Muscle Girls Bar: Redefining Femininity in Tokyo's Nightlife
In the heart of Tokyo's bustling nightlife district, an unconventional establishment is turning heads and challenging decades of beauty standards in Japan. Muscle Girls, a unique fitness-themed bar that opened in mid-2020, features muscular women performers who showcase their strength through extraordinary physical displays that defy traditional notions of feminine attractiveness.
The Unconventional Performance Space
The underground bar presents a striking visual spectacle where approximately a dozen women wearing sports bras and tight shorts stand behind a U-shaped counter. Against a vibrant hot-pink backdrop with pulsating neon lights and blaring music, these performers demonstrate their physical power by crushing grapefruits simultaneously with their bare hands, while enthusiastic customers cheer and scramble to capture the moment on their smartphones.
Hitomi Harigae, the 38-year-old manager of the bar, explains the cultural significance: "Most people in Japan generally consider women with small breasts, a slender back and skinny legs as attractive. The customers who come here are different." This establishment exclusively features women performers who proudly display their chiselled frames and muscle-toned physiques.
Business Model and Unique Offerings
The bar operates on an entry fee system charging 6,000 yen (approximately $40) for an 80-minute session that includes a protein drink and unlimited beverages. During this time, staff members with impressive muscular builds present stage performances, while others wearing leopard-print bikinis execute pull-ups and pole dancing routines with visible enjoyment.
For those seeking more adventurous experiences, the bar offers additional paid services including being slapped hard across the face or being lifted up by the thighs. Since its opening during the pandemic year of 2020, the establishment has gained significant popularity, attracting approximately 100 customers on average each day, with foreign tourists constituting the majority of visitors.
Challenging Deep-Rooted Beauty Standards
The bar's philosophy directly confronts Japan's conventional beauty ideals. According to OECD data, Japan has the highest share of underweight adult women among major developed nations at about 9%, nearly five times the rate found in the United States and Germany based on body mass index measurements.
This year, a Japanese panel comprising doctors and academics studying obesity issued a warning that the cultural practice of equating women's thinness with beauty leads to malnutrition and other serious health problems that require urgent attention.
Aubrey Lee, a tourist from Los Angeles, expressed her appreciation for the bar's message: "Femininity can be muscular and it doesn't have to be defined by being dainty and small and quiet and not taking up space."
The Women Behind Muscle Girls
Approximately 30 women work at Muscle Girls, all passionate about bodybuilding and CrossFit training. Some performers showcase six-pack abdominal muscles that would impress many male bodybuilders. For Harigae, the bar represents more than just employment—it's a transformative space that boosted her self-esteem.
"I remember to this day when I first realized that I was fine just as I was, and how my self-esteem shot up," Harigae recalled about her early days at the bar. She describes Muscle Girls as a godsend that fosters a strong sense of sisterhood, where women exchange diet and training tips regularly. The camaraderie extends beyond work hours, with Harigae frequently visiting all-you-can-eat buffets and nail salons with colleagues during their days off.
Changing Attitudes in Japanese Society
While female bodybuilding has gained popularity in Japan in recent years with competitions held across many cities, Harigae notes that outside this specialized community, traditional conventions still dominate. "When I talk to friends from my school days, I still very much sense that they are wedded to those fixed ideas—they want to be thin," she added.
However, evidence suggests these deeply ingrained views, partially stemming from gender stereotypes, may be gradually shifting. A 2023 survey conducted by think tank Dentsu Soken revealed that 38.2% of respondents agreed that 'Men should be manly and women should be womanly', showing a decline from 43.7% in 2021.
Yuka Moriya, who joined the bar in 2023, embodies this evolving perspective. "Beauty in women isn't just about being thin," said Moriya, who finds inspiration in coworkers passionate about bodybuilding, pole dancing, or simply maintaining active lifestyles. As an aspiring competitive bodybuilder aiming to become Japan's best, she adds: "I wish more people would appreciate the beauty of muscle."
The bar's growing popularity and viral presence on social media platforms indicate a potential cultural shift, offering an alternative vision of feminine beauty that celebrates strength, power, and muscular physiques in a country where slender frames have long been considered the beauty ideal.
