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More volcanoes across Japan, including the country's highest peak Mount Fuji, are in danger of becoming active after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, a panel warned.
The Cabinet Office investigative committee concluded its first proposal on May 16 on how to deal with large-scale eruptions, recommending the central government to take measures such as strengthening monitoring systems and drawing out evacuation plans at an early date. The government is set to establish policies based on the proposal to tackle the issue as early as fiscal 2013.
The proposal was made based on the assumption that a total of 100 million to several billion cubic meters of lava and ash spout out during a large-scale eruption. One hundred million cubic meters of volcanic lava and ash could fill up Tokyo Dome some 80 times. In addition to damages from lava flows and pyroclastic flows, one to two centimeters of ash could seriously affect road traffic.
However, out of 47 volcanoes across the country that the Meteorological Agency regularly monitors, the surrounding municipalities of 10 haven't prepared any hazard maps.
The committee requested these municipalities to create hazard maps as early as possible while granting local governors and mayors authority to issue evacuation orders to respond quickly in case of large-scale eruptions.
To improve monitoring systems, the committee requested the central government to consider an arrangement to make full use of knowledge from experts at institutions and organizations. Furthermore, noting that it will be difficult for residents to evacuate all at once right after ash starts to fall and pyroclastic flows hit their neighborhoods, it proposed gradually extending evacuation areas so that residents can be smoothly led to safety. To do so, the committee said the government should secure various means of evacuation and consider traffic regulations.
"Japan is a volcano-prone country, but measures for disaster prevention have been progressing slowly," said Toshitsugu Fujii, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo who serves as chair of the committee. "Mount Fuji, for example, shows no signs of eruption at the moment, and it hasn't erupted for 300 years. But the mountain could erupt at any time," he warned.
China is attempting to open a new front in its territorial dispute with Japan by questioning Tokyo's sovereignty over the island of Okinawa, home to 25,000 US troops.
The two countries are already pushing rival claims to the Senkakus, a chain of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that are controlled by Tokyo. The dispute over the islands, known as the Diaoyu in China, has hit bilateral trade and sent diplomatic relations to their lowest point for decades.
Beijing began its attempt to broaden the territorial dispute earlier this month when the communist party newspaper, the People's Daily, ran an article in which two Chinese academics challenged Japan's sovereignty over the Ryukyu chain of islands, which includes Okinawa.
Luo Yuan, a two-star general in the People's Liberation Army, raised the territorial stakes again this week, saying the Ryukyus had started paying tribute to China in 1372, half a millennium before they were seized by Japan.
"Let's for now not discuss whether [the Ryukyus] belong to China, they were certainly China's tributary state," Luo said in an interview with China News Service. "I am not saying all former tributary states belong to China, but we can say with certainty that the Ryukyus do not belong to Japan," he added, in comments translated by the South China Morning Post.
The potential for more diplomatic clashes over territory comes amid fresh criticism of Japan's attitude towards its wartime conduct in China and the Korean peninsula.
Beijing reacted angrily after the outspoken nationalist mayor of Osaka, Toru Hashimoto, said this week that Japan's forced recruitment of Asian women to work in military brothels before and during the second world war had been necessary to maintain discipline among soldiers.
"We are appalled and indignant about the Japanese politician's comments boldly challenging humanity and historical justice," Hong Lei, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters.
"The way they treat the past will determine the way Japan walks toward the future. On what choice Japan will make, its Asian neighbours and the international community will wait and see."
On Wednesday Hashimoto attempted to clarify his remarks, saying he had not sought to justify the use of so-called comfort women, but was questioning why Japan had been singled out for criticism given that other countries had, he said, operated similar schemes.
Okinawa, an island of more than 1 million people, hosts more than half the 47,000 US troops stationed in Japan.
Washington and Tokyo have agreed to reduce Washington's military footprint on Okinawa, but the island is seen as key to the US's ability to respond quickly to maritime provocations by the increasingly robust Chinese navy, as well as a crisis on the Korean peninsula.
On occasion, Japan’s tabloid media will profile the infamous Watakano Island, which is accessible by boat in Mie Prefecture’s Matoya Bay. With a circumference of a mere six kilometers, this tiny hideaway is home to a population of 300 people, most of whose livelihoods revolve around one trade: prostitution.
Keita Kuwata, a pseudonym, tells the weekly Friday (May 24) that he once made 50 million yen in a single year as a broker for the brothels on the island, which is in the process of reshaping its illicit image.
Kuwata began in the business in 1997. He had met a yakuza member who was in the process of sending prostitutes to the island. “The first girl I provided to a brothel was a runway from Osaka,” he tells the tabloid. “In order to ship a girl, one must first be referred by a female working for organized crime. She will then make an introduction to a madam who manages a brothel.”
At that time, one girl was worth two million yen, a sum that she would have to pay back by working. Even after he paid a tip of 10 percent to the madam, he was still left with a sizable 180,000-yen chunk of change.
It was easy work. “I thought this would be a great shinogi” — a yakuza slang term meaning money-making enterprise — “so I sent three more girls, representing a total of six million yen,” he says. “I continued on, supplying more than 30 women.”
Kuwata, who was arrested in 1998 on charges of violating employment laws, says that back then there were six brothels employing 200 women, of whom most were young Japanese girls. “Unbelievable, right?”
The former broker says that prior to World War II the island served as a port town for fisherman. The prostitution businesses sprang up soon after the war’s conclusion.
“Organized crime sent prostitutes to Watakano to target fishermen who had money — this marked the beginning of its legacy,” says Kuwata.
From Nagoya, access is via Ugata Station, which is on the Kintetsu Shima Line. A 10-minute taxi trip is then required to reach the dock, which ferries visitors across in roughly three minutes via small boats known as pon pon fune.
Snack clubs and pubs allow customers to peruse the ladies. Hotels, cafes, inns, and izakaya restaurants can also provide guidance on where to get it on.
During the “bubble” era of the 1980s, many Japanese girls were employed on Watakano, but ever since 2002 more Thai and Filipino women have been plying the trade.
“Back then, rates started at 12,000 yen for quickies, lasting approximately 60 minutes,” says the former broker. “For full service, which extended between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., the price was 40,000 yen. A girl could pull in 50,000 yen a day but half of that would go to the house, and after the broker’s fee and her living expenses were subtracted, she’d be left with 5,000 yen.”
While there are opportunities for girls to run away, local residents, boat captains, merchants, and cab drivers all have their eyes peeled for any suspicious activity. Further, assistants working beneath the madams take the working women on shopping trips to the mainland once a week to ease their minds.
Rumors circulating on the Internet say that customers are secretly photographed. “That’s not true,” says Kuwata. “But it is true that boat captains take photos of customers to prevent them from helping girls to escape.”
This may provide an impression that the concubines are imprisoned. “That’s not the case,” Kuwata says, who recalls one girl who took three months to pay off the fees she owed and left the island. Others, he says, stayed on to work as assistants.
With customers not visiting as frequently as before, Friday says that Watakano is currently downsizing its operations. Only 30 prostitutes are presently employed on the island. The local government is attempting a revitalization push by emphasizing beaches and hot springs resorts. Still, Kuwata believes that prostitution will never disappear.
“In one way, this island is a famous aspect of life in Mie,” he says. “It is legendary.” (K.N.)
Source: “Moto jinshin baibai burookaa ga akasu densetsu no baishunto no shinjitsu,” Shukan Post (May 14, pages 66-67)
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, a record-high 1.43 million Chinese tourists visited Japan in 2012. This figure represents an increase of 37.3 percent over the year before, when the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture unfolded.
Monthly magazine Cyzo says that visitors from China seek out Japanese products since they are viewed to be of high quality, but one item is proving to be elusive: the prostitute.
Bathhouses in the Yoshiwara brothel quarter are implementing a general ban on visitors from China due to “cultural differences.”
“About two or three years ago, Yoshiwara started seeing a rise in the number of Chinese tourists,” says an employee at one bathhouse. “Due to language difficulties, they are not able to understand the fee system.”
To enter a bathhouse may require 15,000 yen, but there is also the matter of paying 30,000 yen to the awa hime, or foam princess, once the session is complete.
“There have been quarrels,” continues the worker. “So as of now, Chinese tourists are not allowed to enter.”
The manager of another shop says that Chinese tourists also lack appropriate manners. “Inside the bathhouses photography is prohibited,” says the manager. “But Chinese tourists always want to take photos.”
These photos, says the manager, eventually wind up on Web sites in China.
Furthermore, there are a lot Chinese tourists who tend to be rude and possesss an aggressive attitude. “The soap girls are reluctant to serve them,” continues the manager.
With Japan’s adult-entertainment industry presently enduring difficult times due to the prolonged recession, the manager adds that he is grateful when any customer arrives at his establishment. He says, “I do not ban Chinese tourists just because of their nationality.”
But Cyzo’s writer senses that they are also probably not welcome at his shop.
(Reuters) - Shinzo Abe makes no secret of wanting to revise Japan's constitution, which was drafted by the United States after World War Two, to formalize the country's right to have a military - but critics say his plans go deeper and could return Japan to its socially conservative, authoritarian past.
Abe, 58, returned to office in December for a second term as prime minister and is enjoying sky-high support on the back of his "Abenomics" recipe for reviving the economy through hyper-easy monetary policy, big spending and structural reform.
Now he is seeking to lower the hurdle for revising the constitution as a prelude to an historic change to its pacifist Article 9 - which, if strictly read, bans any military. That would be a symbolic shift, loosening restrictions on the military's overseas activities, but would have limited impact on defense as the clause has already been stretched to allow Tokyo to build up armed forces that are now bigger than Britain's.
However, sweeping changes proposed by Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in a draft constitution would strike at the heart of the charter with an assault on basic civil rights that could muzzle the media, undermine gender equality and generally open the door to an authoritarian state, activists and scholars say.
RESTRICTIONS, RESTRAINTS
"What I find strange is that although the prime minister is not that old, he is trying to revive the mores of his grandfather's era," said Ryo Motoo, the octogenarian head of the Women's Article 9 Association, a group devoted to protecting the constitution.
"I fear this might lead to a society full of restrictions, one that does not recognize diversity of opinions and puts restraints on the freedom of speech as in the past."
Abe's grandfather Nobusuke Kishi was a pre-World War Two cabinet minister who was arrested but never tried as a war criminal. Kishi served as premier from 1957-60, when he resigned due to a furor over a U.S.-Japan Security Treaty.
Riding high in the opinion polls and buoyed by big stock market gains, Abe has grown more outspoken about his conservative agenda, including revising the constitution and being less apologetic about Japan's wartime past - a stance that has frayed already tense relations with China and South Korea, where memories of Tokyo's past militarism run deep.
Many Japanese conservatives see the constitution, unchanged since its adoption in 1947 during the U.S.-led Allied Occupation, as an embodiment of Western-style, individualistic mores they believe eroded Japan's group-oriented traditions.
RIGHTS VS DUTIES
Critics see Abe's plan to ease requirements for revising the charter and then seek to change Article 9 as a "stealth" strategy that keeps his deeper aims off the public radar.
"The real concern is that a couple of years later, we move to a redefinition of a 'new Japan' as an authoritarian, nationalist order," said Yale University law professor Bruce Ackerman.
The LDP draft, approved by the party last year, would negate the basic concept of universal human rights, which Japanese conservatives argue is a Western notion ill-suited to Japan's traditional culture and values, constitutional scholars say.
"The current constitution ... provides protection for a long list of fundamental rights - freedom of expression, freedom of religion," said Meiji University professor Lawrence Repeta. "It's clear the leaders of the LDP and certain other politicians in Japan ... are passionately against a system that protects individual rights to that degree."
The draft deletes a guarantee of basic human rights and prescribes duties, such as submission to an undefined "public interest and public order". The military would be empowered to maintain that "public order."
One proposal would ban anyone from "improperly" acquiring or using information about individuals - a clause experts say could limit freedom of speech. A reference to respect for the "family" as the basic social unit hints, say critics, at a revival of a patriarchal system that gave women few rights.
"The constitution is there to tie the hands of government, not put duties on the people," said Taro Kono, an LDP lawmaker often at odds with his party on policies. "There are some in both houses (of parliament) who don't really understand the role of a modern constitution."
WRITTEN BY HUMANS
Abe and the LDP say easing the revision procedures would allow voters a bigger say in whether to alter the charter.
"The constitution is not something given by God, it was written by human beings. It should not be frightening to change it so I'd like the people to consider trying it once," Yosuke Isozaki, an aide to Abe, told the Nikkei business daily.
Under Article 96, changes to the constitution must be approved by at least two-thirds of both houses of parliament and then a majority of voters in a national referendum. Abe wants to require a simple majority of lawmakers before a public vote.
With Abe's popularity high and the main opposition splintered, the LDP and smaller pro-revision parties appear to have a shot at winning a two-thirds majority in an upper house election in July. They already hold two-thirds of the lower house.
"It's not as easy as it might appear," said Sophia University political science professor Koichi Nakano. "But for the first time, it's a realistic prospect."
Japanese police target users of Tor anonymous network
BBC News
Japanese people who "abuse" the Tor anonymous browsing network could be blocked from using it.
The recommendation was made in a report drawn up for the National Police Agency (NPA) in Japan by a panel of technology experts.
The panel was formed to help decide how to tackle crimes committed with the aid of the Tor network.
For months, Japanese police attempts to catch a hacker known as "Demon Killer" were hampered by his use of Tor.
'The Onion Router'
The internet service provider (ISPs) industry would be asked to help site administrators block the use of Tor if people were found to be abusing it, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reports.
Tor (The Onion Router) is a way for people to use the web without surrendering the identifying data that websites typically gather. As its name suggests, it sends data traffic through a series of routers arranged in layers like in an onion to make it difficult to find out who is browsing a site or is behind any particular web activity.
Tor has vexed several Japanese police investigations into cybercrime. In particular it stifled attempts to find and arrest a hacker who used the "Demon Killer" alias.
Japanese police began investigating the hacker after he started threatening to bomb schools and nurseries via messages posted to chat forums and discussion boards. A reward of 3m yen (£20,000) was offered for information leading to the hacker's identification.
Police arrested four people for posting the threats but realised the hacker had compromised the computers of these innocent victims and was abusing their machines remotely via Tor.
Malicious program
The hacker continued to taunt police in emails that sent investigators all over the country looking for him. In a bizarre twist the hacker directed investigators to Enoshima, an island off Tokyo, and gave them information that led them to a cat wearing a collar on which was a memory card.
The card held details of the code and malicious program he used to gain remote control of victim's computers. Inadvertently, directing police to the cat helped them catch the suspected hacker, Yusuke Katayama, 30, who was seen on CCTV footage with the cat.
After Mr Katayama's arrest, the NPA sought guidance on how to handle similar cases. The industry report drawn up for the NPA recommended considering a ban on Tor and other anonymising networks as they had been found to be used in a wide variety of crimes.
Japanese ISPs have not welcomed the recommendation.
"Communication privacy is our lifeline. We won't be able to accept such a request," an industry insider told the Mainichi Shimbun.
AFP - Five-time defending champions Japan got off to a flying start in the Asian Five Nations rugby tournament by scoring a humiliating 121-0 victory over the promoted Philippines on Saturday.
Full back Ayumu Goromaru gave Japan a 3-0 lead with a penalty in the seventh minute, which appeared enough for the Asian champions as he also scored 14 conversions and one try for a total of 36 points.
Two rookies Male Sau and Kenki Fukuoka, as well as Harumichi Takekawa, Hitoshi Ono and Ryu Koliniasi Holani scored two tries each, while eight other players were also on target.
Fly-half Gareth Holgate had a chance to score for the Philippines but he mis-fired a penalty shot twice in the eighth minute and 19th in the first half.
Japan will take on Hong Kong away next week, while the Philippines will play Hong Kong at home in the third week.
Tokyo, April 16 (Jiji Press)--Japan's estimated population totaled 127,515,000 as of Oct. 1, 2012, down 284,000 from a year before, marking the steepest drop ever for the second straight year, the internal affairs ministry said Tuesday.
The proportion of elderly people aged 65 or over surpassed that of children aged 14 or under in all of Japan's 47 prefectures for the first time ever, underscoring progress in the aging of Japanese society.
A natural fall led to the overall decline as the number of deaths outpaced that of births by 205,000.
The number of foreign residents leaving Japan for reasons such as the March 2011 disaster exceeded that of foreigners entering the country by 56,000, also contributing to the shrinking population.
Those aged 65 or over accounted for 24.1 pct of the population, up 0.8 percentage point and the highest-ever level. Of them, 11.9 pct were aged 75 or over, a rise of 0.4 point and a record high.
Japan is on full alert ahead of an expected mid-range missile launch by North Korea, its defence minister says, as South Korea raised its military watch alert to 'vital threat'.
'We have been on full alert since we deployed military units, and so we will maintain this sense of vigilance,' Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe separately said: 'We are making utmost efforts to protect our people's lives and ensure their safety.'
The South Korea-US Combined Forces Command raised its 'Watchcon' status from 3 to 2 reflecting indications of a 'vital threat', Yonhap news agency said, citing a senior military official.
South Korean intelligence says the North has prepared two mid-range missiles for imminent launch from its east coast, despite warnings from ally China to avoid provocative moves at a time of soaring military tensions.
Japan, where the armed forces have been authorised to shoot down any North Korean missile headed towards its territory, on Tuesday stationed Patriot missiles in its capital to protect the 30 million population.
In addition to PAC-3 batteries, Aegis destroyers equipped with sea-based interceptor missiles have been deployed in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
Pyongyang's bellicose rhetoric has reached fever pitch in recent weeks, with near-daily threats of attacks on US military bases including in Japan and South Korea in response to ongoing South Korean-US military exercises.
A top US military commander said on Tuesday he favoured shooting down a North Korean missile only if it threatened the United States or Washington's allies in the region.
Analysts said Tokyo's measures were purely precautionary and a mis-targeted missile that might end up falling uncontrollably towards Japanese territory was most likely what Tokyo was readying for.
If Japan enters the tariff-eliminating Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the nation’s porn industry may thrive, reports weekly tabloid Shukan Asahi Geino (Apr. 4).
Under the pact, the magazine believes that adult video (AV) productions from the U.S. and Japan will be have to compete against one another like never before, much like agricultural products and automobiles.
Takashi Kadokura is the author of the 2007 book “Why the World’s Below-the-Belt Businesses Are Lucrative,” which provides an outline for the breadth of Japan’s sex industry.
Kadokura, who is also the head of an economic research center, tells Shukan Asahi Geino that Japan has an edge over the U.S. in the porn market, with exports likely to outweigh imports under the TPP.
In evaluating the output of the two countries, the author says each nation has its own style.
“In porn films from the U.S., there are no stories,” says Kadokura. “The heart of each film is the deed itself. However, for Japan, the story is the focus, and the films are often regarded as works of art.”
The key advantage for Japan will be the current popularity enjoyed by baby-faced and young actresses around the world.
“There is an especially strong need (for young actresses) in countries with Caucasians,” says Kadokura. “Japan satisfies this criteria, and I think demand for these films will be high.”
It should be noted that such a position is contrary to that of Shukan Taishu (Mar. 25), which raised concerns about Japanese films being cited under U.S. child pornography laws since the actresses often appear to be under 18 years of age — a consideration that Shukan Asahi Geino ignores.
Indeed, Japanese AV is already available in U.S. However, the gargantuan size of the market could be ripe for expansion.
“In the U.S., consumers tend to pay for porn in hotel rooms as opposed to purchasing DVDs,” says Kadokura. “Thus far, Japanese AV does not participate in this market to a large degree. However, (under the TPP) that may change. This would lead to a boost in copyright fees paid to Japanese AV producers.”
For the reverse, Japan’s use of the infamous mosaic — the obfuscation of parts of images that would otherwise reveal genitalia — poses a substantial problem for U.S. porn passing through Japan Customs.
The issue relates to censorship laws. Article 175 of Japan’s Penal Code prohibits the distribution, sale, or public display of obscene writings, pictures, or other materials.
AV critic TDC Fujiki says that the mosaic requirement could be lifted if the U.S. made the request, much like concessions that might be made in the automobile industry. But with violators presently facing a maximum prison term of two years and minimum fine of 2.5 million yen Shukan Asahi Geino is not sanguine that a modification will be made.
The censorship dates back to a court ruling handed down in 1955. Fujiki argues that since the definition of what is obscene is vague a change may be possible. “There is no basis or concrete foundation,” he says. “In that case, why would there be a need to protect such a position?” (K.N)
At roughly 1:45pm, a massive cloud of smog from mainland China mixed with sand from the Gobi Desert finally hit the East coast of Japan after traveling across the country causing itchy eyes, clogged air filters and respiratory distress in millions. Within minutes, Tokyo convenient stores, variety kiosks and pharmacies were sold out of face-masks in a last-ditch effort to keep some of the pollution out of the lungs of both adults and children alike. More than 30 minutes on, the fierce winds continue to blow and what could have been a nice Sunday afternoon at 2pm now looks like dusk.
Those lucky enough to be on the ground level are left with a breeze of sand and smoke, while those of in high-rise buildings and apartments scramble to take in laundry and anything else that might be carried off. One look out of the window from our 24th floor photo studio shows clothing, plastic bags and papers flying through the air.
Looking North into Kita-Senju, one of the last stops going North before entering into Chiba. On normal days, you can see for several kilometers, even seeing the mountains which are roughly 60km away.
Being a porn star is a dream job for a lot of men.
Japan has only 70 such positions in its immense adult video (AV) industry.
For those left to contemplate what might have been, there is this month’s release of “The Other Side Of The Sex,” a documentary in which 20 male actors discuss women, sex, and more — but implore that it’s hard work...
“They’ll often boast about having 100 women,” says co-director Hidekazu Takahara. “But they will also have to be able to get it up in front of an actress they don’t desire.”
Today’s actors... can become easily overworked through “real sex.”
“We have gone from three shoots in two days in the past to four or five shoots in one day,” says the film’s other director, Yujiro Enoki... who has more than 2,000 titles to his credit. “An actor has got to rise to the occasion seven times (in one day), and for each of those times it is with a different actress.”
At present, the industry reportedly employs 10,000 actresses, releases 4,500 titles monthly, and generates 55 billion yen in annual sales.
Peenzilla Worship! Japan’s Kanamara Festival Coming Up this April!
This year on 7 April, the lusty cries of ”Kanamara, dekkai mara!” (“steel rod, giant dong!”) will once again ring through town.
Japan, traditionally a country where well-endowed foreigners are very welcome, embraces big penis worship in this very special festival. For the largest erections you’ve ever seen (anyone know Jonah Falcon personally?), save the date: Sunday 7 April 2013 at Kanayama Shrine in Kanagawa. All hail the huge pink peen! It just gets bigger and better every year.
If bigger doesn’t bang your gong, there are a multitude of phalluses of all shapes and sizes. If you’re non-Japanese and you’re interested in this, you’re not alone. An army of Western tourists descends upon the shrine every year, demanding cock.
Suck on this.
Back in Edo times, when samurai roamed the land scoffing sushi, ladies of the Kawasaki night used to hold the Jibeta Matsuri (Earth Festival) to pray for divine protection from STDs while increasing profits at the same time. Sadly, things fell into disrepute in the Meiji period, but the ancient festival aroused the attention of Western scholars in the swinging 60s (yeah, baby), leading to a triumphant rebirth as the Kanamara Matsuri (Steel Phallus Festival) in the 70s. The original Earth Festival is included among the other festivities, with proceeds often donated to AIDS prevention groups.
Another legend has it that the festival first began when a beautiful young maiden, suffering from a bad case of vagina dentata, accidentally castrated not one but two young men. Don’t worry, her tragic tale has a happy ending- she was saved by a large iron phallus inserted where it would do the most good, which broke the teeth of the minge monster. Who knew, dildos cure vagina dentata as well as hysteria. The iron phallus then became an object of reverence and was ceremoniously paraded through the town.
There are at least three huge erect wangs you’ll get to see in the parade, bouncing up and down on people’s shoulders. The oldest (but still a goodie) is made of wood, there is another shiny black steel prong riding along in a boat, and the most striking is the bright pink monstrosity incongruously named “Elizabeth”. Elizabeth is so named for the eponymous Asakusa-bashi Cross-dressers Club Elizabeth who kindly donated the dong.
The original festival. A straw mat is spread in the shrine grounds, and the drinking party begins!
…or something like that, anyway.
Anyone can freely participate in the parade, and neighbourhood folks might even lend you swords, kimonos and so forth. It has all the usual Japanese festival goodness too- street stalls, drums, great atmosphere, as well as penis lollipops and eye-candy. Apparently it grants increased prosperity in business and romance. And it’s a celebration of the male member- what’s not to love? Hug a penis today, and check out the Kanamara Festival!
Peens on parade
Representative member of Elizabeth
Awww
We’ll leave you now with a tourist-shot video of the festival. Enjoy!
Hostess club staffed with AV actresses reopens in Roppongi
Performing opposite a porn actress is certainly the dream job of many men. Yet the number of available positions for male actors in Japan’s adult video (AV) biz is very limited.
A mere drink, however, is another matter. In recent years, AV actresses have started appearing at a number of hostess clubs in Tokyo.
The recently reopened Red Dragon, located in the Roppongi entertainment area, employs stars like Hitomi Kitagawa, with whom, reports Shukan Jitsuwao (Mar. 7), the old college try might be in order.
“I like drinking,” says Kitagawa, who is known in the industry for pleasantly juxtaposing a baby face with a huge bust, “but I’m weak when it comes to alcohol. When I’m drunk I feel as if the customer is my friend.”
Ahem.
“And I tend to provide a lot of body contact,” she continues. “I’ll do my best to entertain you so come on down.”
On December 10, the club moved into a fifth-floor space between the Roi Building and Roppongi Crossing after a two-year stint on the other side of Gaien Higashi-dori.
An event poster for AV star Chika Arimura
Each night, roughly 20 AV stars serve drinks and engage in pleasant conversation with customers arriving at Red Dragon. More than 100 actresses are included on the club’s roster, with such top stars as Chika Arimura, Kirara Asuka, Maki Hojo, Rio, and the aforementioned Kitagawa appearing during special engagements.
Red Dragon’s manager tells Shukan Asahi Geino (Feb. 28) that the current number-one gal at the club is 34-year-old Sayuri Honjo. “Fans who watched her when they were younger seem to have built up some extra cash to spend,” says the manager. “She is also fun to talk to while having drinks.”
Indeed, a fair bit of cash is a necessity. Entry fees for visitors start at 12,000 yen for the first 60 minutes. A 2,500-yen table charge is required, and a 30-minute extension costs an extra 5,000 yen. (A.T.)
Japanese Porn Industry Documentary Premieres February 23: Discounted Tickets for Porn Actresses Carrying DVDs
In an unusual move, the makers of forthcoming Japanese porn industry documentary Sekkusu no Mukou Gawa: AV Danyu no Ikikata or “The Other Side of the Sex” are offering female porn actresses a massive discount on tickets to see the new movie. As well as the general public, girls in the industry are invited to come along to the first screening of the cheeky documentary and can enter for less than half price. But there’s one catch: to get the discount they must present a DVD in which they feature to prove that they’re the real deal.
Details and a slightly NSFW promotional trailer after the jump.
The movie, created by Japanese video producers Maxam in collaboration with companies including Soft on Demand, explores a sex industry where, despite there being thousands of registered female actors, there are fewer than 70 regular male stars for them to work with. Check out Maxam’s promotional video for the upcoming flick:
Promising viewers a peek behind the pink curtain, the feature-length documentary follows 20 of Japan’s most prolific male pornstars, some of whom claim to have had intercourse with literally thousands of women during their careers due to male leads being in such short supply. As well as showing the lighter side of the industry, however, the film touches upon issues such as the risk and spread of STDs and the minor conflicts that occur during an average porn movie’s production. Perhaps take your mum along.
▼ 10,000 registered female actors, around 70 male…
▼Each of the men has worked with thousands of women.
▼ It all looks much less glamorous when viewed from further back.
You can catch the movie between 23 February and 3 March at the Shibuya Uplink Cinema, Tokyo. Standard admission is 1,500 yen (US$16) while students and seniors can enter for just 1,000 yen each. Female pornstars, of course, get in for just 500 yen as part of Maxam’s “one coin” incentive. Don’t forget your DVDs, girls!
