With the Tokyo 2020 Games just over the horizon, tourism is expected to rise in Japan. There is a lot of news out there about Japanese food, traditions and lifestyle that never fails to rake the tourists in. Today, we’ll be looking at something the average tourist doesn’t go poking their nose in – the country’s sex culture.
TENGA is a Japanese company that develops, manufactures and sells sex toys for men. It’s a globally popular brand and sells products in over 60 countries worldwide.
Gekkan TENGA is a monthly newsletter that not only reports on TENGA’s products and news related to the company, but also releases findings related to Japan’s sex culture which TENGA gathers through conducting its own research. Gekkan TENGA‘s latest report aims to discover how the world views sexuality in Japan and around the world. The report includes surveys conducted in nine countries including Japan, and a discussion with foreign residents living there. For those of you who don’t know a lot about Japan’s sex culture, we’re here to enlighten you!
Global Report on Masturbation
Following their global study in 2019, TENGA produced the TENGA 2019 Self-Pleasure Report that explores the difference in attitudes towards sex in different countries. Afterwards, the results were shown to a group of foreigners who reside in Japan for an open discussion.
In the last year, how satisfied have you been with your partner’s sexual performance?
In the US, China and various countries in Europe, approximately 70% of participants in the survey expressed moderate or high levels of satisfaction. On the other hand, Taiwan, Korea and Japan showed lower satisfaction levels with Japan lingering behind at a mere 40%.
Chinese Male: Mr. L
Perhaps the Japanese are experiencing lower levels of sexual satisfaction with their partners due to the large amount of stimulating media, manga and such which gives rise to unrealistic expectations.
Spanish Female: Ms G
Maybe the satisfaction levels in Spain are much higher because more people talk openly to their partners about what they want their partners to do for them.
The study suggests that many Japanese people are not entirely satisfied with their sexual relationship with their partner. Japan being loaded with a vast variety of stimulating materials does seem to be a likely a reason for this. Seeing such a low satisfaction rate result makes one question whether people in Japan feel a sense of loneliness.
Would you say that masturbation is healthy?
The US and European countries mostly answered “yes” to this but to varying degrees. The “yes” percentage for Japan, however, was on the low side. The majority of Japanese participants answered “neither healthy or unhealthy”, making it seem that masturbation is not widely considered as a major contributor towards health in Japan.
Discussion: How does the world view sexuality in Japan?
After showing the results of the survey to a group of foreigners of different nationalities residing in Japan, a discussion took place. All participants seemed to agree that one of the biggest surprises they discovered in Japan was the large number of love hotels.
Ms. G from Spain: I was surprised to see so many love hotels in Japan.
Ms. T from Canada: Same here! It’s quite rare to see establishments solely built for sex in other countries.
Mr. C from America: In America, some people go to motels for sex but they weren’t built for that purpose.
Ms. G from Spain: In the west, most people have sex in their own homes. If couples choose to stay at a hotel, it’s usually to treat themselves, for example, a romantic getaway at a resort for their anniversary.
Ms. L from China: The walls of Japanese residences are quite thin so considering family, love hotels do seem essential.
Ms. T from Canada: I think it’s amazing that Japan has these hotels which are easy to identify and are catered towards people who want to have sex.
Is there anything about Japan’s sex culture that surprises you? Each country has its own attitudes towards sex, however, Japan’s sex culture is very unique. The newsletter Gekkan TENGA publishes back issues on its official website. Check out the link in the information section below for more information.
