In their heyday during the economic bubble of the 1980s, Tokyo's exclusive hostess bars boomed as well-heeled customers quaffed Moet and even sprinkled gold in drinks. But in times of recession, big spenders become more scarce.

Kanryo Matsui smiles as he remembers the good old days of Japan's bubble era when customers at his hostess bar would spend a thousand dollars in one night on champagne.

"Those kind of clients rarely come anymore," he says wistfully.

The fortunes of Ginza, a ritzy shopping and entertainment district in the Japanese 4capital that's home to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, rise and fall with those of the economy.

"Especially since the start of the year, business in Ginza has been bad. When the economy slumps, there are fewer clients," says Matsui, the 69-year-old manager of the Pont des Arts bar, which has about three dozen hostesses.

"When it's good, Ginza prospers, because company employees come to wine and dine. When the economy worsens, companies forbid them to do that," says Matsui.

Outside women in long flowing dresses stand shivering on street corners, handing out flyers offering drinks and expensive chit-chat to male passers-by. In the good times they would be inside engaged in flirtatious conversation.

Chauffeur-driven sedans deposit corporate high-flyers outside bars with bright neon lights and exotic names such as The Bunny Club, Penthouse and Club Plaisir. These days, though, there's less competition for parking spaces.

At the Pont des Arts bar, 32-year-old club hostess Ayano Ito is getting ready for another night's work helping her customers forget their problems, for a few hours at least.