Overseas there has recently been a lot of talk about making things like public toilets "genderless" so as not to show bias towards people who do not identity by binary genders.
Japan has not embraced this kind of debate in the same way, not least because the LGBT community is largely reduced to being a subculture without real legal rights. On the other hand, fluid gender identity has been part of Japanese culture for a long time in Kabuki and so on. In many ways people just don't need all the labels and legal discussions that have obsessed other countries for the past generation.
Things ...
Here's a nice tip from a very cute girl, which could well come in handy when you are with your next prize.
G-cup idol Erina Kamiya from the group Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls) has unveiled a stunning technique: how to strip off a t-shirt in a flash. This is quite impressive, given that her massive chest could be reasonably expected to provide quite on obstruction to slipping off clothes.
She shows off two different ways to take off a t-shirt in a second, notably faster than the conventional method.
This is certainly appreciated, given that we all want more time to view Kamiya's ...
The visitor to Japan quickly notes the large number of vending machines everywhere.
They are typically just for drinks but there are more unusual ones around. And this now includes gachapon capsule-style vending machines that offer sealed love letters from schoolgirls.
Shocked? You shouldn't be. After all, in Japan you can get refrigerated used panties from vending machines as well as Tenga and even prostitutes.
We can't speak for the veracity of the love letters, which cost ¥200 a pop, but they are written by hand and ostensibly from a young girl called Kiki.
One ...
As we know, the popular meet-and-greet events that idols organize is one of the main reasons they attract such strong fan bases: you can actually meet and shake your idol's hand!
But they can go wrong, badly wrong. Fans say horrible things. They are, quite literally, dirty. And they may even attack the idols, as AKB48 found out in 2014 when two idols were attacked with a saw. As such, these days there is often increased security at the events.
CY8ER seems to be taking a tongue-in-cheek attitude towards this physical aspect of the idol industry. At a two-hour meet-and-greet event held at ...
In desperate need for a place to stay in Japan? All the hotels are full and you don't fancy your chances with an Airbnb? Another option is a love hotel, which is often not much more expensive than a regular hotel and sometimes even cheaper.
However, many hotels cannot always be booked in advance and even ones that can are typically lacking in any services for non-Japanese-speaking guests.
Enter Rakuten, the Japanese online retail giant that counts a travel site within its bevy. Due to the ongoing tourism boom in Japan, there is a shortage of hotel rooms and Rakuten Travel hopes to make ...
A survey by Japan Pres Research Institute asked 1,000 people across various countries for their views on Japan. Part of this included naming living or dead Japanese people that they knew. The results were, to say the least, intriguing...
By default the survey became a resource for seeing which Japanese people are famous abroad. In France, America, South Korea and other places, the results were familiar: the prime minister, emperor, popular sports figures, an anime character, and so on.
But in Thailand, things were rather different:
1. Shinzo Abe (178)
2. Doraemon (111)
3. The ...
Do you want a cute girlfriend but don't have the looks, social skills, money, time, or language ability to get one?
Fear not. As we know, there are lots of virtual dating and 2D character options in Japan, from Lovely x Cation to VR Kanojo and a virtual version of the gravure idol Ai Shinozaki. Recently this has become enhanced thanks to smartphone apps and virtual reality, though we remember sims and dating characters from back in the pre-iPhone days.
Here's another possibility: Ai Furuse is a virtual female being developed by the artificial intelligence smartphone app SELF. It now has ...
Yesterday we wrote about a Japanese photographer who has turned his private house into a sex doll museum -- and opened it up to the public. Now here are three developments related to Japan's top sex doll brand, Orient Industry.
Orient Industry has released a 40th-anniversary book looking at the history of their sex dolls (also known as love dolls) and how they are made. You can order it from Kanojo Toys, though be aware that the text is only in Japanese.
The Kishin Shinoyama photography exhibition we previewed in April has now started at the Shibuya art space Atsuko Barouh Arts Drinks ...
Photographer and love doll super fan Yoshitaka Hyodo has converted his private house into a personal hihokan-style sex museum.
Located in Yashio City on the border between Saitama and Tokyo, Hyodo has even opened up his house to the public for Golden Week. If you want to visit, it is open from April 30th to May 5th. Reservations are required, though, so check his blog for more details. Admission is ¥1,000, but apparently free for people with sex dolls. Photography is allowed for non-commercial purposes.
This is the fourth time he has opened up his collection across two floors ...
We don't talk about boys' love or male-on-male themes enough on this blog, so we were pleased to stumble upon this development.
The boys' love illustrator Ebimo has created a new 112-page gay drawing manual, the "BL Poses Stretch Book".
It's a bit like a working version of the "48 Ways" (shijuuhatte), which is the de facto Japanese Kama Sutra, so you really get the most out of your relationship as well as illustration skills.
The poses -- from tender kissing to hugging and all manner of sex positions -- are included as a guide to all the various ...
