A visit to SOD Land, Tokyo’s porn theme park bar complex that is surprisingly hygienic
December 4, 2020
/ Tadashi Anahori
These days, we aren't going out much, but we might be persuaded to make an exception here.
Tokyo Weekender published a photo report on the recently opened SOD Land, which is publicized as a porn theme park.
As previously reported, the complex opened in the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku in central Tokyo back in October, and features five floors devoted to adult video.
Tokyo Weekender's report emphasizes the "safety" aspect of the visit, in how the site has adapted to the risk of the coronavirus through face masks, disinfecting visitors from head to foot, and a special UV filter in the ...
SOD Land porn theme park bar complex opens in Kabukicho, Tokyo
October 14, 2020
/ Tadashi Anahori
Top Japanese porn producer Soft on Demand has opened its mini theme park complex in Kabukicho, Tokyo, which, despite recent gentrification, remains one of the centers of the adult and sex industry.
As previously reported, SOD Land is five floors devoted to porn. Visitors can get food and drink served by actual adult video stars or sex workers in several different types of establishments.
Here are some pictures from when the site opened to the public on October 10. People were lining to get in, despite the pre-typhoon rainy weather.
The "silent bar" on the top floor is the ...
Japanese sex industry operator sues government over coronavirus cash relief discrimination
September 28, 2020
/ Tadashi Anahori
The Japanese government has stepped in with cash handouts for both citizens and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic in an attempt to offset the worst effects of the economic fallout. Offering a maximum of ¥2 million in a one-off lump sum to help pay rent, the money has been a lifeline for small companies like shops and restaurants.
But what about the sex industry? So far, operators of such services have been excluded from the relief program.
One woman has taken matters into her own hands, filing a lawsuit against the Japanese national government as well as two firms overseeing the ...
Top porn producer Soft on Demand to open adult theme park bar building in Tokyo
September 21, 2020
/ Tadashi Anahori
The Weekly Playboy bar in Kabukicho was a big success back in 2017. We were reminded of it -- and how few chances there are to encounter the adult industry in a bricks-and-mortar setting other than just a shop in the likes of Akihabara -- when we read the exciting news that top Japanese porn production and distribution company Soft on Demand is opening what is essentially a sex theme park in Tokyo.
Ostensibly, the building will host restaurants and bars staffed by genuine porn performers, following the precedent established by Weekly Playboy's bar, where real gravure idols served ...
New book on sex workers in Japan reveals their “healing” role in society
July 7, 2020
/ Tadashi Anahori
At a point when the sex industry in Japan is under economic and social pressure -- demonized by politicians and the media for spreading the coronavirus, deserted by customers -- comes a timely reminder of the "healing" and affective nature of sex work, and its curious status in society.
Recently reviewed in the Japan Times, Gabriele Koch's book Healing Labor: Japanese Sex Work in the Gendered Economy (2020, Stanford University Press) argues that Japanese sex workers regard their work as necessary to the social and economic well-being of society.
The book is the result of nearly two years of ...
Face veil masks released to rescue the Japanese hostess club industry during the coronavirus era
June 26, 2020
/ Tadashi Anahori
As previously discussed on this blog before, hostesses and hosts have received much of the blame for the spread of the coronavirus in Japan, especially in Tokyo.
The nightlife scene, particularly the seedier side in areas like Kabukicho, has found itself demonized by the authorities and media as the most obvious source of infection clusters.
While we don't doubt that intimate encounters with prostitutes or long sessions in small hostess club booths does increase the risk of infection, we are very suspicious of the narrative that the media is pushing.
Indeed, this week Tokyo announced 55 ...
Japanese comedian: “I look forward to enjoying all the eager sex workers after coronavirus”
April 28, 2020
/ Tadashi Anahori
With much of Japan on semi-lockdown (or at least, slowdown) due to measures to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus, freelancers and the self-employed are particularly feeling the crunch.
This naturally includes prostitutes of various types (soaplands, call girls, etc.). Though some delivery health services are trying to cash in on the crisis with coronavirus-themed marketing, we expect most fuzoku establishments are closed or running reduced hours right now. Naturally, accurate numbers of these are hard to come by, though we did read an interview with a sex worker at an Ikebukuro ...
Call girl service in Japan exploits coronavirus for marketing opportunities
April 10, 2020
/ Tadashi Anahori
We wrote recently about some of the ways that the coronavirus pandemic has affected the adult industry in Japan.
We didn't talk about prostitution much except for the closure of Tobita Shinchi, a famous red-light district in Osaka, and outbreaks associated with Kabukicho in Tokyo.
It's a sure thing that people aren't going out to red-light districts or brothels, but what about other types of fuzoku services such as delivery health?
Well, it seems that call girls are still available and may even be busier than usual as lots more people hang around at home with little to do except think ...
How much do women working as prostitutes in Japan earn?
March 21, 2017
/ Tadashi Anahori
How much do women working as prostitutes in Japan earn? Regardless of your nocturnal habits, it's no doubt a question no doubt many of us have asked at various times.
Grow As People (GAP) is a nonprofit group that supports sex workers and it just released a new report.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it found that wages decrease with the age of the workers (the opposite of the classic Japanese corporate model).
It based its report on an online survey conducted in 2015 with 377 women working at Kanto-area "delivery health" brothels (fuzoku), which dispatches call girls to love ...
Kaku-Butsu, SOD’s amazing fuzoku sex club web portal
December 9, 2013
/ Tadashi Anahori
Soft on Demand (SOD) are some of our favorite people in the world.
Not only do they make fantastic Japanese porn, they are also a retailer who sells and distributes other production companies' products.
Kaku-Butsu is SOD's incredible fuzoku (sex club) web portal, providing information and rankings on hundreds of clubs in Japan.
The name literally means "every thing" and it lives up to its boasts of comprehensiveness.
You can see the club's prices, their area, their services (i.e., can the girl be "delivered" to your love hotel or apartment, or do you pick her up at the club?), and the ...