Interview with Tokyo dominatrix Miporin

Miporin (Miporin-sama) is known as one of most high-profile dominatrixes in Tokyo. She works for the 11 Channel soapland in Yoshiwara (and claims to be the only latex fetish specialist dom working in that famous district) and the BDSM members’ club Dominant Tokyo. Heavily tattooed, the half-Chinese, half-Filipino mistress is also known for her cheerful personality that completely contrasts with the aggressive image of a dominatrix.

The self-professed “rubber queen” gave an interview to Spa! last month and we have translated some of the highlights below.

How did she get her first tattoos?

“Due to family circumstances, I spent a long time living abroad. I got my first tattoos in my early twenties — a rose on my arm and Jesus Christ on my chest.” Her father was angry about this at first but later came around.

Indeed, due to her time spent abroad, she finds people in Japan treat her like she’s foreign. She also had to learn to adapt to a more indirect Japanese style of communication.

“What I find strange is that Japanese people rarely use straightforward words to praise someone. I was a little surprised at first because I had learned that by immediately praising someone’s good points when you notice them, you can communicate with them in a loving manner.”

Miporin used to have a regular job but had trouble fitting in.

“For example, if you’re told to come to work at 9, there’s an unspoken sense that you really shouldn’t come at 9. You get the impression that you have to be at the office by around 8:30. If that’s the case, I wish they’d just told me to come to work at 8:30! In the end, it was the accumulation of these experiences that made me realize that it wasn’t for me, and that’s why I decided to live in the world of BDSM.”

Her entry point into the world of bondage came when she was young.

“It all started when I was in elementary school. I saw something on TV that was like a sideshow, and learned about people who had had their limbs amputated. It may be inappropriate, but the moment I saw it, I felt a sexual excitement. From there, I did some research and became interested in BDSM, which involves restraining limbs. When I was 18, I stepped into the BDSM world overseas.”

When she returned to Japan, she found work in Yoshiwara, a red-light district in Tokyo.

“Thankfully, the audience was supportive and the character I perform was accepted. At first, the staff were skeptical, but I was happy that they took a good look at my work and gave it a positive evaluation.”

Miporin wants to dispel misconceptions about BDSM.

“I don’t deny that there is certainly physical pain. However, BDSM is based on the emotional connection between the dominatrix and the masochistic [submissive] customer. You could even call it a relationship of trust. What’s unique about sex establishments is that in the vast majority of cases, orgasm is not the ultimate goal for masochistic customers [subs/slaves]. They are people who seek emotional fulfillment rather than temporary physical pleasure.”

She is upfront about how her job is similar to the role of a therapist.

“On the whole, masochistic customers are extremely decent members of society, and many of them are successful. Some of them are struggling with their secret preferences that are far removed from the face they show on the outside. I’m grateful that they come to my establishment, trust me even though we’ve just met, and confide in me about their sexual preferences. There are quite a few ‘baby-regressive’ types. These include masochistic customers who only make baby sounds and those who like to wear diapers. They also have girlfriends or wives, and in many cases, they don’t even tell their partners. They all have very respectable jobs, and are highly capable people who can act independently and create. Perhaps they sometimes want to be powerless and be at the mercy of a queen.”

She also makes a distinction between genuine masochists and self-professed masochists who give lots of instructions about what they want her to do but whose actual goal is just to orgasm. She thinks young men often have that misconception about femdom and being a sub. On the other hand, older customers can also bring a lot of baggage to Yoshiwara.

“Perhaps because they’ve been dealing with various issues for a long time and have been mentally ill for quite a while, the older they are, the worse the prognosis seems to be. For example, they often hold a grudge over a minor misunderstanding on social media and come to play in a very bad mood. I hate being told to read the truth, so this makes me even more annoyed!”

Indeed, communication and honesty is a refrain she comes back.

“I think BDSM is a world of honesty. When doing BDSM, everyone candidly reveals their sexual inclinations and struggles desperately so that their true desires can come true. I’m happy that they entrust their body and soul to me and hand over those difficult-to-say truths, and I want to continue sharing their secrets with them. I’m happy to be able to offer a space where people who live pretend lives in public and have built up their status through hardship can find peace and solace.”