New breed of taxi drivers

TOKYO - She seemed like a regular customer when she got in the backseat of taxi driver Kiyoaki Yoshida’s cab; a woman in heavy makeup and a long evening dress is standard for Tokyo’s Shinjuku entertainment district late at night. But that soon changed. A few moments after giving him the location of where she’d like to go, she purred, “My, you look good.” Compliments are not unusual for Yoshida. After all, before he started driving a taxi, he’d used his carefully coiffed hair, sharp facial features, and continual charm to entertain ladies in a number of Tokyo host clubs. He’s even had foreign female customers take his business card and - under the guise of requesting another ride - ask him for a dinner date. What came next though surprised even this 4-year veteran of Tokyo’s streets: A pair of rather muscular arms appeared... [read full story]