Japanese Porn is Really Weird (Warning: Descriptions)

In My Humble Opinion
1

Standard Disclaimer: This is not intended to be any kind of serious sociological criticism or judgement against the Japanese people or their culture, or any kind of insular triumphalism about the so-called “normalcy” of American porn, which at its fringes can get very very weird itself (“Humiliated Transvestites”–actual magazine :eek: ), as can the European variants. Porn itself is weird by nature, this commercial product that directly addresses our occasional need for fetishistic voyeurism. Furthermore, I’m no expert on Japanese porn. I just know what I’ve seen, maybe I’m mining the wrong part of the internet or patronizing the wrong bootleg-VCD seller (porn is illegal here in Thailand, but that’s another thread).

But I still think Japanese porn is kinda weird.

And I’m not talking about the extreme variants of bukkake (if you don’t know what that is, look it up–I’d rather not explain it here) or the ones where they make women walk through subway stations with ejaculate on their faces, or the enema/vomiting/scat sub-genres. I’m assuming that’s fringe, just as golden showers/fisting/fat granny porn is fringe in America.

I mean the (apparently) mainstream Japanese porn, where depictions of violent rape is common, girls are dressed to look underage, and actresses are coached to act like the sex is painful and humiliating. I mean I suppose it makes sense–the whole fantasy of power and all, and obsession with teen girls is global–but what confuses me is how little sex there actually is. Commonly there will be scenes where four guys jump on some schoolgirl, drag her into a room, strip her, insult her sneeringly, molest her with fingers and assorted objects, even spit on her, and then…nothing. End of scene. Huh? :confused:

Furthermore, when there is sex it seems rather lifeless, not very creative or intense, or even apparently enjoyable. It’s hard to tell because the male actors often keep their faces hidden. From what I can tell there is no such thing as a Japanese male porn star. They’re just extras, and not very good ones at that. Maintaining an erection appears to be something of an issue. It happens in US porn too, (all the time according to a New Yorker article) but typically they will edit and re-shoot rather than show twenty minutes of a naked flaccid guy groping a girl’s tits to no effect.

Western porn is also multi-racial. Japanese porn isn’t. I know it’s a reflection of demographics, but given the massive size of the Japanese porn industry, you’d think someone would have made one with Japanese guys screwing a blonde Caucasian woman, or some Latino men joining in the bukkake party on some Japanese girl, just for variety. Surely there’s a market for it, just as white guys here will watch “black-on-blonde” gang-bangs. And I have never seen any advertising for Japanese gay or bi-sexual porn. Homosexuality is legal in Japan as far as I know. Why no porn?

And of course there are the strange censorship laws that require mosaic-blurring of all genitalia, even pubic hair, yet permit the money shot to be shown dripping off the starlet’s face or body. Penises are obscene, but spooge is okay. So is non-consensual sex. That’s weird. Or it is to me, a Yank who’s been raised to think that cocks and cunts are fundamental to porn but (implication of) consent is a must.

Is this all connected to Japanese society, a strange manifestation of shame-based-culture and self-consciousness and ethnic homogeny? Or just my ign’ant bias talking out my ass? Perhaps Japanese think our porn is weird. “What, no rape? What’s with all those penis-close ups? Ew!” But I feel that as the leading porn industry of the East they should do better. Surely they can find one enthusiastic, rock-hard fellow who loves grimacing for the camera, and one athletic starlet who makes sex look fun, or one inspired director who wants to do so some big-budget porn cinema. Surely it would make lots of money. Wouldn’t it? Aren’t the Japanese already acknowledged masters of cinema, innovation, and kinkiness? Already their animated porn is the world’s best. Is that as far as they can go?

What am I missing here?

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Sigh, I wish I didn’t feel the need to comment on this. Especially since I wouldn’t consider myself an expert or even offical dabbler in this field.

But knowing what I do about Japanese women and their position in Japanese society it does make since, kinda.

Yet I expect this is changing as we speak. The mosaic is, I believe gone. I would imagine the Japanese porn industry is largely under the control of men aged 40 and over. And they make what turns them on. Yet the internet has drastically changed the face of porn. If you look hard enough you will find some more … uncommon porn for them. I saw a lebian one where they seemed to enjoy themselves. I’ve seen another one from the last few years where they both seemed to be enjoying themselves a bit(although the lady still did the lay still at the end). It’s just that the majority is still comsumed by men who think of women like a computer pokepokepoketwistpoke ad infinitum
By far the weirdest one I saw was where the girl broke down in tears for about 10 minutes in the middle of the film (before she showed anything, kissed anyone, etc.) she was so nervous.

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I’m just amazed at the low production values. I mean I know American porn went through a near-decade of craptacular production value too–the video revolution of the '80s–but it since recovered. There’s still mucho crap out there but there’s a wide range. Directors like Andrew Blake and Michael Ninn made Playboy-style movies that were hardcore and they made a fortune.

Japanese porn seems to have very little range–always with the flaccid faceless Japanese guys and the very young(ish) passive girl. Always in the small apartment. Always rough, but boring. The girl never says anything but that same high-pitched grunt. Occasionally a fantasy sequence in a garage or prison, but still the same tired gang-rape plot.

As you said, maybe that’s the kink of the audience. Power over cowering young girls who wince. Okay. But within that even, it seems no one’s pushing the um, artistic envelope. (Not the best word for it, I know).

And I still don’t get the absence of good sex. Not touchy-feely, woman orgasming, remember-the-clitoris GOOD sex, but hardcore athletic pounding in many positions with lots of groaning and dirty talk. I would think that a 45 year old Japanese man would prefer to live a vicarious fantasy of seeing a Japanese stud being superman, rather than three wimpy fellows who resort to using dildos because they can’t seem to keep it up. I mean for my porn Yen, I’d want some top-notch fantasy action, not something that reminds me of my own shortcomings.

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The mosaic is still alive and well, from what I’ve seen, although a sizable underground industry exists in ‘pre-edited’ videos.

My big complaint about Japanese porn is that it’s so, well… uncreative. The consensual sex scenes (I just don’t find rape scenes stimulating at all) all follow the exact same pattern: a little bit of breast fondling and sucking, vigorous rubbing of clitoris through panties, remove panties, continue rubbing until wet slurping sounds can be heard, brief cunnilingus, brief fellatio, missionary-style insertion, a few minutes of alternating between genital close-ups (which, because of the mosaic, results in an entire screenful of vaguely shifting pink-orange squares) and shots of the woman’s face and breasts as she bounces back and forth, man re-positions himself with woman’s legs over his shoulders as he prepares for the big finish, ending with him ejaculating on the woman’s chest or face. When I bought a VCR after moving here, I immediately rented a bunch of pornos. After about three weeks of seeing the exact same scene over and over, I gave up. I now just watch the softcore movies, where the performers actually have to act, as these are usually far more erotic.

The makers and performers in lesbian porn do show a spark of creativity (and seem to be better at acting), but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of demand for it, unfortunately.

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Oh yeah, I forgot about the ridiculous high-pitched “eep, eep eep, eeeeeeee!” screams. Not a single moan to be heard. The sounds are absurd enough to kill whatever eroticism is left.

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Okay, Sublight–you live closer to the problem (and solution) so let me ask you:

  1. Would your average Japanese porn buyer respond to more variety?
  2. If so, what kind and why? Three girls and one guy (never seen that one)? Big hung marquee Japanese stud a la Rocco Siffredi? Soft-lit Andrew Blake type stuff? Humorous semi-theme-plot like “All-Anal Stewardess School?” White chicks? Black chicks?
  3. Have you ever seen gay or bi Japanese porn?

Or do you think Japanese porn consumers are content with the existing product line, and would only want the same with younger girls and higher-pitched squeaking?

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I once read comments about a porn that said “the girl smiles too much - it detracts from the sexiness” or something like that. Apparently most Japanese men think the pained expression and the high-pitched micro-screams are sexy. (Don’t ask me, I don’t get it either.)

As for other races, if you go to a bookstore in Japan there are a few porn magazines featuring blondes. (Porn magazines are available in most bookstores in Japan, by the way, and not even wrapped in plastic bags.) Haven’t really looked at the videos - maybe I’ll take a peek behind the curtain next time I’m at Tsutaya and report back.

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Asian porn on the internet is not much better. Check any link site that offers it and you will see the same pattern: a few shots of the woman solo and numerous shots of her perfoming oral sex (usually a white guy) and being on the receiving end of some huge schlong. Her facial expressions are always those of pain and suffering. Not sexy or erotic.

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I think “Asian porn” as you describe it is just US porn with Asian women, which has always been a pretty solid sub-genre of the adult entertainment business. I’ve seen plenty of that stuff which is at the standards of US porn–that is, anywhere from awful to great.

I just don’t get why Asians make such bad Asian porn. I mean in most Asian countries (Thailand, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillippines, Cambodia, etc) it’s illegal, but Japan! The world’s second largest economy! Creator of kick-ass video games and fantasy role-playing! Inventors of robot dogs and Tamagochis! Complete utter anti-feminist sexists! Drawers of some of the world’s first erotic art, hundreds of years ago!

Their porn should be the world’s best, like their cars.

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Sublight-san:

“Oh yeah, I forgot about the ridiculous high-pitched “eep, eep eep, eeeeeeee!” screams. Not a single moan to be heard. The sounds are absurd enough to kill whatever eroticism is left.”

As the resident Japan resident, I’d like to ask you: Is that how Japanese girls have sex off-camera as well? A Caucasion acquaintance, who is unfortunately given to boasting cocksmanship and is thus quite unreliable in this matter, told me that during his year-long stay in Japan that nearly every Japanese girl he slept with “performed” in this same manner, with the “eep-eep-eep” and the pained expression. He loved it, as it said it made him “feel like a real man!” I think I’d find it a bit dull after a while. Perhaps you could shed some light on this matter. Just a healthy curiosity here, mind you…

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In Emmanuelle, which is set in Thailand, I believe, there is a bar scene with 2 pubescent girls on stage dirty dancing. Yuck.

In the same bar scene another girl “smokes” a cigarette [ahem] vaginally. Complete with blowing out the smoke.

If this was supposed to be erotic, let me tell ya, it had the opposite effect on me.

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Hmmm… Interesting thread.

From my (limited) understanding of Japanese culture, I would make 2 points:

  1. Japanese men (stereotypically) can’t handle (so to speak) women as equals. Japanese porn customers probably have this characteristic for real. Hence the schoolgirl/submissive thing. There are a lot of outgoing, confident and smart Japanese girls - and they tend to be single.

  2. Japanese entertainment is often ritualized. The blurb for movies posted outside a theater tells you not only the plot, but also the ending (so I’m told). People don’t want unexpected twists. They want it predictable. So (I guess) when they buy porn, they want the exact same routine every time.

I am, I hasten to add, not an expert, and only ended up on this thread because I, um…, clicked inaccurately on a thread about potato salad recipes.

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Up until a few years ago, I didn’t have any special affinity for Asian women. Never really thought about it. However, I met a wonderful Korean girl (now my wife) and started to find Asian women very sexy and attractive.

Consequently, I gravitated to the Asian side of things when looking for a magazine or video. The fact that we had a long-distance relationship (about 2000 miles) for 2 years meant I sought out my share of the porn.

I soon learned the lesson spoken of in the OP. Getting the U.S. stuff with an Asian actress was generally okay (hit-and-miss, of course, but similar to anything put out these days). However, I made the mistake of thinking that getting “authentic” Asian porn (i.e., Japanese) would be swell.

Like others have said, it is not erotic at all. The girl always looks like she is in pain. I mean, she’s either crying or looks like she’s just about to. Face all grimaced up while weird Japanese guys try to to shove a 3-headed vibrating thingy up her quim. This is so unerotic, I felt awful just having watched it.

For a while, I figured that I was just getting the wrong tapes, but finally realized that IS Japanese porn. Recently I read an expose in a magazine explaining that the most popular thing in Japan (even when looking for live hookers) is the whole tied up in ropes, nipple and labia clamps, and other painful things, and associated rape role-playing.

Now, my wife and I both enjoy erotic and hard core videos on occassion. The key word is EROTIC. Even most of the US stuff doesn’t qualify (Why is 80% of the video selection just scene compilations like “Jizz-hungry sluts” and 100 best facials."?) Can you imaginge a man and his wife settling down for an evening of that?

I have to pre-screen whatever I rent to make sure my wife would enjoy it. Sometimes you think you are getting an actual adult movie with a plot and sexy scenes, but mostly it is total junk. Even harder because my wife and I both like there to be an Asian actress or two for our viewing pleasure, but how many times can you see Asia Carerra or that other one do the same plotless scenes over and over?

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Maybe I should start my own thread: [Ask The Japanese Porn-Watching Guy!](http://did you actually expect a thread?)

Karellen: The variety in hardcore porn (with the exception of fetish videos) seems to be limited to what kind of costume the girl is wearing, with schoolgirl, nurse, teacher, and tour guide being the most popular. There are exceptions, and some movies try to break the patterns and even have some plot development, but they’re in the minority.

As for whether this is due to the industry being stuck in a rut, viewer tastes being homogeneous, or some combination of the two, I don’t know.

The big exception to all of this, however, is softcore porn. Here, you’ll find everything you mentioned: humor, sexual variety, some racial variety, well-known male actors, etc. There is also some gay softcore (there is probably also gay hardcore, but I haven’t seen it at the mainstream video stores).

Slow_Loris: my experience has been the opposite of your acquaintence’s. The pitches of my bed partner’s voices during sex have all been about the same as their speaking voices. They made the same kinds of noises as American women, and were all completely different from the standard porno squeak. They were also a lot more aggressive and took the initiative in doing what they wanted to do. As for your friend, if his pickup and foreplay techniques were the same as the guys in Japanese pornos, I suspect the women were faking it (the pained expressions may have been real, though).

OK, that’s it for me. I going to go to bed and sleep with my wife.

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Maybe I should start my own thread: [Ask The Japanese Porn-Watching Guy!](http://did you actually expect a thread?)

Karellen: The variety in hardcore porn (with the exception of fetish videos) seems to be limited to what kind of costume the girl is wearing, with schoolgirl, nurse, teacher, and tour guide being the most popular. There are exceptions, and some movies try to break the patterns and even have some plot development, but they’re in the minority.

As for whether this is due to the industry being stuck in a rut, viewer tastes being homogeneous, or some combination of the two, I don’t know.

The big exception to all of this, however, is softcore porn. Here, you’ll find everything you mentioned: humor, sexual variety, some racial variety, well-known male actors, etc. There is also some gay softcore (there is probably also gay hardcore, but I haven’t seen it at the mainstream video stores).

Slow_Loris: my experience has been the opposite of your acquaintence’s. The pitches of my bed partner’s voices during sex have all been about the same as their speaking voices. They made the same kinds of noises as American women, and were all completely different from the standard porno squeak. They were also a lot more aggressive and took the initiative in doing what they wanted to do. As for your friend, if his pickup and foreplay techniques were the same as the guys in Japanese pornos, I suspect the women were faking it (the pained expressions may have been real, though).

OK, that’s it for me. I going to go to bed and sleep with my wife.

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I’ve noticed a similar phenomenon in the Japanese hentai (animated porn) that I’ve seen… the female genitalia is drawn in some detail, but the male’s penis is drawn as a featureless club. It looks like a big stick of Italian crusty bread or something. At first I thought it was just a design choice of a particular artist of producer, but it seems to be true in all of the hentai I’ve seen. (Of course, I’ve not seen them all.)

That said, my taste in porn agrees with what divemaster posted. My wife and I prefer eros to hardcore bangin’ (though the hardcore stuff can be fun in the right mood), and while we certainly don’t mind explicit depictions of sex, we generally prefer subtlety and erotic suggestion to ten minutes of rear-entry grunting. There are very few movies that fit the bill. Most of them are either too simplistic or too weird… there are very few in the middle ground. We just watched Caligula last night, and while it had its moments, it mostly fell into the “too weird” category.

I’ve never personally seen a true Japanese live-action porn movie, but from what’s being said here, I doubt either my wife or I would get much out of it. Nipple-clamps and brutality aren’t really our thing. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Maybe the reason why there is no variety in Japanese porn is because Japanese people watch Western porn when they want variety.

I know a friend of mine took me aside once and asked me if all Western women smacked their asses during sex, because she sees that on all the Western porn.

Can you imagine how tempting it was to answer in the affirmative?

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I lived in Japan for 6 years (nowhere near any other foreigners) and I wonder if Japanese men have lower libidos than other nationalities? They seem to get off on tittilation alone - the actual act of sex seems less important than the tittilation (the manga, videos, talking about it etc)? This is just from personal experience. Also, whereas foreign men get laid very easily in Japan by Japanese women, foreign women have more of a problem! This may have something to do with the lack of international porn vids?? Japanese men seem to be scared of foreign women, maybe because we are not submissive? (Japanese women for the most part aren’t either but the men don’t find this out until after they get married!!)

A slight highjack
Avalonia - I haven’t watched porn all that much and what I have seen has left me non-turned on because it is just not erotic. You sound like you have done a fair bit of research, so can you recommend some porn? Something that your wife finds erotic maybe?

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One of my friends gave me a Japanese nose-torture porn video. They tie down this young woman and put these little blunt hooks into her nostrils and pull them forward, so that her nostrils are stretched open, and the whole time she’s moaning like it’s some kind of humiliatingly erotic experience.

In other words, Japanese porn is really weird.

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MelCthefirst, I haven’t slept with anyone except my husband. But I KNOW that there are Japanese men with high libidos, and Japanese men with low, just like in a Western country. My husband’s libido is reasonably high…he would have sex every day if I was ready for it!

We don’t use porn very regularly; the act itself is enough for us.

And from what I’ve seen, foreign women over here have little problem getting laid. I was propositioned enough when I was an exchange student (only 17 at the time too). I suspect that part of it is that Japanese men EXPECT Western women to be really into sex, because that’s the impression they get from movies, porn or otherwise.