The adult entertainment world isn’t just made for a male gaze.
People all over the world have physical needs, and sometimes the easiest means of taking care of those needs is helped by watching adult entertainment. Japan is no exception to that, although when it comes to entertainment for Japanese women, things are a little different.
Brace yourselves: we are about to dive into the culture of porn for women in Japan.
What does JAV stand for?
AV simply stands for adult videos (JAV—Japanese adult videos) and is part of the wider pornography industry in Japan, which includes online content, books, magazines, and clubs of varying types. As of the time of writing, there are nearly 50,000 hits for ‘Japanese’ alone on Pornhub, and there are scores of subtypes to that category.
Western women agreed with Japanese women that the concepts were more romantic and seemed more cerebral than those for a male audience, but also pointed out two negatives for the genre. “
The melodramatic acting… I’m not expecting much from porn but come on
” (
A, English woman
).
The other issue was with the stereotypical reactions of the characters. “If they’re supposed to be a couple that lives together, why are they still being so shy about sex? Shouldn’t they want to tear each other’s clothes off sometimes?” (S, American woman).
Overall, however, all 15 people I spoke with regarding female-oriented JAV thought it was a positive step forward in terms of equality and sexuality in Japan, and one further added: “Hopefully this means that in the Japan of the future, men, women, and people who identify as other will be able to express their sexuality freely online and off” (T, Japanese man).
If you happen to find yourself looking for something to watch, given recent events, you might consider female-oriented JAV an option—even if it’s from a purely curious point of view. And if you are looking for more insight into Japan’s bedroom habits, check out our guides on love hotelsand Japanese condom brands.
