The wheels of the Japanese adult video juggernaut trundle on, demanding fresh material, new performers, and novel inspiration. As frequently noted on these digital pages, JAV often turns to parody to sustain itself, resulting in a kind of meta industry that is highly topical and self-aware. The DJ Soda groping incident at a music festival last summer, in which the star was touched by several male and female members of the audience, was a big scandal, though ultimately the Korean performer has overcome the negativity and cemented her fandom in Japan with a debut photo book and cover shoot ...

The gentrification of Kabukicho, which has turned the main strip and square into a cleaner, more tourist-friendly place, has not changed the fundamental nature of the district. Just turn a corner and you'll find blowjob parlors and host or hostess clubs galore, not to mention Shinjuku's massive love hotel area right behind. The dark side of Kabukicho, which gets its name from an unfulfilled plan in the postwar years to build a kabuki theater in the neighborhood, reared its head over the weekend -- in two very unpleasant scenes. A few weeks ago, someone was thankfully prevented from jumping ...