In more urban parts of Japan sex has become so mainstream in its presence in the public eye, it is sold in a similar fashion to a person purchasing a drink. In fact, not only are bottles of beer sold from vending machines in parts of Tokyo, but used pairs of underwear as well. I recently wrote an essay on the topic of prostitution in urban sectors of Japan. I went about my research clear in my mind that sex has become an obsession for Japanese people. Tokyo is full of sex alleys, Love hotels, prostitutes and pornography. But what I discovered was that there are deeper reasons why sex has become accepted into mainstream outlets.
Rapelay is one of the more recent scandals; a videogame in which the player simulates raping female victims, which is being sold in Japan. In the USA it was banned when Amazon.com tried to list it on their site. The Telegraph quoted a spokesman from the company responsible for the game: “We believe there is no problem with the software, which has cleared the domestic ratings of an ethics watchdog body.” (2009). This alone could make you question how sexually explicit media is censored in Japan.
Rapelay and many other types of pornography (ranging from media broadcasted on TV to magazines and comic books showing nudity, sold from vending machines and other outlets) have considerable success in Japan. “Under the influence of Western morality, the Japanese imposed restrictions on pornography…even today, visual materials still must not show genital and pubic hair. With this one exception, pornography now appears throughout Japanese society.” (The Functions and Effects of Pornography 1986) with boundaries made clear, it has in fact made sex more widely accessible in many forms. “Themes such as rape are common yet rape rates in Japan are relatively low” (1986) this goes against western ideas, if Rapelay is considered, that violent or sexually explicit media can lead to the consumer becoming more violent or sexually active and so you would think that any criticisms of sex becoming mainstream in the east, can now be considered unjustified in some respects.
The differences between western values and eastern may be more distinct when the issue of Love Hotels is discussed. Love Hotels may seem kinky an idea to you, but in fact they’re used mostly by married couples who need to escape from the cramped confines of home in order to be intimate with each other. What some may slander as Sex Hotels are in fact helping to keep families together. Japanese people are far more open about sex, this openness can be tracked back to the Samurai, who were able to pursue same-sex affairs due to (it is believed) the lack of a connection on a conscious level between gender and sexual preference during that period. Today, their society has no connection as we do, between sex/pornography and the negative results that could have on the public. Take Soho, (the centre of the city of London, as one example,) where sex is sold in many forms and as a result the area is considered sleazy.
Sleazy being something Westerners perhaps do not want to associate with themselves, yet sex and pornography is what most people naturally take an interest in at some point in their lives.
The changes that have occurred within Japan have led up to the way in which people view sex. “Post-war Japan, with its rapidly developing industrial culture, is witnessing changes in sexual attitudes and behaviour and sex is gradually losing its feudalistic aspects including arranged marriage and preservation of virginity until marriage.” (Asayama S: The Japanese Association for Sex Education, January 1974) and with less marriages generally, more divorces and the legalization of birth control methods – it has meant a complete shift in people’s attitudes toward sex can take place. This shift has also contributed to the way in which people now think about extramarital affairs. With Love Hotels being somewhere for partners to openly go to be intimate, it is not uncommon for married couples to be intimate with someone else as well. The study into adolescent sex development and adult sex behaviour (Asayama S, 1974) has found that over 90% of married men have had extramarital intercourse.
Japanese society has developed into one that has embraced what would be taboo for western countries. Sex has become a part of every facet in Japanese adult life. It is sold alongside food and drink. It is not criticised and has liberalized those whom in other countries would have been victims. Censorship has given Japanese people the reason to abide anything pornographic and in turn, it has allowed an audience to embrace it openly. It is this openness that has been key to couples pursuing intimacy outside of their homes where they would have been otherwise restricted.
People may be quick to question attitudes toward sex and even women in Japan – yet this is a country where Companions (what the Japanese call their prostitutes) choose whether they have sex with their clients. Wives are also having extramarital affairs but it doesn’t automatically lead to divorce anymore. What I once thought to be a wild obsession, I believe now to be structured, thoughtful and ultimately, harmless.
