon where she worked.

So what is it about this peculiar and relatively novel service that has captivated the imagination of some men? The incident prompted this reporter--a 35-year-old married man--to try to find out what kind of magical soothing effect the "therapy" entails.

No sooner had I made myself at home in the tiny cubicle at the Sakura salon in Nagoya's Sakae district, about the size of a three-tatami-mat room, the female employee dressed in a dark blue yukata whispered softly as she applied the ear cleaner to my earlobe.

"You must be tired, your work being so unpredictable, no?" the woman, 28, said, as my other ear rested comfortably in the soft warmth of the woman's lap.

Sakura, which opened in April, offers various courses which customers can choose from. There is the standard 20-minute ear-cleaning course for 2,000 yen and a 60-minute watch-a-video-while-resting-your-head-on-someone's-lap course for 4,800 yen (including ear cleaning service).

There is even a 60-minute, nap-in-a-lap course, complete with the ear cleaning service, for 4,800 yen.

According to the operator, Sakura takes in about 15 customers a day on average, most of whom are middle-aged, male office workers.

The woman who served this reporter said she would feel "uncomfortable doing hostess work," but she confessed to enjoying "chatting with people in a relaxed atmosphere, and helping people unwind a bit."

"My mother is worried, but it doesn't bother me at all," said the woman, who has a daytime job working in an office on weekdays.

But the operators and employees are not taking any chances, and are fully aware of the danger that lurks.

Male customers are gently reminded at the door, both verbally and with written warnings, that the salon is "not a sex-related business." "If customers are found touching the women at this salon, we will report the incident as a groping case to police," employees add.

The female employees all carry personal emergency buzzers, and male employees make the rounds to check on each cubicle.

"We have made all preparations necessary in case a customer gets the wrong idea," said the operator of Sakura.

Despite similar precautions, one customer in Tokyo ended up murdering a female employee and her grandmother.

Miho Ejiri, 21, died on Sept. 7 after she and her grandmother, 78, were stabbed by Koji Hayashi, a 41-year-old customer of Ejiri's, at their home in Tokyo's Shinbashi district on Aug. 3. Police said Hayashi had stalked Ejiri even after the salon where she worked refused to serve him.

"I've been a good customer to you. So please, go out with me," Hayashi reportedly told Ejiri.

According to those in the industry, the salons started popping up around 2005. According to those sources, until then, it was not clear whether cleaning another person's ear could constitute medical action.

However, in July of that year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare issued a notice to prefectural governments saying that such acts were not medical actions. That move was taken partly in response to requests from caregivers who sought a definition to allow them to tend to the needs of elderly and disabled.

As long as the services do not entail sexual acts, the businesses are not required to register themselves with local authorities under the entertainment business control law.

As a result, neither police nor local governments can provide an accurate picture of how large the industry is.

Meanwhile, staff at the Nishimura Mimikaki-ten (ear cleaning salon) in Nagoya's Osu district are repeatedly reminded not to come in contact with customers on a private basis.

The golden rule is "to provide a sense of healing to the customer, but not allow them to go overboard."

But among the services provided at the salon is one 90-minute course in which customers can stroll around Osu with female employees dressed in yukata, along with a complimentary swabbing of the ear. The course, which is provided for 9,000 yen, would seem to give the customer an excuse to "try to get acquainted on a personal basis."

In fact, the operator admitted that one customer had repeatedly asked for one particular woman to serve him, and that man ended up trying to touch her.

When that happened, the salon operator rushed to the rescue and warned the customer to stop.

"The customers are not coming to seek expert ear cleaning services, but seeking some form of mental satisfaction," the operator said.

Again, this reporter sought the ear cleaning services of a yukata-clad female employee at this salon. This time, however, your honest reporter found himself falling into a deep state of slumber.(IHT/Asahi: October 22,2009)