They say that everything is small in Japan. Small cars. Small homes. Small food portions. Small people. Only kidding about that last one.
Sometimes it seems that there really are capsule toys and model kits for everything.
In the latest evidence of this, renowned plastic model kit maker Hasegawa is set to release another miniature "retro vending machine" this July. And the fifth iteration (FA13) of the series of kits, following versions for ramen and udon noodles, is a porn vending machine.
It's not explicitly stated as such, but the weirdly anonymous-looking design and the conspicuous, ...
Old love hotels in Japan have long enjoyed a special brand of fandom, either for their garish visuals or their increasingly haikyo-style "abandoned" status.
But a new sort of love hotel otaku is emerging. And they are young women who visit the establishments by themselves.
We previously mentioned the 20-year-old student whose YouTube channel was obsessed with introducing love hotels (along with net cafes and other such places). A few weeks ago, she showcased the cheapest love hotel in Tokyo.
An even more prolific profiler of love hotels is Yunana, who shares her fascinating trips to ...
It's probably Tokyo's most famous and futuristic pieces of architecture: the Nakagin Capsule Tower.
Despite its repute, it's an endangered species: demolition of the Metabolist landmark has been scheduled for a long time.
People have continued to reside in the pod-like pied-à-terre living units or use them as office spaces. Or for other uses, it seems.
We had never heard of this before but it seems that certain capsule rooms in Nakagin were used by prostitutes to service customers.
In Tokyo, a brothel-style fuzoku service typically has its own little place with basic facilities. ...
Japan is often praised for its minimalist design aesthetic. This is then thrown to the wind (or rather, the dogs!) when you go to a love hotel and encounter garishness that makes Gaudí architecture look positively tame in comparison.
Similarly for web design, where Rakuten rules supreme despite its utter UX clusterfuck. If Amazon is like shopping in a modern supermarket, Rakuten is like walking unprepared into a medieval souk!
But this chaotic, garish design has its own kind of aesthetic, a craftsmanship that deserves respect and generates a certain culture. Now Rakuten and love hotels are ...
Old strip clubs were already on a downward, possibly terminal spiral even before corona hit. The pandemic then wiped out the intimacy-based business model for all kinds of strip shows, not to mention hostess and host clubs and even fuzoku sex services. But perhaps especially the vintage burlesque and strip clubs were more precarious than others, being frequented by older clientele and located often in small premises (and in regional areas).
We already reported in one long-running strip club in Ehime's struggle to stay afloat during the crisis.
There are relatively few such old clubs left in ...
Regular readers will know that, in between all the news and updates about gravure idols and Japanese porn, or trying out new Japanese adult toys, we love to explore aspects of Japanese adult culture like the history of sex and old love hotels.
Showa-era love hotels are truly the best if you want garish colors, kitsch, and cheap gimmicks (revolving beds and so on) instead of the more practical amenities and chic interiors that have become the mainstream today (as nice as those are).
We spotted this selection of fantastic love hotel images on Twitter. Unfortunately, they are not captioned ...
Japanese condoms are famous for two things: being among the best and thinnest in the world; and for being rarely used by men in Japan, who prefer to finish inside (and then have shotgun weddings), or to emulate porn by pulling out and finishing on the body/face of their partner.
But they were recently in the news for another reason: a curious historical discovery.
Indeed, this condom may well be the oldest one we've seen. Thankfully, it's not still in use.
The Osaka-based Morishita Jintan has been around for 130 years. The pharmaceutical and medical device maker was one of Japan's first ...
While we tend to concern ourselves chiefly on these digital pages with the goings-on of the Japanese female, we are not blind to the charms and amusements of her male counterpart.
Indeed, we take delight in a real gem like this.
Recently discovered and shared in a series of photos on Twitter by Joshua Hunt, the now-defunct street fashion magazine Relax did a spread on "men who love their underwear" inside an issue in 1997.
The article title translates roughly as: "Street Corner Underwear Attack in Harajuku: Guys So Proud of Their Underwear That They Can Show People."
Ah, the cheeky 1990s. ...
Long-running rural strip club in Japan turns to crowdfunding to stay in business during coronavirus crisis
We have been chronicling how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the adult industry in Japan, from shutting down hostess clubs to inspiring sex workers.
Like hostess clubs and the like, strip clubs were also quick to shut their doors after the state of emergency was announced.
Having first started in the postwar years, the striptease industry in Japan is dying anyway, so this may well be one of the final nails in its coffin.
We spotted an interesting article about one example of a ...
We stumbled over this nice video by Rare Earth about Yonaguni.
Located in the far west of Japan among the Yaeyama Islands, Yonaguni is "an island pulled straight from the pages of middle-ages Japanese lust poetry. An island sailors whisper about to new crew. An island of women."
Over the centuries, it became a legendary place in Japan and figured in many works of literature. People were fascinated by the tales of the women who apparently lived on the remote island and reportedly attacked any men who landed. Since there were only women, the island was a potential hidden paradise for men to ...
