A 23-year-old Russian woman became intrigued with the idea of working as a hostess in Japan a few years ago after a friend returned home flush with cash from hostessing and opened a boutique.

But if there's a silver lining, there is also a dark cloud.

"There are few job opportunities in my country," said the woman, now a hostess at a nightclub in the Kinshicho district in Tokyo's Sumida Ward. "I want to start up my own business (in Russia) like my friend."