We reported earlier this summer on the silly circus that was the Tokyo gubernatorial election, with a female candidate stripping off during her TV broadcast and another using pornographic posters that police ordered to be taken down. One of the slightly more serious candidates, at least in terms of mainstream fame, was Toshio Tamogami, who…

As the Paris Olympics wind down, it’s time to reflect on the days we spent glued to our TVs and phones watching the sporting achievements. Or, let’s be honest, admiring the shapely female bodies on display in high definition. As always, the swimming, beach volleyball, and track and field did not disappoint when it came…

The freelance newscaster Yuri Kawaguchi has lost her contract with her management agency. The agency, Voice, announced on August 11 that Kawaguchi had been let go due to a post she made on social media complaining about male body odor. The 29-year-old posted a now-notorious tweet on August 8. “I’m sorry if you can’t help…

In a sign of just how much affective labor is valued in Japan, the popular hostess Miyako Sakurai has moved to another high-end Roppongi club in a deal worth reportedly ¥100 million. The move was announced on August 7. Sakurai was a hostess at Jungle Tokyo in Roppongi, where she apparently earned the club around…

You’re safe during that postcoital sleep, right? Perhaps not. A Japanese woman was enjoying her post-sex slumber at a love hotel in Shibuya, Tokyo, when she was sexually assaulted by a 49-year-old man who works at the hotel. The man, Kenji Honda, was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, police announced August 8. The incident…

A new Japanese movie called Air Doll (空気人形) has been released. We always suspected that it was about time mainstream society took an interest in our ways, and could this be start? The story, about a man who purchases a sex doll that comes alive, is sure to appeal to our sensibilities and that of…

It’s time to go back in history and prove that the Japanese have always been an erotic lot. Do you all know the tale of Sada Abe (阿部 定)? Born in 1905, she is infamous as the prostitute/maid who asphyxiated her lover and boss, Kichiro Ishida, in an inn after days of continuous sex. Kichiro…

This is an interesting topic and one that I get quite angry about. Why is the mainstream Japanese entertainment world so coy about sex scenes and nudity? TV is a joke! Not a nipple in sight. If you want titillation from a “normal” Japanese movie, good luck! And don’t even get us started on the…

A new film explores the feelings of war guilt for Japanese people. Caterpillar is about a soldier, haunted by his experiences of torture and rape in China during the war, who returns to Japan a hero… but without any legs or arms. Though he is torn apart internally by his feelings of guilt for his…

Yuriko Yoshitaka, star of the live action remake of the manga Gantz, didn’t always make her living as a headliner in blockbuster movies. Her first big break had her naked on her back under guys with lots of tattoos and piercings. The now 22-year-old actress is known for her sweet personality and her acting chops….