PORNOGRAPHY IN JAPAN – AN OVERVIEW
Ah, porn. We’ve all…dabbled in it at one point or another, whether out of curiosity or for uh, stress relief. On the off chance that you hail from a distant planet that resides in a universe where porn doesn’t exist, porn, short for pornography, is any printed, audio, or audiovisual material – guess which medium is the most popular now? – that depicts sexual acts and behavior for the main purpose of inciting arousal and sexual pleasure. In layman’s terms, it’s fuel for your spank bank.
For all you logophiles out there lusting for a bit of etymology, the word “pornography” can be traced back to the Greek words “porneia” meaning “prostitute” or “prostitution”, and “graphein” meaning “to write or record”. However, the word didn’t really uh, grow into popularity in the English language until around the mid-1800s.
Porn in Japan – Origins
Zipping over to the Far East, Japan’s history with porn dates back to the Heian Period in 974A.D. - well over a thousand years ago. Also known as the “Golden Age”, the Heian Period saw growing enthusiasms for art…and scandal; so what better way to thrust these two points of interest together than through erotic artworks?
Behold the creation of Shunga – a type of erotic Japanese art told through the medium of ink paintings and woodblock prints. The name “Shunga” is a cheeky bit of mischief as it means “spring”, which has long been a euphemism for “sex” in Japan. Naughty!
Artists who devoted their time to Shunga would stroke to life scenes of coitus and breed scandal by depicting sexual rumors from the Imperial Court on their canvases.
You may be interested to know that the characters and couples in these artworks were mostly clothed while engaged in various bedroom gymnastics. Why? Well, considering public bathhouses were a thing since the dawn of time in Japan, nakedness wasn’t the biggest of turn-ons. Doing the dirty while mostly clothed, however? Yeah, that was what got the juices flowing.
Porn in Japan – Present Day
Nowadays, porn in Japan has evolved into a whole different animal, engorged with kinks and fetishes so unique and fantastical that Japanese porn is an entire genre on its own. The medium through which porn is presented is also no longer limited to print, audio, or audiovisual material because, in this age of constantly advancing technology, people no longer seem satisfied with a quick wank to a simple porno video.
In Japan, the porn industry is huge and can range from the vanilla JAV (Japanese Adult Videos) to the more tactile, immersive, and possibly legally questionable buying of used knickers and clothing. Eroge, a portmanteau of the words “erotic” and “game” is another medium of porn in Japan, because why not add some sex to your video gaming sessions? I’m sure it makes for a delicious afternoon delight.
Porn in Japan vs. Porn in the West
If you ask someone about the difference between Japanese and Western porn, they’ll most likely immediately bemoan about the pixelation of all the best bits in the former. Censorship of all that juicy action aside, some distinguishing features in Japanese porn differentiate it from Western porn:
Clean-shaven vs. au naturel – pubic hair seems to be less of an issue in Japanese porn and you can often see actors traipsing through their scene partner’s bush to get to the good stuff
Plot vs. straight to the point – the average JAV tends to rival the length and content of feature films. There are multiple scenes, characters’ personalities and growths are explored, and any kinks and fetishes are given room to shine. Japanese porn can sometimes be a very explicit but well-thought-out story.
High pitched moaning – love it or hate it, JAV actresses are known for their high-pitched moaning; this is such a distinctive feature of Japanese porn that it’s its own category of kink.
Conservative – despite the numerous, very creative fetishes that run rampant through the Japanese porn industry, in general, sex in JAV can be quite vanilla compared to Western porn. There’s less girl-on-girl or guy-on-guy action; and less hardcore stuff like deep-throating, anal sex, double penetration, etc.
Genres of Japanese Porn
Yes, yes, everyone’s heard of tentacle porn but that’s not all that Japanese porn is known for. There are a plethora of genres, categories, and subcategories of Japanese porn that can make the heads of even the most devoted pupils of porn spin.
Some of the most common and popular genres of Japanese porn include:
- Bukkake or group ejaculation, usually on a female
- Dubious consent – usually the girl acts like she doesn’t want it but actually wants it…maybe
- Japanese schoolgirl/school uniforms – self-explanatory
- Gokkun – eating cum (semen)
- Hentai – cartoon/anime porn
Uncommon or unique genres include:
- Cat slapping – a genre of porn catered to a very specific audience where a JAV actress prowls the streets for unsuspecting victims to, yes, slap. Whatever gets you off, I guess.
- Pillow humping – a growing in popularity genre where people hump pillows until they cum. Sex stores have grabbed onto this kink with both hands and ran with it; and now you can buy hump pillows, some of which come with penetration points, stick on genitals, etc.
- Face farting – no, you didn’t read wrong. Some people get their rocks off from having someone let one rip onto their face. To that, I say let your freak flag fly.
In conclusion, porn in Japan is a wild, unique, and often head-scratching form of sexual entertainment. Good for those whose tastes run on the opposite spectrum of vanilla, are curious or are looking to branch out and add a little bit of spice to their bedroom play.
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