With the releases of Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR, there's been a lot of buzz recently about virtual reality.
And now people are finally starting to work on the best side of the technology: adult entertainment.
Japan's first adult virtual reality festival will be held on June 12th at popdojo in Akihabara, Tokyo.
Entry costs ¥3,000 (with photo ID). The event is open from 2pm to 6pm.
We have already been tempted by what Project Morpheus can offer in terms of virtual dating and SIMS, though an early preview sparked controversy and backlash.
We have since seen the ...
As we know, Japanese porn star Mana Sakura is really popular now -- so much so Tenga hires her to do its promotion. She's also super hot, too hot for universities, it seems.
How would like to have the Mana's used panties?
Because she doesn't mind giving them away.
That's what happened at e-sports SQUARE in Akihabara at a World of Tanks gaming tournament.
Live on stage, Mana slipped off and then gave her used panties as a consolation prize to the runners-up. Man, we thought that would be good enough for first place!
It has in the past been common ...
In Japan, there are often "stamp rallies" at train stations or other places. These marketing campaigns encourage people to come to the location and collect stamps from certain spots. This means you have to visit several places, increasing foot traffic at malls, stations, and so on.
Usually they are innocuous promos for kids. But not always.
A stamp rally for the anime series Valkyrie Drive Mermaid has adopted a novel approach: you "stamp" your picture of a female anime character with breasts.
Remember, the Valkyrie Drive franchise is so popular it even became a sex doll ...
Hardly is the ink dry on one article about Akihabara schoolgirl osanpo walking dates, than along comes another western report about "human trafficking" in Japan.
Vice News has made Schoolgirls for Sale in Japan, a 17-minute "exposé" about JK schoolgirl prostitution at cafes and other venues in Tokyo.
The presenter travels to Japan to interview schoolgirl prostitutes and investigate "JK culture".
Much of this is innocent enough, from fortune-telling to music idol groups.
But as a near scuffle with a minor gangster on the streets of Akihabara shows, with some of these services ...
Every few weeks an article does the rounds of the world media -- typically a translated news wire piece or something rustled up by a foreign stringer according to overseas editors' demands. The narrative is predictable. Japan is full of sexless youth; Japan is full of sexual fetishes. Japanese anime is child porn; Akihabara is a den of immorality and vice.
Of course, there are elements of truth in all of this but such nuanced, sympathetic approaches are not what gets traffic.
So you see articles like this on Deutsche Welle by Julian Ryall, saying that "Japan's 'maid cafes' [are] a cover ...
If you went out at Halloween in Tokyo you might have seen some very scantily clad ladies.
Likewise, a trip to Akihabara often means the chance to see idols performing on the street with a lot on display. Flasher idol Asuka Sawamoto famously got herself arrested in 2008 when she did a series of performances in Akiba where she let hordes of men photograph her underwear. (She went on to a career in porn.)
But what about just "risque" fashion. How far is this legal?
A fashion website asked a lawyer about how far you go with see-through underwear in Japan.
Exposing yourself in ...
As widely reported in the media, the police have begun a new campaign cracking down on so-called "walking dates" in Akihabara in Tokyo.
On Monday night, a dragnet of 100 police officers raided the famed electronics shopping and otaku subculture district in search of girls of schoolgirl age standing on the streets.
Apparently ten girls under 18 were taken into "protective custody". Their crime? Wearing a school uniform on the streets of Akihabara.
Recent concerns about walking dates recall the media frenzy on enjo kosai in the 1990's, though this is supposed to be the first major ...
Photographer Yuji Susaki has got together with Akihabara idol unit Dempagumi.inc to create a photo book with 100 cosplay models.
The "Dempa Models x 100 Cosplay" collection goes on sale August 8th.
We only just blogged about another Susaki cosplay photography project and it seems he is very much in the news these days.
The Dempagumi.inc girls (who include Moga Mogami and Nemu Yumemi) are featured in student uniforms, nurse uniforms and more. The publishers hope to sell 5,000 copies in the first run.
While Dempagumi.inc may not have the profile of the ubiquitous AKB48, it has ...
Perfect for summer. If you own a pair of wheels, you know how driving it can build up a layer of dust and dirty, especially in a big city like Tokyo. Well, now you can get it clean and get your rocks off at the same time.
Take it to Akihabara, where hot girls in swimsuits are offering car-washing services from July 25th to August 30th.
The Sukuminsensha features a soapy spongig down, a high-pressure rinse, a tire wax and more, all done for you by lovely young ladies in swimsuits -- and for the modest price of 10,000 yen.
You are even allowed to stay in the car and catch the girls ...
It's not looking good for Akihabara's maid cafes as customers drift away from paying exorbitant prices for cups of coffee where there are no "extras".
According to a media report, maid cafes started in Akihabara in 2001 and then you get visit on for a drink for a mere ¥500. (These days it is more like double that or more!)
Based on national database figures, there were a mere 132 maid cafes in Akiba at the end of 2011. Since the peak was 282 cafes, this means 150 -- over half -- have closed.
In the decade the world economy has hardly done so well and Japan in particular is ...
