In 1823, Siebold traveled from the Netherlands to Nagasaki, Japan, where he served as a physician at the trading post for six years. When he visited the Shogun in Edo, he was speechless upon witnessing fully naked customers freely entering and leaving brothels near the outskirts of Edo. In his book "Travelogue of My Journey to Edo," Siebold noted that in Japan, brothels were as common as restaurants, both being necessities of daily life. Historically, foreigners have often been astonished by the sexual openness of the Japanese.
Professor Kamata Toji of Musashino Junior College's Department of Religious Studies pointed out that Christianity often equates "sex" with "sin," but this consciousness is absent in Japanese mythology, such as in the "Kojiki." In Japanese mythology, the female vulva always makes an appearance at crucial moments. In fact, according to mythology, the country of Japan itself was produced from the sexual intercourse of a male and female deity. A famous story tells how Amaterasu, the sun goddess, closed the heavens, plunging the world into darkness. The other gods held a party in front of the cave, and a goddess exposed her breasts and vulva, dancing provocatively, which made everyone laugh so hard that the sound reached the heavens. Amaterasu couldn't help but peek out, and thus the cave was reopened.
Japan claims an unbroken line of emperors since antiquity, yet the first mythical emperor, Jimmu, married a queen named "Vulva." The parents of this "Vulva" queen were also passionate figures; it is said that when her father saw her mother, he became so excited that he transformed into a red arrow and shot into her vulva, resulting in her pregnancy and the birth of this "Vulva."
In the early Meiji period (about 130 years ago), British scholar Basil Hall Chamberlain came to Japan to study and intended to translate the Japanese myth "Kojiki" into English for publication. However, the translation was mistakenly considered pornography, leading to an amusing anecdote.
Professor Kamata Toji pointed out that Japanese mythology views the vulva as a signpost for opening the divine path. The Japanese revere nature and also view "sex" as part of nature, worshipping it accordingly. In contrast, Christianity in Europe and Confucianism in China venerate virginity and chastity, whereas Japan has no such tradition. Until the 16th century, there was no concept that women should remain chaste before marriage.
In 1563, Jesuit missionary Luis Frois was sent to remote areas of Japan, where he resided for 34 years. In 1585, he wrote that Japanese women placed no value on the purity of their virginity, and losing one's virginity did not damage one's reputation or hinder marriage. This situation remained unchanged until the early Showa period (about 70 years ago).
Folklorist Akaike Keisuke, now 85 years old, spent ten years studying rural sexual culture in places like Hyogo, Osaka, and Kyoto during his youth. He authored works such as "The Village Community and Sexual Norms" and "Folklore of the Night." The term "night visit" refers to "men visiting women's homes at night for sexual pleasure." According to Akaike Keisuke's research, young men and women in Japanese villages would begin having sex under the guidance of older peers at around twelve or thirteen years old. They would then exchange partners, even engaging in group activities. Marriage was merely a formality, and after marriage, men and women continued to engage in "night visits" with others. These "night visits" were considered normal social interactions without any sense of shame. Women in this cultural context typically became mothers in their teens and had about ten children in their lifetime. For the people of that time, childbirth was seen as increasing the labor force, meaning that sexual intercourse was beneficial for village development and enjoyable for individuals, so villagers were happy to engage in it frequently. Although some in the village were influenced by Confucianism and Buddhism and advocated abstinence, they were a weak minority.
Akaike Keisuke also investigated commercial districts within Osaka and found that "night visits" were still prevalent. An ancient rakugo (Japanese comedic monologue) segment titled "Mouth Insertion Shop" describes a scene where the shopkeeper and boss sneak into a female employee's bedroom at midnight, causing chaos.
After World War II, farmers left the countryside to become workers, and store clerks no longer lived in the shops, causing the tradition of "night visits" to decline. American Commodore Perry, who forcibly opened Japan's doors with his fleet, criticized the Japanese lower classes as undoubtedly very lewd due to practices like mixed-sex bathing in his book "Commodore Perry's Expedition to Japan."
The Meiji Restoration government promoted full westernization and banned mixed-sex bathing in public baths, opposing popular customs. At that time, Tokyo University medical professors argued convincingly that masturbation hindered intellectual and physical development, prompting novelist and Army Medical Department Director Mori Ogai to publish "On the Harmlessness of Masturbation," sparking a debate.
When the Japanese introduced Western ideas in the mid-19th century, European and American societies viewed "sex" as a dangerous beast. American doctor Norton published a contraception manual in 1832 and was convicted of obscenity, serving a three-month prison sentence. In 1857, Britain enacted the "Lord Campbell Act," authorizing judges to destroy publications "likely to cause corruption and depravity." In fact, as late as 1920, twenty states in America still retained adultery laws, and it wasn't until 1965 that contraceptive knowledge became openly available across all fifty states.
Professor Takao Rinjo of Hosei University's Department of Religious Studies pointed out that orthodox Christian doctrine views sexual desire as sin, believing all humans bear original sin because they are products of sexual intercourse. For example, while Jesus himself supported weaker women and even sympathized with prostitutes, Corinthians 7:1 states: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman. But because of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband," implying that marriage is to avoid fornication. Corinthians 11:3 further states: "Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman," showing the intersection between asceticism and discrimination against women.
Japan can be called the world's premier porn kingdom for three reasons:
Reason One: While in cities like New York and London, the sex trade mainly happens in beds, Tokyo businesses spare no expense in decorating and designing venues for transactions. Japan's veteran sex industry "Turkish Bath" sees a 2% annual decrease in the number of establishments. Veteran journalist Kojima Keiichi, who has covered this industry for nearly thirty years, stated that during the peak of the bubble economy, office workers would claim business expenses for Turkish baths costing 100,000 yen per session. Today (in Tokyo), prices have dropped to 40,000-50,000 yen, yet some still find it expensive. Customers have shifted to newer, cheaper forms of the sex industry.
Case One: Opening the classified ads section of an evening newspaper and calling the phone numbers listed under categories like "adult parties" or "video appreciation sessions," a man on the other end says: "Thirty thousand yen for unlimited food and drinks, you can choose two girls to play with within two hours." When asked what kind of play, the answer is: "Of course, adult play." Afterwards, he instructs you to meet at a specific exit of a subway station, where someone will guide you. This "orgy club" is located in an apartment building within a residential area, where five men and three women wait in a four-tatami mat living room. The women wear tight skirts in red or black and chat about their overseas travel experiences. The men, dressed in white bathrobes, silently watch TV. A female attendant announces: "Mr. So-and-so, it's your turn." The chosen man picks a woman and goes to a neighboring room, where six tatami mats are spread out, separated by thin partitions. After the lights are dimmed, three couples begin their activities. It is said that when fully booked, this room can accommodate twenty customers and six attendants.
Case Two: In a back alley near the JR Shinjuku subway station, there is a five-story building with white tiles on the exterior. Few know that the building houses four "sexual sadism clubs," with twenty-five of its thirty-seven rooms used for business. Opening a room named "Elegance," it resembles a noblewoman's chamber from the Edo period. The scent of hinoki wood fills the air, and women dressed in traditional kimonos sit respectfully. On the walls, besides large antique paintings, there are wooden torture racks. Other rooms are decorated to resemble ancient dungeons, some allowing customers to dress as women, and others featuring dominatrixes in black leather holding whips waiting for their clients. Customers can spend between 50,000 and 160,000 yen to bind, whip, burn women with melted candle wax, or even give enemas. Some have spent up to 350,000 yen to leave satisfied. This building was constructed five years ago, with decoration costs amounting to 1 billion yen. Female attendants in the building have formed a union, set fee amounts, receive medical subsidies for work-related injuries, emergency relief funds for private life issues, live in high-end apartments, and even retire at the age of 24. It is said that one seasoned operator with fifteen years of experience claims there are about 120 "sadism clubs" in Tokyo, with customers mostly being doctors, lawyers, bank employees, police officers, computer engineers, etc., appearing gentle and honest, aged in their twenties to thirties.
Case Three: On the second floor of a pachinko parlor in the heart of Shibuya, Tokyo, "Five Doors" offers seven themed rooms, each decorated like train carriages, clinics, women's dormitories, offices, etc. One room even features a genuine car for customers to enjoy different scenarios. The store opened in October 1993, seeing seventy customers on busy days. Last year, it transitioned from a membership system to an open system, reducing consumption fees, which increased customer numbers three to four times. Such "scenario clubs" offer various experiences, where customers can spend about tens of thousands of yen to assault sleeping women, abuse pregnant women, purchase women's excretions, wrestle with women, etc. The "Pervert Club" in Ikebukuro conducted market research before its opening last December, integrating creative elements from dozens of similar stores nearby.
Reason Two: Tokyo's pornographic information is widely disseminated, with convenience stores openly selling magazines introducing the sex industry, accessible even to elementary school students. These magazines detail phone numbers of establishments and photos of approximately three hundred female attendants, along with their bust-waist-hip measurements, height, blood type, zodiac sign, etc., for selection. "Night Play Team" was first published in 1990 as a bi-monthly magazine with 80,000 copies per issue. After a year and a half, it became a monthly publication, now issuing 250,000 copies, introducing the sex industry in Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya, etc. Editor-in-chief Iiyama Nobuo mentioned that this type of publication is similar to used car magazines, focusing on providing extensive information, meaning introducing as many women as possible. It is said that the total circulation of the top five sex industry reporting magazines reaches 500,000 copies, indicating a considerable readership. In 1992, Japan's first sex industry recruitment magazine "Tina" weekly debuted, with a circulation of 50,000 copies in the Kanto region, publishing approximately six hundred recruitment advertisements per issue. Chief planner Nakazono Ryoji stated that to improve the industry's dark image, the magazine mimics bright women's magazines and even includes a comic column introducing the sex industry.
Reason Three: Consumers of pornography are no longer limited to men; women also openly spend money for pleasure. In April 1993, Japan's first female sex toy store "Curiosity" opened in Shibuya, Tokyo. Men must enter accompanied by women, and the store sells various types of electric massage sticks. That same year, branches opened in Nagoya and Osaka. The following year, branches in Hiroshima and Fukuoka also opened. President Tanaka Masachika stated that the company sells about 120 massage sticks daily, with customers ranging in age from eighteen to eighty, including high school girls and housewives with children. The women's pornographic magazine "Beautiful" claims a circulation of 150,000 copies, primarily featuring reader-submitted letters discussing threesome relationships, homosexuality, etc. Editor-in-chief Yamane Hisashi stated that submissions are never fabricated, with the editorial department receiving about two hundred letters monthly, some even including photos, comics, or illustrations. The editorial team consists of six members, all women, among whom Tsurumi Michiko, originally a reader of the magazine, was hired after applying and said: "Sex is not a male monopoly; women have long awaited pornographic publications tailored to them."
Male strip clubs are also a new emerging industry. Osaka's "Foxy Men" hires foreign dancers to perform stripteases to avoid making female customers feel shy, with tickets priced at 5,000 yen each.
With the booming sex industry, sexually transmitted diseases have also become more widespread. The "Shinjuku Tokyo Hospital," established for forty years and located near the Shinjuku special business district, has its director Masuda Toyoshi pointing out that beliefs such as "wearing condoms prevents STDs" or "oral sex does not cause STDs" are misconceptions. Twenty-five years ago, the hospital treated a hundred patients annually, now increased to five hundred. In terms of psychological illnesses, the number of sexless couples is rapidly increasing.
Director of the Sexual Function Counseling Center at Juntendo University's affiliated "Urayasu Hospital," Abé Teruo, pointed out that last year there were seventy-five cases of "male impotence" and "female frigidity," three times the number in 1985. It is said that almost all those seeking treatment are young people in their twenties to thirties. Male patients share many common traits, such as having university degrees, working in high-status professions, marrying through arranged marriages, never dating during student years, being overly protected and interfered with by their mothers, and growing up in strictly conservative families. Some couples can experience sexual pleasure watching pornographic videos or reading pornographic literature, and both can masturbate, but cannot engage in sexual intercourse.
From an Old Woman Falling on the Street: Comparing East and West News Reports
People's Daily Version:
Today, an elderly woman fell on the street.
Our news report: Today, an elderly woman fell while going out to buy groceries. She was immediately helped up by passersby, and someone called 110. The police quickly arrived and took the elderly woman to the nearest hospital. The police worked tirelessly and even prepaid for her medical expenses. After examination by the doctor, she only lost one front tooth and was not in danger of losing her life. The police left quietly without leaving their names. After much effort, the reporter finally found these two unnamed heroes. The two young men shyly said, "This is what we should do. Any police officer would have done the same thing." The reporter met the gradually recovering elderly woman at the hospital. She and her family emotionally told the reporter, "We really need to thank the 110 police, thank the Party and government, thank today's good society, thank reform and opening-up. If it were in the old society, falling like this would have at least knocked out three front teeth." Elderly people in the ward all sighed, saying, "We really are living in a good society now. If it were in the old society, not only would three front teeth be gone, probably none would be left." The president of the XX City Elderly Association and the head of the Dentistry Department at the XX City Dentistry Hospital reminded elderly friends across the city to pay attention to their footing and not fall easily. Elderly people have unstable legs and loose front teeth, making them especially prone to falls. The Socialist Spiritual Civilization Office of the XX City Government said that this is a good deed that emerged under the correct leadership of the municipal Party committee and government, a concrete manifestation of learning the 'Three Represents.' It shows that our city's 'Three Emphases' work is well done and solid. The municipal leader, who is abroad on a visit, accepted a telephone interview and pointed out that from such incidents, we can see that our city's spiritual civilization construction has achieved great success, which is also the result of reform and opening-up, and the great achievement of uniting around the Central Committee of the Party. However, in this incident, it also shows that our work still has shortcomings, with some leaders not paying enough attention to the safety of people traveling. The leader finally earnestly pointed out that in the future, when people fall, not a single front tooth should be lost!
Ming Pao Version (Hong Kong):
This morning, an old woman fell and lost her front tooth.
(Our news report) This morning, an old woman fell due to uneven roads and lost her front tooth. Passersby helped her up and expressed sympathy for her misfortune. They also criticized the Hong Kong government for its poor road maintenance and ineffective use of tax revenue in improving public facilities, leading to citizens falling. According to reporters, several citizens have fallen here in the past few months, with serious cases requiring hospital treatment. Public reactions to such incidents vary. Although the Hong Kong government spokesperson and Chief Executive have apologized to the fallen citizens, and the Public Works Bureau has begun improving public facilities, there are still criticisms. Since the beginning of this year, the Hong Kong government has delayed many investments in public facilities, education, and public health services, causing dissatisfaction among citizens. Despite economic recovery signs under the Hong Kong government's efforts, its ineffectiveness in handling last year's wealthy businessman kidnapping case has damaged its image among citizens, making them lack a sense of security.