Shimei (指名) Explained: Tokyo Lounge Host Nomination
A Tokyo nightlife forum will surface this term within the first ten minutes you spend reading: 指名 (shimei) — usually translated as “nomination.” It’s a hostess-club word that casual lounges borrowed, and it confuses foreign visitors because the Japanese-language sources assume you already know what it does. Here’s the plain-English version, written for someone whose first Tokyo lounge visit is this trip.
What 指名 means, in one sentence
Shimei is the option to ask one specific host to stay with your table for the whole booking, instead of rotating with the rest of the cast every fifteen or twenty minutes. That is the entire mechanic. You pick someone — by name, or by pointing at the host you’d like to keep — and that host stays. The fee is an additional charge on top of the base hourly rate, listed on the in-suite menu, and entirely optional.
Why LUNE’s default is rotation, not shimei
A typical hour at LUNE will put three or four different hosts in your suite. They cycle in and out every fifteen to twenty minutes. The point of the rotation is meeting people — at a small venue with 12 to 15 amateur (素人) hosts on the calendar, the odds of you connecting with at least one of them are much higher when you actually meet several. Most first-time LUNE guests don’t shimei anyone, because they haven’t met anyone yet. The pattern most regulars follow is: visit once on rotation, discover the one or two hosts you click with, then shimei them on the next visit if you want a longer continuous conversation.
How shimei at a casual lounge differs from shimei at a kyabakura
This is the part that catches foreigners. At a kyabakura, shimei is structural — it drives the economics. Hostesses build relationships with regulars who shimei them every visit; the per-shimei fee compounds across the night; cast drinks (drinks you buy for your nominated hostess) layer on top; and skipping shimei on a repeat visit can quietly read as a social slight.
At a casual lounge like LUNE, none of that holds. Shimei is one optional opt-in on a transparent base price. No host’s livelihood depends on whether you choose it. You can come three times and never shimei anyone and the experience is exactly what the brochure says it is. You can also shimei one host on your third visit because you genuinely had a good conversation with her on the second — and that’s the whole story.
When shimei actually makes sense (and when it doesn’t)
A few honest scenarios:
It makes sense when you’ve already met a host on a previous LUNE visit and want a longer continuous conversation rather than the get-to-know-you cycle.
It makes sense when you’re hosting a guest who connects with one host early in the hour and the conversation is going somewhere — most guests in this case ask staff for shimei mid-session rather than at the start.
It rarely makes sense on a first visit, before you’ve met anyone. The rotation is built for first visits.
It doesn’t make sense if you read about shimei in a kyabakura guide and assume LUNE works the same way. It doesn’t.
How to request shimei in the room
Just ask. Tell the current host or wave down staff and say “shimei [name]” or “I’d like [name] to stay.” Staff will quote the additional charge before they confirm — the amount is on the in-suite menu, and you can ask for it in writing in your reservation email if you want the number in advance. If the host you want is currently in another suite, staff will tell you when she’s expected back and let you decide whether to wait.
There’s no formal language to it, no ritual, no requirement to also order a cast drink (a separate, also-optional opt-in). If you want to undo shimei mid-hour — say the conversation went somewhere different than you expected — that’s also fine. Just ask staff.
Common questions
How much does shimei cost?
LUNE quotes the shimei fee in the room before you commit, and the amount is listed on the in-suite menu. We don’t publish a number on the website because the rate is reviewed periodically. If you want the exact figure in writing before your visit, mention it in your reservation email, or call +81-3-6434-7041 and we’ll confirm.
Do I have to shimei? Will the host be offended if I don’t?
No. Shimei is fully optional and the default LUNE experience is rotation. Most first-time guests don’t shimei, and that’s not awkward for anyone — including the hosts, whose pay isn’t structured around being chosen.
Can I shimei more than one host at the same time?
Mechanically yes, but practically it doesn’t usually make sense. The value of shimei is keeping one person for a continuous conversation. Two simultaneous shimei means you’re paying twice for an experience the suite isn’t really designed to deliver. Most guests who like multiple hosts just stay on the standard rotation and meet all of them.
What if the host I want to shimei is in another suite?
Staff will let you know when she’s expected back in rotation. You can wait, shimei her from that point, or choose someone currently available. It’s flexible — just ask. To reserve, use the form at lune-roppongi.jp/en/reserve.