During daylight hours, the city of Tokyo is the quintessential image of robotic conformity. But at night, it transforms into a "floating world" of escapism, as "all-work" salary men seek a place to play.Though fascinated by Japanese language and culture, American Lea Jacobson, had some difficulty conforming to Japan's rigidly structured society. When she was fired from her job as an English teacher, Lea found work as a nightclub hostess on Tokyo's Ginza strip, and transformed herself into a "Barbie doll" fantasy whose job it was to flatter, flirt and engage in mock- relationships with her middle-aged clients. A direct descendant of the geisha tradition, hostessing quickly became lucrative...and addictive.Her perceptions distorted by the alcohol she was paid to consume, her identity confused by the fake personalities she spun nightly, Jacobson began to lose herself in this fantasy culture. As she descended into self-abuse and alcoholism, she found that the seductive lifestyle she loved so much seemed impossible to escape.
