Asia After Hours

The resignation of television personality Shinsuke Shimada over the summer put the spotlight on connections between gangsters and the entertainment world, but, warns reports Shukan Post (Nov. 11), the broadcasting stations themselves should be equally nervous about associating with organized crime.

Nationwide legislation passed in October prohibits ordinary citizens from assisting the business activities of criminal organizations, yet television stations, the article says, can be structured whereby certain activities involve yakuza connections.

“I have experience in helping sell tickets to events hosted by TV stations,” says a gang member involved in show business. “A TV station producer will come to an event promoter because he knows on the surface things look clean, but the reality is a connection to the mob. A request will be made to sell half the tickets to an event. That will happen, but with fifty percent of the sales price kept as commission.”

Both benefit from this arrangement, and the relations only get deeper from there. Gangsters connected to entertainment production companies will utilize their resources to ensure that the performers within the company’s talent pool rise to the top to receive a take of the large fees they are able to charge for dinner shows and banquets.

“Entertainment production companies are basically gangster front companies,” says a former television station manager. “They’ll engage in the wining and dining of TV station producers, and offer gambling on the golf course and mahjong, in which the producers will be intentionally allowed to win big. Then they might be taken to high-end hostess clubs, operated by gangsters affiliated with the entertainment production company, in Ginza and Roppongi at no charge. The companies will also arrange parties with some hot, young female actresses. Invitations to soaplands also occur.”

As a result, the TV station producers will be influenced regarding the casting and structuring of upcoming programs. But there is yet a potentially darker side, the magazine warns.

“TV employees at big stations frequent ‘members only’ clubs in Nishi Azabu that are managed by close associates of gangsters,” says a police investigator. “The network being built up within this community is a concern.” (K.N.)

Source: “Boryokudan kankei no geino puro TV man josei tarento tono enkai settai kikaku,” Shukan Post (Nov. 11)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Popularity: 9%

Tokyo’s Yoshiwara district is known as the country’s largest soapland brothel area, offering a plethora of pleasures to please any punter, but exactly once every two months, reports weekly tabloid Shukan Post (Oct. 21), it’s filled with many grinning grandpas game to get it on.

Around the 15th day of even-numbered months, when pension checks are issued, the numerous bathhouses and bordellos that line the rectangular area’s streets become a playground for the Yoshiwara Nenkin-zoku, or the Yoshiwara Pension Tribe.

The magazine believes that this is one example of how the below-the-belt fuzoku industry is targeting the older generation and giving up on younger, more “passive” men, or soshokukei danshi.

“Soaplands that open early remind one of a hospital lobby since they are filled with many older men,” says Akira Ikoma, the editor of a guide to men’s entertainment called Ore no Tabi (My Trip). “That is the case with a place in Ikebukuro, where you can feel-up a gal’s chest. You’ll see many seniors smiling as they enjoy fumbling with their hands.”

Jun Hayakawa, a manager of an out-call aroma therapy service called Precious, located in Ikebukuro, says that his clientele is generally comprised of men in their 50s, but there is also one octogenarian in the bunch. “Many are pension recipients,” the manager explains. “Some are even attempting to sponsor our girls by offering some cash each month, but discourage that kind of thing.”

Aging doesn’t mean that a man will lose his sex drive, Shukan Post assures. Rather, it means that he has more time and maybe a bit of cash — so it’s natural to go have some fun.

Shun Sakai, the owner of the out-call (deri heru) service named Submissive Housewives Living around Tokyu Lines, asks that customers be above 30 years of age. “I myself used to go to fashion health shops in Shibuya but it was uncomfortable,” the manager explains. “Many guys in their 20s will give you cold looks, wondering why a mature person is here to play. It makes it difficult to visit.”

Sakai opened his club six years ago. Ladies are sent to residences or hotels, which allows customers to not meet one another face to face. His clientele breaks down as follows: those in their 30s (5 percent), between 40 and 59 (57 percent), and remainder is represented by those 60 and above, with the highest reaching 75.

The older the customer, the cheaper the rates. For the basic 90-minute course, fees range between 23,000 and 25,000 yen.

Most ladies are in their 30s, which is not standard in Tokyo. “While most men tend to favor 20-year-olds, that is too low for conversation purposes,” Sakai says. “Some also will be concerned that the girls will actually be looking down on them. So, for a temporary date, a mature woman fits better.”

The manager adds that when a lady is bit out of shape it relaxes a man. “We tend to select amateur-looking gals since the image of a professional is not appealing to senior men,” he says.

In fact, a girl was told by a client that her blow-job skills were sub-par. However, this imperfection subsequently made her more appealing.

“The ladies are urban and come with class,” says “Ｉｓａｏ Matsuda,” 64, a regular. “They are kind and full of warmth.”

When a lady arrives at a hotel, she’ll enjoy a chat with the customer for between 30 minutes and an hour. It is a must that he not ask private questions. They’ll then take a bath together.

“It has been five years since I’ve done it with my wife,” says Matsuda. “Since I am releasing my stress via these deri heru gals, I am getting better at becoming more sensitive to my spouse and female colleagues.”

He tells Shukan Post that just prior to the interview he had visited one such establishment.

“I want to go as long as my body allows me,” he smirks. (K.N.)

Source: “Rokuju-sai ijo muke fuzoku gyoretsu no dekiru mise,” Shukan Post (Oct. 21, page 134)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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3. Maria Ozawa’s deri heru debut, popularity of ‘land mine’ gals top sex biz trends

Popularity: 9%

With the pennant races heating up, now is the time for NPB players to be at their best. Yet a feature in Shukan Taishu Venus (August 23) explains that the serious stick-playing begins after each game’s last out — albeit in a fashion that is more discreet than in days gone by.

In Tokyo, heavy hitters used to swing their bats in expensive soaplands in the Yoshiwara brothel district, and that is still true to some degree. “There’s a player with a bancho attitude that comes around,” says a beat writer with a sports paper. “He is a legend for using shops as his post-game shower room. He’ll play with three girls, no problem.”

However, a Yoshiwara street tout tells the tabloid, “We don’t see players come and play here as much as we used to.”

A fuzoku writer — that is, one who covers the sex trade — says that players are tending to use deri heru (delivery health) escort services as a means of discretion. “Since you can use your own hotel,” the source says, “there is no risk of fans or paparazzi finding out. SM clubs seem to be quite popular these days.”

A premier SM deri heru joint based in Akasaka is one example. “This is merely a rumor, but a former middle reliever from a Tokyo-based team, now pitching in the Pacific League, is a regular,” says the same fuzoku hack. “On nights when he gets rocked on the mound, he gets his rocks off with some beautiful honeys at the club, usually with some anal activities.”

These types of services are also popular among players who hang out in a group. “I knew it is someone famous when we got an order from four men staying at a hotel in Akasaka — in which we were instructed to keep it quiet regarding the front desk,” says a manager of a deri heru club in Ikebukuro.

The manager took four of his girls in his van and delivered them to four players from a very popular Central League club. Among them was a crafty infielder, who made things challenging for the girl who serviced him. “I was bit scared because even my soft touch on his shoulder made him upset. He start shouting, saying I missed a spot. He knew so much about massage.”

Then after he finished up, he suddenly asked the gal for her number. When she said that her company’s policy prohibits such an activity, he smiled as if he’d flubbed a grounder.

Nagoya’s Sakae entertainment district is frequented by many visiting teams. “One popular one is a mattress health club that features large-chested gals,” says a local beat writer. “One hour runs 20,000 yen. The place gets good reviews and the tits are really high end.”

A regular is the best closer in the Central League and was a member of the World Baseball Classic roster. “I guess closers endure tremendous pressure,” says the same writer. “This guy seems to get some relief by being covered in lotion.”

But that’s not all.

“He broke his leg few years ago,” the writer continues. “This caused his slider to lose some bite, and fans got nervous watching his games. But the story you hear is that he actually slipped during mattress play, and that’s how he got hurt.”

Sakae is famous for its clubs featuring hitozuma gals — or married women. “I was called to go to a premier hotel in Sakae,” says one escort. “I knew two teams from the Central League use the hotel, but I couldn’t believe I would ever be called for one of them.” The guy waiting for her is a leadoff batter for a Tokyo-based team. He is married to a real knockout, but he told the gal, “I like them a bit chubby and with a chest that’s a bit saggy.”

“That’s why he seems to like married women,” the call girl says. “He went licking all over my chest.”

Sapporo is home to the Nippon Ham Fighters, and visiting teams head to the Susukino entertainment area after games. “Most players call after 11:00 p.m.,” says the manager of a deri heru joint. “Perhaps that’s the time when they return to their hotel room after having dinner. This one pitcher was really fast. He called around 10:00 p.m.”

Shukan Taishu says that the kid turned pro a couple years ago. “While he made the roster this year, he seems to have an attitude problem and is not well perceived by his teammates,” says a sportswriter. “He eats alone after games.”

The manager concurs about his lack of maturity. “He had no class,” he says. “He changed girls twice. One of them said he was really rough and handled her head during a blow-job.”

The magazine even tracked down one call girl who is actually a Hanshin Tigers fan. She remembers a left-handed pitcher from a Tokyo team who was in town.

“It was tough to give him massage as he was all muscle around the shoulder,” she remembers. While he is known for his fastballs, it took him a long time to finish up. “So I let him lick my nipples even though that is not allowed to finally get him off,” she says. “Is he really known for his velocity? I can’t believe Hanshin can’t handle him.”

Source: “Yakyu senshu shinya no fuzoku gayoi,” Shukan Taishu Venus (August 23, pages 46-49)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Popularity: 3%

It has been widely reported that products sourced from the agriculture and fisheries industries of Fukushiima Prefecture have faced intense scrutiny since the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11. But who would have thought that bias would bode for blow-jobs, too?

Freelance fuzoku journalist Teruhiko Aoyama tells weekly tabloid Shukan Asahi Geino (June 23) that even before the nuclear incident, some regulars at sex clubs liked to look down on girls and verbally berate them. “Sadistic customers tend to fall in that category,” says the sex scribe, “and now they’ll give girls a hard time when they find out they are from Fukushima.”

It is common for many shops to disclose the hometowns of girls as a means of introduction. Prior to the earthquake, Fukushima locals carried an image of being passionate and nice. Now it is only about radiation. The magazine cites one deri heru (out-call) shop called Umichan in which an exchange regarding a Fukushima gal might go something like, “I forgot her name, but is the radiation here today?”

Fukushima working girls who moved to Tokyo before March 11 and those who came to the capital thereafter are now hiding their origins.

“The fuzoku industry is competitive,” says a reporter of an evening daily responsible for the fuzoku section. “Deri heru shops used to never offer a deep kiss but today that’s a common service. So now, when a (Fukushima) girl tries to give a kiss as a way of a greeting, a customer will refuse. They’ll say the saliva may contain radiation. The ’69′ service is a no-no because love juice may contain radiation, and also no blow-jobs. Some girls have become very hurt by these conditions.”

In one case, a client said to a girl, “What are you going to do from now? Don’t have kids. In Chernobyl, kids became deformed. Yours will be too.”

Fuzoku journalist Aoyama continues, “With hitozuma shops” — that is, establishments staffed by married ladies — “the conversation usually starts off with, ‘How old is your kid?’ Then once it is revealed that she is from Fukushima, they’ll look at her as if she’s really dirty, like trash. Then the client will suddenly ask to change a girl prior to the commencement of service. Some guys will even file a complaint with the shop.”

One out-call girl from Fukushima was told by a client to wash her hair because the thought of radiation was making it difficult for him to get hard.

Some managers are suggesting that girls lie and say they are from Akita or Yamagata prefectures, but the slight difference in accents makes that challenging.

A female employee at a hitozuma shop tells the magazine that the sight of Prime Minister Kan on television makes her sick. While she was lucky to win temporary housing, she adds, “You still have to pay utility bills. I was hoping that donations would cover that but I haven’t received anything yet. I am a single mom. This has left me with no choice but to work at a fuzoku shop. But in being from Fukushima, I get mistreated.

“Politicians are only concerned about their power,” she continues. “I don’t want to see Kan’s face.”

Aoyama says that some some clients are going so far as to carry Geiger counters with them to hotel rooms. “They’ll check the radiation level by putting it against the girl’s privates,” he says. (A.T.)

Source: “Fukushima shushin fuzokujo no hoshano sabetsu ga hajimatta, kyaku no fera kyohi ni Akita shushin to uso wo,” Shukan Asahi Geino (June 23, pages 184-185)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Popularity: 5%

According to a survey by the Japanese Association for Sex Education, about 40 percent of Japan’s male university students have yet to experience sex.

It seems the education system is so skewed toward academic learning, people figure they can acquire the necessary knowledge and skills by attending a seminar about anything.

As proof of this, Nikkan Gendai (June reports that an NPO named White Hands, which was organized to promote sexual solace among the physically handicapped, has announced plans to open its doors to all comers, with a program to advance the necessary ins and outs of getting it on.

The retreat is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students. According to the site, “The curriculum seriously aims to direct people toward safe and healthy sex, irregardless of their physical appearance, communication skills, location of residence or opportunities for meeting other people,” the site claims. “Taking the knowledge and experience imparted by the course to heart will help dispel problems and anxieties, particularly like those found among college students. It will give them more courage and self confidence.”

The two-night, three-day retreat begins with a lecture titled “The Theory of Male-Female Interaction” and then moves on to practice workshops on planning dates. Evenings, random drawings will be used to pair off partners for, uh, hands-on practice. The next morning, they will appear before their peers and orally report on their impressions.

Talk about a Spartan regimen, Nikkan Gendai winks.

The cost for attendance is 150,000 yen, with 5,000 yen discounted for students who are receiving tuition aid. Additional discounts of up to 30,000 yen will be given according to TOEIC score results, and those who bring along friends will also be eligible for group rates.

Some may point out that 150,000 yen is more than enough to cover admission to a high priced soapland (erotic bathhouse), where nearly the same results can be obtained with a lot less effort.

Nevertheless Nikkan Gendai notes that the organizer has been flooded with applications ahead of the July 31 deadline. It adds that another program, for sexually inexperienced working people up to age 35, is offered for 185,500 yen. (K.S.)

Source: “Dotei, shojo no tamae no otona gasshuku’ ni moshikomi satto,” Nikkan Gendai (June 8, page 7)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Popularity: 2%

Sex workers are people too, and they yearn for marriage and family. The fact that many come from broken homes, suggests Nikkan Gendai (May 10), is all the more reason why they desire a normal family life for themselves.

Unfortunately, happy endings are the exception rather than the rule.

Michie, age 29, has been working in a Yoshiwara soapland (erotic bathhouse) for six years, and has seen many of her colleagues desert the sudsy sex trade and head for the altar.

“Probably because of their unhappy childhoods, they all felt strongly about wanting to marry and fix things up,” she says. “But a lot of them are looking for security and tend to marry older men with money, so these gals wind up married to men the same age as their own father. I don’t know why it is, but many of them start taking classes in English conversation, and then go off on trips abroad, where they can pick up men.”

When fuzoku femmes meet customers off the shop premises on dates, one of the first things they want to know is the man’s true financial status.

“They already know through their job about men’s nasty sides, so they don’t easily accord customers their trust,” says Michie. “Some people who patronize soaplands and make a show of having money, when actually they’re up to their ears in debt. Actually men who really have money tend to be modest about it.”

Of course some working girls care more about a man’s character than his bank account. Last year a former deri heru (out-call service) worker named Yuka, age 32, tied the knot with a man three years her junior.

“I’ve had terrible luck with men,” she tells Nikkan Gendai. “Some were two-timers (or three-timers) and others turned violent. My hubby may be a bumbling oaf with a face like a hippo, but at least I don’t have to worry about him cheating on me. I’m grateful he married me. It’s good enough.”

Nevertheless, by the calculation of one veteran soap lady, marriages among some 70 percent of gals in the sex trade are destined to fail within the first three years.

A typical marital spat might take this form.

Husband: Well after all, what can you expect, from a slut who peddled her ass in a soapland?

Wife: Yeah, and I can always go back to doing it — it’s no worse than living with you!

The war of the sexes takes no prisoners. (K.S.)

Source: “Kekkon shita fuzokuzjo no nanawari ga sannen inai ni rikon suru,” Nikkan Gendai (May 10, page 20)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Popularity: unranked

“When I was in the Onahama district of Iwaki City to view the tsunami damage, one of the locals advised me to check a certain place out,” writes the reporter for Spa! (May 3-10). “I walked along streets lined with rubble and eventually came to some fairly robust ferroconcrete structures that were still standing.”

Onahama, according to a resident in his 60s who’d been evacuated from his flattened home, had been quite prosperous thanks to its local fishing industry. Perhaps it was for this reason that it also had a thriving red-light district.

“I used to go there quite frequently, but not any more,” the man admits.

Indeed a happy haven for rough-and-ready seamen and casual visitors, Onahama was home to no fewer than 17 soaplands (erotic bathhouses). The female proprietor of one, named “Idol,” talked to Spa!’s reporter.

“The walls collapsed and the road was torn up,” she sighs. “Onahama tends to have lots of earthquakes, but nothing like the one that struck on March 11. The whole soapland district erupted into a panic, and both the masseuses and their customers went rushing out into the street in terror.”

Then moments later came the tsunami warning, and most people fled for the high ground. Soapland “I,” the town’s oldest establishment and the closest to the harbor, was inundated and most of its ground floor damaged.

“The boiler for heating water were damaged by the flooding, so we had to shut down,” says the boss of one shop. “Now a month after the quake, four or five shops have managed to obtain new boilers from outside the prefecture and are finally back in business.”

But as if things weren’t already bad enough, the shops have become the target of criticism by those who regard such “recreation” in post-quake Fukushima as undesirably frivolous.

“We hear people who walk past on the street mutter, ‘Hmph! How can they operate such businesses at a time like this?’” Says the aforementioned bathhouse operator. “But our girls have to earn a living too. Besides, they’re helping to perform a useful social service by giving men an outlet to relieve their frustrations.”

Currently licensed soaplands, incidentally, are banned by the public morals law from rebuilding or relocating, and according to Spa’s source, the operators of several of Onahama’s shops have made the decision to close their doors for good. (K.S.)

Source: “Shinsai higai wo ‘kowadaka ni apiiru dekinai gyokai’ no kuno,” Spa! (May 3-10, page 26)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Popularity: unranked