Photo/Illutration Fukuoka’s Nakasu district is one of the largest entertainment areas in western Japan. (Ryutaro Ito)

FUKUOKA--A 28-year-old woman joined a real estate company after working five years as a hostess in Fukuoka’s Nakasu district, one of the largest entertainment areas in western Japan.

She switched jobs last autumn through an agency of Hirujob, an outplacement assistance company that specializes in finding daytime jobs for those working at hostess clubs, girls bars and other nightlife establishments.

“Working in the nightlife industry was meaningful and I accumulated good experiences,” she said. “But I was anxious about continuing to work there for a long time because my workload decreased due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.”

She was worried about returning to a morning-oriented lifestyle because her days and nights had been reversed, but she took the first step toward her dream of marrying and starting a family.

The woman, who landed a sales position, got her first contract three months after she started the new job.

“I was able to switch jobs without hiding my previous work thanks to the outplacement assistance company,” she said. “I feel like I can find my new self.”

Hirujob, which was founded in Tokyo in 2018, has set up branches in Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka since spring last year.

The company has helped nightlife workers make a fresh start when they are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic and often face prejudice and contempt. Its clients include male workers, such as waiters and street touts.

The Fukuoka branch, which opened last spring near JR Hakata Station, has helped more than 100 people, or seven to 10 each month, make a career change.

“Many people are seeking daytime jobs because they are unsure how long they can work or because they have fallen sick from working irregular days and hours,” said Chihiro Miura, 26, the branch manager.

Others are pursuing their dreams after they chose to work in the nightlife industry due to family circumstances and poverty, she added.

Some applicants get cold feet thinking that they are not good enough or that they can’t list their job experience on resumes. Prospective employers may turn them down on the grounds of company rules.

Hirujob staff members hold meetings with both sides to find a solution.

The forte for nightlife workers is the top-flight communication skills they developed while working in the industry, according to Miura.

Miura, who had worked late-night hours until she was 24, achieved top results in a sales position at an information technology company.

“I hate losing, and I can talk to older men like they are my peers,” she said.

Job openings are available in real estate, advertising and other industries, and sales positions account for 40 percent of the job offers. Other employment includes hospitality workers, beauty care specialists and call center staffers.

Miura and two other staff members at the branch meet with 20 to 25 job seekers each month.

When they are worried if they can make it to work on time every morning, they offer advice on how to switch to a morning routine based on their own experiences.

Harujob President Takuma Tsuboshima, a former nightlife worker, worked in a sales position at a real estate company before going independent.

“An increasing number of companies have slowly but surely increased their understanding (of nightlife workers),” said Tsuboshima, 35. “I hope we can help bring about a fairer society.”

Hirujob’s main office, located in the capital’s Shinjuku Ward, is also seeing its business growing.

The number of new job seekers ranged between 300 and 400 each month before the pandemic. But the figure now exceeds 1,000, with around 30 people changing jobs every month, the company said.

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