What Is Hime Yoyaku? Elon's First Time Using It, Step by Step, Plus the Cautions

"Would it be okay for me to do a hime yoyaku?"

On my third visit, I worked up the nerve and asked the cast member directly.

"Totally fine. But just let the shop know too, okay?" came the answer. That was my hime yoyaku (girl-side booking) debut.

ElonI spent a good half hour timing the moment to bring up that question. I didn't want to come off weird, but I also really wanted to ask. In the end, glad I did. That single "totally fine" seemed to close the distance between us all at once, and the time afterward is some of the best I can remember. I know it takes guts to ask, but once you're a repeater it's worth checking on.

What Is Hime Yoyaku

Put simply, it's a way to book by communicating directly with the cast member (hime yoyaku, literally "princess booking" — i.e. a girl-side booking).

Standard booking flow: phone → front-desk staff → cast member assigned Hime yoyaku flow: contact the cast directly → confirm date and time → report to the front desk

The rules vary by shop. Some shops "officially allow it," some "look the other way (gray area)," some "ban it completely." You need to check first.

The Upsides I Found by Doing It

1. Scheduling flexibility Because she can lock in her schedule for you ahead of time, it's easier to secure the time slot you want. Popular cast members book up fast, so this was genuinely huge.

2. A little special treatment A hime client is assumed to "already have a rapport," so the energy of the conversation is high from the start. No need to build a connection from scratch.

3. You can convey specific requests in advance Things like "I want to take it slow and just talk today" or "I'm after this kind of mood" — being able to align on that beforehand is convenient.

Elon"Conveying specific requests in advance" worked better than I expected. One day I texted her ahead of time, "I'm dead tired from work today, so I just want to relax," and from the second I walked into the room the tone was completely different. She built an atmosphere where things didn't get awkward even when I went quiet. This kind of "prep" raises the quality of the whole experience.

What You Have to Watch Out For

Every sweet deal has a catch. Let me lay out the risks I actually felt.

Managing your personal info Communicating directly over LINE or social media means your account info stays with her. The risk of exposing personal information is higher than going through the shop.

It gets harder to cancel A psychological pressure of "we made the plan directly" builds up, and canceling becomes harder. Even when you're feeling sick, you start thinking "I'd feel bad for her" and almost force yourself to go — I've been there myself.

It's easier to get sucked in This ties directly into the "gachikoi (falling for real) risk" I wrote about in the previous column. The more individual contact there is, the easier it is for feelings to deepen.

ElonOn the harder-to-cancel thing, I screwed up once myself. I had a 38-degree fever and still tried to drag myself there because "we'd made the plan directly." I didn't go in the end, but sending the apology over LINE, I felt oddly guilty. Think about it calmly and "canceling because you're sick" is completely normal — but hime yoyaku gets your emotions involved, which throws off your judgment. I want you to have this in your head before you start using it.

How to Use It Right

• Decide on a cap of once or twice a month and stick to it
• Don't get emotional in your messages (heavy on emoji, go easy on long texts)
• Always confirm the shop's rules in advance
• Keep "this is a professional relationship" in mind at all times

The Hime Yoyaku Situation at First Class Ruby

At First Class Ruby in Saitama, my impression is that they're fairly flexible about letting repeaters contact cast members directly.

That said, "call the shop first" is the cardinal rule. The staff are courteous, so if you ask "is it okay to contact her directly?" they'll tell you straight.

ElonWhen I brought this up with the staff at First Class Ruby directly, they told me: "Our rule is that you contact us by phone first. But since we don't completely forbid individual communication with the cast, please feel free to consult us." I like the honesty — instead of leaving the gray area gray and vague, they tell you both the official rule and the real-world practice. A shop with that kind of transparency is one you can trust.

Hime yoyaku is a tool that, depending on how you use it, can dramatically change the quality of your experience. Use it well, and use it with restraint.