Hideko Takamine: Keiko Yashiro

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

Keiko Yashiro

Keiko Yashiro: [an afternoon in late autumn: Keiko walks through the Ginza district on her way to The Lilac Bar] Bars in the daytime are like women without makeup.

Goda: How old are you, anyway?
Keiko Yashiro: Don't ask. Old enough.
Goda: Thirty? That's the turning point in a woman's life. The time to decide whether to marry... or open your own bar.

Yuri: Just between us, I'm deep in debt. It's taking its toll... I borrowed so much to get started, that now I'm in a pinch.
[laughs]
Keiko Yashiro: Don't laugh. What'll you do?
Yuri: I've decided to die. Isn't that a great idea? They say sleeping pills work quite well.
Keiko Yashiro: [Looking dismayed] Yuri!
Yuri: Just kidding. It'll be a staged suicide. I won't actually die. I'll just fake it to hold off the creditors. Shocked?
Keiko Yashiro: Not shocked... impressed.

Keiko Yashiro: [Narrating] It had been a bleak ordeal, like a harsh winter. But the trees that line the streets can sprout new buds, no matter how cold the wind. I too must be just as strong as the winds that gust around me.

Keiko Yashiro: [Narrating] Between 11:30 and midnight, the Ginza's 16,000 hostesses head home in droves. The best go by cab... the second-rate take the train... and the worst go off with their customers.

Keiko Yashiro: [Narrating] Back home I felt tired, and a little drunk. My rent is 30,000 yen - a lot for one person. But for us Ginza hostesses, an apartment's a fashionable accessory... just like expensive clothes and perfume.

Kenichi Komatsu, the manager: You've heard of Nobuko at Club 8? She wouldn't even give in to a Cabinet member. But then she fell in love with a down-and-out guitarist. Now she works as a maid in a love hotel. I started as a busboy in the Ginza ten years ago. I've seen a lot like her.
Keiko Yashiro: What's your point?
Kenichi Komatsu, the manager: Just sharing my experience.

Keiko Yashiro: [Narrating] Women in the Ginza fought desperately for survival. It was a battle I couldn't afford to lose.

Kenichi Komatsu, the manager: [Scolding Keiko] Stop being so emotional. This is a bar. People pay to have a good time.
Keiko Yashiro: So what?
Kenichi Komatsu, the manager: Listen to me! You get paid to show men a good time. If you don't like it, take off that kimono and work in an office... and starve!

Keiko's mother: You keep a fancy apartment instead of living at home.
Keiko Yashiro: That's not an extravagance.
Keiko's mother: Then what is it? Tell me!
Keiko Yashiro: Customers come to the Ginza for a taste of luxury. Satisfying that craving is what we're paid for. Apartments beyond our means, taxis, expensive perfumes - it all serves that purpose. Men wouldn't be interested if they knew I lived in a place like this.

Keiko Yashiro: Mother, how many times must I tell you? Kimonos aren't a luxury for me!
Keiko's mother: I know: it's business!
Keiko Yashiro: That's right! Looking good means good customers. In the Ginza, appearance is everything. You wouldn't understand. I'm actually quite frugal. Flashy kimonos would get more attention, but I can't wear them in the daytime, so I buy plain ones instead. You have no right to call me extravagant!

Keiko Yashiro: [Angrily, to her mother] Who'd ever want to work in a bar? Drinking 'til I'm sick, being a plaything for men... I haven't enjoyed a single day since I started. Even lying here, thoughts of bills torment my dreams. I'm miserable! But how else could I send you 20,000 a month? If you can find me a better job, tell me and I'll quit!

Keiko Yashiro: It just seems so dirty. It's not my way. If a woman does such things, her charm disappears.
Junko Inchihashi: Aren't you lonely sometimes?
Keiko Yashiro: Sure. But I have a brandy and go to sleep. That kind of fever soon passes.
Junko Inchihashi: You really have some self-control!
Keiko Yashiro: I clench my teeth so hard they hurt.
Junko Inchihashi: Honest?
Keiko Yashiro: You're so gullible!

Minobe: But seriously, I've run a lot of companies. Any place headed downhill is always depressing like this.
Keiko Yashiro: I see. Is Yuri's place lively?
Minobe: You bet. Not like here. Want to see for yourself?
Keiko Yashiro: Please. I could learn a lot.