The Kaizen of Japanese Porn
March 4, 2015 4:55 AM Subscribe
As Shimiken's public profile grew, he began approaching his career with the commitment of an elite athlete: eating an all-protein diet, lifting weights, abstaining from alcohol, and staying up late at night to practice ejaculating on glamour shots of starlets to get the aim of his gansha (facial) just right. "It's rude to get it in a girl's eyes," he says. "I wanted to make it perfect."
gansha (facial)
good thing he clarified that unique term that English just doesn't have a word for
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:20 AM on March 4, 2015 [16 favorites]
good thing he clarified that unique term that English just doesn't have a word for
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:20 AM on March 4, 2015 [16 favorites]
spoiler alert: it's mostly an excuse for a journalist to make an epic amount of bad puns
posted by indubitable at 5:30 AM on March 4, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by indubitable at 5:30 AM on March 4, 2015 [3 favorites]
This is a personality profile of someone who, while I'm sure he is a very nice guy, doesn't seem like much of a personality (see also James Deen, previously).
The Japan sex crisis stuff, by comparison, is fascinating.
posted by box at 5:46 AM on March 4, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Japan sex crisis stuff, by comparison, is fascinating.
posted by box at 5:46 AM on March 4, 2015 [2 favorites]
As for their female counterparts, a controversial Japanese article recently asserted that, statistically, 1 in 200 Japanese women had appeared in an AV film...
Wow. I mean...just...wow.
It's kind of interesting how huge the Japanese porn market is, considering they still edit/blur the naughty parts. Then again, it's Japan. They're sort of the ideal of an enthusiastic consumer society.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:47 AM on March 4, 2015
Wow. I mean...just...wow.
It's kind of interesting how huge the Japanese porn market is, considering they still edit/blur the naughty parts. Then again, it's Japan. They're sort of the ideal of an enthusiastic consumer society.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:47 AM on March 4, 2015
Bonus: the last page offers what might just be the world's worst info graphic.
posted by supercres at 5:57 AM on March 4, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by supercres at 5:57 AM on March 4, 2015 [2 favorites]
A prolific performer, he works himself to the bone eight or nine hours a day
He said "bone"!
posted by chavenet at 5:59 AM on March 4, 2015 [5 favorites]
He said "bone"!
posted by chavenet at 5:59 AM on March 4, 2015 [5 favorites]
The "1 in 200" number is almost certainly an extrapolation, and also makes a big assumption about what constitutes "sex work." The "1 in 200" number probably comes from a glossy weekly called Shukan Post (and not, say, a census or academic study). Here's their "methodology":
In crunching the numbers, the author begins by estimating that there are 10,000 clubs, bars and parlors offering sex nationwide. "After observing the Web sites of a number of establishments, we can assume that each employs 30 women on average," says Iida. "That puts the number of women actively employed at 300,000."
The next task is to determine the average length of employment. The available information, however, is a bit sketchy.
Iida settles on 10 years as the average tenure, which is based on data from the Ministry of Justice regarding women taken into protective custody at correctional facilities in the 1960s.
"As a result" - of the 300,000 and 10-year figures - "there are 30,000 women entering the trade and another 30,000 women retiring," says the author.
Iida then postulates that the average woman enters the biz between the age of 25 and 29. Census data for 2012 indicates that a total of 700,000 women fall within in that age group. If 30,000 women within that total were to then enter the fuzoku trade, that would represent slightly less than five percent (4.29) of that total.
Of course, warns Shukan Post, such a crude methodology is likely to include a wide margin for error.
Iida, who calculates the annual value of the fuzoku industry to be 3.5 trillion yen, agrees with this assessment, saying that a lack of recent data from the ministry is disconcerting.
"So as to the 1-in-20 result, please consider the basis of the calculation," he says.
posted by Nevin at 6:00 AM on March 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
In crunching the numbers, the author begins by estimating that there are 10,000 clubs, bars and parlors offering sex nationwide. "After observing the Web sites of a number of establishments, we can assume that each employs 30 women on average," says Iida. "That puts the number of women actively employed at 300,000."
The next task is to determine the average length of employment. The available information, however, is a bit sketchy.
Iida settles on 10 years as the average tenure, which is based on data from the Ministry of Justice regarding women taken into protective custody at correctional facilities in the 1960s.
"As a result" - of the 300,000 and 10-year figures - "there are 30,000 women entering the trade and another 30,000 women retiring," says the author.
Iida then postulates that the average woman enters the biz between the age of 25 and 29. Census data for 2012 indicates that a total of 700,000 women fall within in that age group. If 30,000 women within that total were to then enter the fuzoku trade, that would represent slightly less than five percent (4.29) of that total.
Of course, warns Shukan Post, such a crude methodology is likely to include a wide margin for error.
Iida, who calculates the annual value of the fuzoku industry to be 3.5 trillion yen, agrees with this assessment, saying that a lack of recent data from the ministry is disconcerting.
"So as to the 1-in-20 result, please consider the basis of the calculation," he says.
posted by Nevin at 6:00 AM on March 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
world's worst info graphic
Focusing on the dearth of male actors rather than the projected one-third drop in population kinda buries the lede.
posted by box at 6:01 AM on March 4, 2015
Focusing on the dearth of male actors rather than the projected one-third drop in population kinda buries the lede.
posted by box at 6:01 AM on March 4, 2015
Then again, it's Japan. They're sort of the ideal of an enthusiastic consumer society.
I'm not sure if that's a fair comment to make, really.
For one thing, I don't even know how the author cited in the OP's link determined that there are 2X as many porn films produced in Japan each year compared to the US.
Or that there are between 30-70 male actors in Japan.
What constitutes a "porn film"? The US creates a multiplicity of porn, everything from semi-mainstream labels like Vivid to independents.
Japan is the same.
The US loves porn. Japan loves porn. So does Taiwan. Or Britain. Or France. You name it, people love the stuff.
Japan gets a bad rap because to a certain extent society is/was more open about porn and sex work.
posted by Nevin at 6:04 AM on March 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure if that's a fair comment to make, really.
For one thing, I don't even know how the author cited in the OP's link determined that there are 2X as many porn films produced in Japan each year compared to the US.
Or that there are between 30-70 male actors in Japan.
What constitutes a "porn film"? The US creates a multiplicity of porn, everything from semi-mainstream labels like Vivid to independents.
Japan is the same.
The US loves porn. Japan loves porn. So does Taiwan. Or Britain. Or France. You name it, people love the stuff.
Japan gets a bad rap because to a certain extent society is/was more open about porn and sex work.
posted by Nevin at 6:04 AM on March 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
Focusing on the dearth of male actors rather than the projected one-third drop in population kinda buries the lede.
Interestingly, Japan's fertility rate increased in 2014 (which kinda ruins the infographic).
Nevertheless, like Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong, Canada, Russia, the Scandinavian countries, Italy, Russia, and even China (none of which, by the way, accept large numbers of immigrants save for perhaps Canada), Japan is going to undergo a decline in population over the next few decades.
posted by Nevin at 6:12 AM on March 4, 2015
Interestingly, Japan's fertility rate increased in 2014 (which kinda ruins the infographic).
Nevertheless, like Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong, Canada, Russia, the Scandinavian countries, Italy, Russia, and even China (none of which, by the way, accept large numbers of immigrants save for perhaps Canada), Japan is going to undergo a decline in population over the next few decades.
posted by Nevin at 6:12 AM on March 4, 2015
Japan is going to undergo a decline in population over the next few decades.
And it's going to have interesting fiscal repercussions which will trigger interesting societal repercussions. But I bet they'll still make as much porn - or more
posted by kgasmart at 8:04 AM on March 4, 2015
And it's going to have interesting fiscal repercussions which will trigger interesting societal repercussions. But I bet they'll still make as much porn - or more
posted by kgasmart at 8:04 AM on March 4, 2015
Wait, Details Magazine still exists? Is it any good? This article is not bad, but a bit fluffy. But in the early 90s Details seemed pretty cool. Maybe it was the time, or me, but it was way more interesting than most style magazines. I haven't heard a thing about it in 10+ years.
posted by Nelson at 8:33 AM on March 4, 2015
posted by Nelson at 8:33 AM on March 4, 2015
It seems to have completed an orbit, having returned to its origins as an Esquire or GQ knock off for a younger and/or less upwardly mobile audience, after rotating through imitating Men's Health and Maxim's format at various points over the last couple decades. I'm probably missing an incarnation or two.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:05 AM on March 4, 2015
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:05 AM on March 4, 2015
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