Notes:
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Hayashi mentions moving back in with his family after living away due to his job for many years, this is a practice known as tanshinfunin (単身赴任), which literally means “to be sent somewhere alone.” It has its roots in the sankin kotai system of the Edo period, in which the Shogunate required the daimyo, or regional lords, to spend every other year in the capital, and to leave their families there (as hostages in a sense) when they returned to their domains the alternate years. Not only did this system make the daimyo themselves tanshinfunin, but large numbers of their retinues were in the same situation. Today, following in this tradition, Japanese companies move people around to a greater extent than is common in the U.S. Generally, people know that the rotations will only last a few years. So rather than uproot the family, the father will travel to the out of town location by plane or shinkansen (bullet train) each week, live in a corporate apartment, and return home for the weekend. It’s a sacrifice that he makes for the sake of his company and for the sake of his family. And in the Japanese context, it is considered completely normal to give employees assignments that are likely to require such a sacrifice.
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Momo the family dog is a Shih Tzu. The Shih Tzu is an Asian toy dog breed originating from Tibet. This breed is well-known for their short snout and large round eyes, as well as their ever growing coat, floppy ears, and short and stout posture.
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"You should just ignore that brat, Buchou." - Buchou (部長) are the chiefs of every department (Human Resources, Sales, R&D, etc.). They are directly under shachou (社長) and over kachou (課長).
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"My dream is to be the number one host." - Male hosts pour drinks and will often flirt with their clients, more so than their female counterparts. The conversations are generally light-hearted; hosts may have a variety of entertainment skills, be it simple magic tricks or charisma with which to tell a story. Some host clubs have a dedicated stage for a performance, usually a dance, comedy sketch, etc. Hosts' ages usually range between 18 and the mid-20s. They will take a stage name, usually taken from a favourite manga, film, or historical figure, that will often describe their character. Men who become hosts are often those who either cannot find a white-collar job, or are enticed by the prospect of high earnings through commission. While hostess bars in Tokyo often have designated men out on the streets getting clients to come into their clubs, some hosts are often sent out onto the streets to find customers, who are referred to as catch (キャッチ, kyatchi), but these are usually the younger, less-experienced hosts. A common look for a host is a dark suit, collared shirt, silver jewellery, a dark tan, and bleached hair. Pay is usually determined by commission on drink sales with hosts often drinking far past a healthy limit, usually while trying to hide their drunkenness. Because the base hourly wage is usually extremely low, almost any man can become a host regardless of looks or charisma (depending on the bar). However, hosts who cannot increase their sales usually drop out very soon, because of the minimal wage. The environment in a host bar is usually very competitive, with tens of thousands of dollars sometimes offered to the host who can achieve the highest sales. Obviously Masahiko has no chance at this.
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