Japanese porn star Eimi Fukada holds 24-hour free hugs event for fans

People like to bang on about the supposed Protestant work ethic, but one of the first things you notice about Japan when you visit or live here is how seriously locals take their jobs. They work (or are pressured to work) very long hours. In general, this is not a good thing, though it does at least foster a real commitment to professionalism and providing good service.

But there’s dedication to service and then there’s dedication to service. And wildly popular Japanese porn star Eimi Fukada is very much all about providing fan service.

She recently held a 24-hour free hugs event for her legions of fans. That’s not a typo. Fukada did it for 24 hours and yes, the hugs were free (in the tradition of the free hugs that people sometimes offer strangers in public places).

She hugged 3,163 fans over the course of the event, which took place from August 27 to August 28 in Shibuya, Tokyo. The line to claim a free hug from a top AV idol stretched out along the street.

Despite the protracted length of the experience and its intimate nature — physically embracing thousands of strangers — Fukada apparently maintained a smile throughout.

To be precise, she was allowed a single three-hour break and several 10-minute breaks. She also changed her clothes every six hours, starting with a classic OL get-up and then switching to a yukata, bunny girl, and Chinese costume.

The actual hugs were free, though ¥1,000 was charged to take a picture.

The event, whose format and publicity overtly parodied the annual 24-hour charity telethon broadcast on NTV in August, was held in a fairly basic venue: it was essentially a kind of booth set up in a corner of a shisha-themed cafe. As the video feed of the event shows, Fukada greeted and hugged each participant, whose numbers included a notable number of women. Though female participants were able to put their arms around Fukada, men were asked to keep their hands down while Fukada hugged them. (So in other words, the men got hugged by Fukada, while the ladies got to actually hug the star.) Staff were standing by to maintain security and ensure participants’ hands didn’t stray.

Such meet-and-greet events are very common also in the Japanese music idol world, perhaps most famously the handshaking meetups for AKB48 and its sister groups. In its heyday, AKB would attract thousands of fans, who would line up for a few seconds with their favorite idol.

But Fukada is in a class all of her own. That said, we’re still hoping they bring back the “boob aid” event.