Tokyo Love Story: JAV Edition
Fetishes are a funny thing; the internet an infinite source for quality content and a safe space for people beholding similar kinks to build community.
Tokyo Love Story is a Sabukaru series where we explore the love & sex industry of Japan, and take a deep look at what goes on inside and out of it. For the first edition, we take a look at the JAV [Japanese Adult Video] industry, and what happens between the lines that the average consumer might not be able to see.
Amongst the many countries curating content for the sexually adventurous, Japan is one country holding a multi billion dollar adult video industrygarnering global attention as well as demand from local viewers.
Not only is the term ‘Japanese’ trending, the country continues to churn out new genres such as ‘hentai’ a general term that originally means pervert in Japanese now represents animated porn, ‘bukakke’ originally meaning splash is now a term coined by director Kazuhiko Matsumoto to mean group ejaculation as well as ‘gokkun’ meaning to swallow is now a term to represent the act of consuming semen.
Such genres have earned their title in countries abroad; on the other hand, the reality in Japan depicts a different story. Porn and sex remains a taboo in this country.
Taboo is maybe even an understatement, as sex and intimacy is so frowned upon and shamed that sex education is rarely available in public schools and the topic is hardly discussed at the dinner table for most families.
Poster of In the realm of senses [Japanese title：’Ai No Corrida’] directed by Nagisa Oshima; a pink film that caused controversy for its depiction of unsimulated sex. Due to the film’s sexually explicit nature and Japan’s strict censorship laws, the film was listed under a French enterprise and can only be shown censored in Japan till this day.
HISTORY & THE BASICS
The history of pornography goes way back before the 20th century with Japanese traditional woodblock paintings called ‘Shunga’ depicting intimacy between one or more people during the edo period and the distribution of pink films; films that portray scenes of nudity and sexual acts.
Erotic Print by Kitagawa Utamaro [Woodblock print; ink and color on paper]
However, the JAV industry - short for Japanese adult video - can be said to have risen in prominence mainly during the time of the bubble economy; a time when the average working man/woman had to wave a 10,000 yen bill in the air just to hail a cab as the country oozed with capital.
And what do people do when they have an excessive amount of cash in their pockets?
They spend it on luxury items and pastime pleasures; more specifically pastime pleasures that included fulfilling their sexual desires. Thus the JAV industry was born.
Amongst the many fine players within the industry, two well known distributors that dominated the market include ‘crystal eizo’ and ‘diamond eizo’; both big shot production studios within the JAV industry with their names a testament to the glitz and glamorous lifestyles that were achievable during this economic boom.
There is no talking about ‘crystal eizo’ without mentioning Toru Muranishi, the notorious director well known for being arrested a total of 7 times and 50 million yen in debt for his outrageous behavior and ambitions on set. His life has been the epicenter of several novels and films including the manga, ‘Naked Director’ [Japanese title: zenra-kantoku] written by Nobuhashi Motohiro and a Netflix series bearing the same title, both dedicated to depicting the life of the director and allowing the viewer to get a sense of how the industry worked during this era of prominence. However, can we say that the same standards and rules apply as of right now?
Toru Muranishi Famed JAV Film maker. Notable portrail in recent Netflix series “The Naked-Director. “
Toru Muranishi in his element
Nowadays there are mainly two ways that a person can actually become a JAV actress; applying by yourself or through scouting, a method in which a person from the company will approach a woman or a man on the streets with a pitch regarding the job. However, such pitches are inaccurate to say the least, often attempting to lure in girls by marketing the job as something more vague and obscure. There are mainly three different types of JAV actresses; ‘Senzoku’ an actress that has signed a contract with a certain distributor, ‘Tantai’ to represent an actress whose name or face is often times not shown or hidden and lastly ‘Kikatan’ short for Kikakutantai to represent an actress or actor who works more so like a freelancer, being able to act and work in numerous videos and films shot by multiple production companies.
The amount of fame and press that the actress is ready to bear may influence their decisions as usually ‘Senzoku’ as well as ‘Kikatan’ actresse are likely to be faced with a heavy amount of exposure to media. Thus actresses who would rather act on the down low usually stick to being ‘Tantai’.
As alluring and glamorous the life of the JAV actress may seem, the reality is rather harsh as actresses have to endure long shoots that go for more than 16 hours with an average of three intercourse scenes in a day. This intense schedule is one of the reasons why actors/actresses tend to stop working even if their careers may seem to be skyrocketing.
CURRENT AFFAIRS
To get more in-depth as to how the industry actually operates, the Sabukaru team talked to current cosplayer/twitch streamer and former AV actress, Kaho Shibuya to unravel some of the burning questions that continue to bewilder audiences.
Former AV actress Kaho Shibuya has experienced it all. Initially signing up to become a tester of adult toys after working as a sports journalist at a Japanese Newspaper, she was lured into the AV industry; not because she was desperate for money but because of her curiosity she decided to say yes to the opportunity. Debuting in 2014 with a contract with AV production companyALICE JAPAN, she reminisces on her JAV career and the differences between present and past.
“I think more women are becoming interested in the JAV industry as it is a gateway to stardom. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing, as more people should join the industry voluntarily rather than be forced into this lifestyle. When I was starting out, I heard stories of people thinking they signed a contract with a talent agency but seconds later was asked to pose nude. Now, I have people within the industry come up to me and say that they joined because they look up to me or were inspired by my story so compared to how the industry exploited girls back then, I think joining with an intention of becoming an idol or becoming semi-famous is much better.”
The relationship with the Yakuza within the JAV industry is a rather complicated one, in which everyone even within the industry seems to tiptoe around the elephant in the room; a sense that behind closed doors there are transactions and deals being made but the topic is not to be brought up if above the surface. “If you are just a low-class manager then, there is rare interaction with them but I can’t say that it is the case for people higher up the ladder such as the owners of the production companies. It is also well known that the very big OGs of the industry were made by the people associated with ‘Bosozoku’ = Japanese gangs’ but these companies are massive, running multiple businesses that allow women to profit from different business ventures. I don’t actually perceive this as a bad thing as at the end of the day JAV is a business just like any other industry and a very successful one.”
Former AV actress Kaoru Kuroki on the front page cover of a national weekly magazine ‘shukan post’. Kuroki Kaoru worked closely alongside director Toru Muranishi and was a self proclaimed feminist for her attitude towards the AV industry
There are also prominent differences between the industry in Japan and overseas. The biggest difference being the amount of authority the actress or actor has over their content. Kaho-san states that actors and actresses in other countries have individual rights over their content and its monetary value.
“Suprisingly the amount that one earns from acting in a single AV is higher in Japan compared to a country like the States. However, no matter how much the video sells and the distributor profits over the video, as it is a one time only transaction, the amount the actor or actress gets paid stays the same. For stars abroad, they can profit over the long haul, as they can get a small share when the video gets distributed on other platforms or for different purposes. They can also ask for their videos to be taken down if they are being shown on a website that they did not give permission to. Unfortunately actresses and actors in Japan don’t have the individual right to do this, so it is quite a hassle when a video is illegally being streamed on a site that you or the distributor did not give consent to. Recently, people even in Japan have the right to obtain a share of the profits made through second usage but this doesn’t amount to much. ”
Cover of book, ‘Everything girls should know about The JAV Industry’ by Kaho Shibuya
Although there is a long way to go in terms of rights and regulations within the JAV industry, there seems to be positive change happening as well. One change, in particular, is the amount of power the actresses possess.
Women are much stronger now and have more power compared to before. With the problem of extortion becoming even more serious, it is evident that now there is an escape route that is readily available from the start for the actress to say no to things. However, it has become rather time-consuming as before every shoot, an actress needs to sign a contract of consent and a video is even taken during which this contract signing is being performed to give proof that the company is not forcing the actress or actor into something they do not want to do. Sometimes they ask you to say something to show your enthusiasm towards the shoot which is very awkward as they aren’t forcing you into anything yet it feels as if they are inadvertently influencing your actions. “There is a right way to do business and I don’t believe this is the way to do it. So some good changes and some bad I guess.”
Kabukicho’s Newly created Adult Themed-Land.
To get more insight about this topic, Kaho-san recently published a book that covers the all-around basics of how the JAV industry operates, precautions when getting your foot into the door as well as the lessons she wished she knew when just starting out (Ready in English soon).
CONCLUSION
The topic of sex remains a taboo. Whilst the country continues to suffer from an aging population and low birth rate, maybe pornography is the best form of escapism. Maybe the Japanese have hit the mark in terms of profiting off of people’s often untapped fantasies.
About the Author:
OL [Office Lady] in the day, sabukaru member by night, Ayana is a Japanese writer tackling controversial and oftentimes misunderstood social topics in the realms of modern-day Nippon.
