Doing ‘risky’ and ‘sexy’ research: Reframing the concept of ‘relational’ in qualitative research

My fieldwork investigated the growth and nature of the Japanese ‘host club’ industry where young heterosexual men provide ‘companionship’ to women, who are predominantly sex workers (according to my informers, 70-90 per cent of clients visiting their clubs engage in some form of adult entertainment businesses). Adult entertainment activities, including a host club, have been conceptualised as a site of ‘leisure’, providing clients with a liminal space to temporarily escape from their mundane routines (Ryan and Martin 2001; Frank 2003; Takeyama 2005). It is within this context that I wish to discuss methodological issues of my fieldwork undertaken in Kabukicho¯ – the largest red-light district in Japan – from July 2004 to June 2005.