Hello Dear Readers! Long time no post!
The academic year starts in Japan in April, as I probably already have told you, and teachers like me, tend to get busy. I spent a lot of time on creating an English club for my high school. The former NET, who had been here for 6 years before I came, didn't do it. I wonder why...He was probably too busy, working on his own here. However, since I got help from the T-Net last year, and a new T-NET (temporary native English teacher) will come by mid May, I decided I will make one. And it was my best decision since I work here.
Anyway, today I plan to write about something totally not related to school, but I bet you will all find it very interesting. SEX. These days everything is about sex, half naked and naked male and female topmodels advertising stuff, singers wearing almost nothing on stage, actors and actresses showing off their nicely toned bodies hoping for an applauding audience and lots of cash. So what about sex in Japan?
I have to say that this country is very disturbing in this sense. There are the average people, who are shy, married couples often wouldn't even hold hands in public, kissing is out of the question. Many workplace forbids sleeveless clothing and too short skirts for women, men always wear suits. Sounds and looks very conservative, but there is the other side of the coin. The "hentai" porn manga, the stores which buy worn underwear (worn, as you must not wash it before selling) from high school and junior high school girls and sell them to men, hostess clubs, the endless numbers of "gravier idols"- these are young ladies willing to pose for pictures wearing only bikinis and almost nothing clothes, photo albums with their pictures would sell in large numbers among middle aged single men, and so on. There is a whole underground culture based on sexuality. Of course there are brothels in certain districts, run mostly by organized crime syndicates, even in Osaka. The area is called Tobita Shinchi, and I advise female travelers never to visit that area alone. Even if you go in a group refrain from taking pictures. I have never been there and as I plan to stay out of trouble I will avoid the place in the future as well. From people who went there I heard there are these brothels where the girls stand in the shop window, you can pick them out, as if you were buying meat at the butchers. The "mamas" would be standing outside selling them to you. Scary looking guys would stare at you, and complain if you want to take pictures. Just like the Bronx in New York, as a visitor, maybe it's better to avoid it. Locals might know which places are safe to go, but if you don't, just don't go there.
The reason why I decided to write about this today was a flyer that landed in my mailbox the other day. It was advertising a call-girl service. On the front, a pretty, slender, and very young Japanese woman trying to look innocent but sexy and seductive at the same time, and the price list. Varies by time. Longer time, bigger money.
Are these services legal in Japan? Well, yes and no. Of course, prostitution is illegal as in most countries. That's why the brothels are in areas where even the police are afraid to go to. However, and please sit down if you are not sitting already, oral and anal sex in Japan does not count as sexual intercourse in the legal system!!! And that is what I find really odd! People in the sex business always find the backdoors...how disgusting. Of course, it's abillion dollar business in every country, but because of this screwed up legal definition, dealing with sexual crimes is also a mess here. And how many stories have I heard on TV from girls, who fell victims to older boyfriends. Naive little girls, who were made to believe they are loved, then they were forced emotionally, or physically by their boyfriends to became call-girls, just like the one on this very flyer, only to earn money the boyfriend can spend. It is just so sad. And most of them never even gets arrested for pimping. I would have loved to go to the police with this flyer and ask them to check the age of all the girls working there, and arrest whoever owns this business. But my guess is, they wouldn't have done anything.
Due to the redundancy of the system, you can call these girls, who would come to your home, take a bath with you, gave you a blow job, make you feel good and leave. Totally legally. Because they do not break the law. Hmmmmm...interesting. Thriving prostitution.
The funny part comes now. the back side of the flyer was about recruitment! If you're a young, good looking woman, looking for a high income part-time job, don't hesitate to call... sure. :) Just in case the flyer lands in the mailbox of a female citizen. How smart, using both sides of the paper, recruiting and selling at the same time. Their marketing manager must be pretty good. :P
