In Japan, there's something we call 風俗(fuzoku = legal sex services?) though I actually didn't know what it exactly was until this morning when I heard someone talking about it on the news. I knew it was a place where men went to when they were 'stressed' but I didn't know what was legal and what wasn't. From what I gathered this morning, it's illegal to do the 'real thing' or 'honban（本番）' but everything else is legal and it's called "passionfruit" if I heard it correctly. I don't get it though. I guess there's no such distinction between what's 'real' and what's not in other countries? I mean, how does it work? What if the 'client' forced it in? Is he going to be sued for a breach of contract, or assault, or what?
Another thing many of my foreign friends have pointed out is the existence of love hotels. The Japanese rarely talk about sex and yet we have these buildings specifically for sex. And it's not even hidden; the walls are sometimes painted with vivid colors and lit up with neon signs. It's pretty amusing if you think about it: people having sex in every single room of the whole building. It's actually a bit disappointing I can't write about the details -- I've never been to one. If I ever do, I *might* report it. If anyone cares to know more.
Certainly, I don't talk about sex with most of my Japanese girl friends,
返信削除but when I'm with European/American friends, we are really open and talk vividly about "it".
My Japanese girlfriends will freeze if they hear me talk like that*lol*
By the way, it seems that "love hotels" are recently called "rental rooms."
Rental rooms... that doesn't sound bad but I think I like 'love hotels' better *lol* The word actually gives me a specific image of Japanese pop culture -- it's a bit dirty and vulgar and kind of sad at the same time (maybe this all comes from the enjo-kosai culture in the 90s) but endearing too.
削除By the way Yuki-chan, you definitely sound naughtier in English!
I REALLY want to know what a love hotel is like hahaha. Please write about it if you ever go.
返信削除I had no idea Japanese people didn't talk about it. I've never really had any friends that talked about it either. My husband has one co-worker who talks about that stuff all the time and even goes to er, meet people in groups ... umm I guess you know what I mean Broccoli. ಠ_ಠ
I knew what fuzoku (rikaichan says 'sex service' or 'sex industry' for fuzoku) was and I knew that about honban being illegal on the premises. I think there's a way to get around it by using a 'delivery health' (shortened to 'deru he' in Japanese) company that 'delivers' a person to your house to do honban.
I always got the impression that Japanese people were a lot more open to talking about that kind of thing than Americans. I don't mind if someone wants to talk to me about it, but I'd die of embarrassment before I discussed any aspect of my sexual life with anyone. Past, present, or future!
I actually don't know if we *really* don't talk about it. Maybe guys do. I'm probably on the conservative side (hence most of my friends are too) so I don't know the norm, but regarding pop culture, I think American pop culture is much more open about sex in general.
削除If Japan had more land and we had larger homes with thicker walls that would allow us to 'make love' at home, I don't think we would've had any love hotels.
But I sort of get the vague impression that the Japanese might be more open about specific type of sex -- like fuzoku and delivery health. I think people do talk about having a girl delivered; Americans never would, would they (even if some talk about 'meeting people in groups')?
Either way, don't worry Sonna, I will write about my adventure if I ever do go to a love hotel!
I've never met someone who talked about getting a prostitute when I was in the US either. Maybe men do, I don't know.
返信削除The person above who mentioned meeting people in groups was English and living in England. (That's where I live now.)
There's also a half naked lady in one of the national newspapers every day here in England (she's called 'the page three girl') and I think Americans would be up in arms about that. Seeing nudity in the US isn't allowed unless it's after 9pm and on specific pay cable channels, but it's OK in the UK after 9pm.
Hm... I think we have a lot to learn from America. We sometimes lack that kind of consideration for kids in Japan. It's actually pretty shocking but in Japanese Seven Elevens, we have nude magazines where kids can see. We do have a special area for it, but it's beside the copying machine or the toilet or where ever a kid might go.
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