Tokyo Girls

Tokyo Girls is a journey into the lives of four Canadian women who, lured by glitz and glamour, move to Japan in search of greener pastures. Upon arrival, they take up work as well-paid hostesses in Japan’s exclusive nightclubs. Before long, they begin earning large sums of money in a lifestyle to which they were previously unaccustomed. Much like a hard drug, the experience becomes addictive. Some of the women slowly lose focus, with one admitting that they have veered off their original mission.

Directed by Penelope Buitenhuis, Tokyo Girls recounts the experiences of numerous young women who travel to Japan and other countries in pursuit of a better life, only to become entangled in its pitfalls. The film also paints a vivid portrait of urban Tokyo, with all its allure and danger, while deliberately avoiding the traditional depiction of the geisha.