Sexuality and Perception of Sex in Japan vs. America

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Yes, it's another one of these forums but I think it's a topic worth discussing for anime fans as it has side effects in how anime does fanservice and sexual content

Anyway, this time I was prompted after the response to the first question on ANN's Answerman [https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2015-02-13/.84371]

The basic gist is that surface analysis would say that America is far more puritanical with sex than the shinto based Japan but that closer inspection shows that America is a lot more public about sex with a more public adult industry and open talk about porn amid appropriate company while Japan keeps it's industry in the shadows and people keep their interest to themselves instead of talking.

This seems like an odd and hypocritical dichotomy that both countries have so I would like to ask the forums if people can collaborate these statements or if they have any input and opinions on the article.

 

[ZiggyE]

Japan is a very conservative and private nation, though Japanese conservatism is different from American conservatism. Japan is far more sex-positive than America but Japanese are far more private and shy concerning sex itself. Sex sells in west, you can't turn on the TV or go for a walk down the main street of a city without seeing some advertisement reminding you of sex, I imagine Japan is different in that regard. I wouldn't say there's anything hypocritical about how Japan conducts itself, but there's definitely hypocrisy in the west. Our attitudes on sex are a little weird.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Japan is a very conservative and private nation, though Japanese conservatism is different from American conservatism. Japan is far more sex-positive than America but Japanese are far more private and shy concerning sex itself. Sex sells in west, you can't turn on the TV or go for a walk down the main street of a city without seeing some advertisement reminding you of sex, I imagine Japan is different in that regard. I wouldn't say there's anything hypocritical about how Japan conducts itself, but there's definitely hypocrisy in the west. Our attitudes on sex are a little weird.

Japan's pretty weird about it too. On one hand, they've had some of the strictest laws regarding censorship of adult material. On the other hand, they have Kanamara Matsuri.

 

[ZiggyE]

Japan is a very conservative and private nation, though Japanese conservatism is different from American conservatism. Japan is far more sex-positive than America but Japanese are far more private and shy concerning sex itself. Sex sells in west, you can't turn on the TV or go for a walk down the main street of a city without seeing some advertisement reminding you of sex, I imagine Japan is different in that regard. I wouldn't say there's anything hypocritical about how Japan conducts itself, but there's definitely hypocrisy in the west. Our attitudes on sex are a little weird.

Japan's pretty weird about it too. On one hand, they've had some of the strictest laws regarding censorship of adult material. On the other hand, they have Kanamara Matsuri.

To be fair, I believe Japan's porn censorship was enforced upon them by the USA following WW2.

 

[VanQ]

Japan is a very conservative and private nation, though Japanese conservatism is different from American conservatism. Japan is far more sex-positive than America but Japanese are far more private and shy concerning sex itself. Sex sells in west, you can't turn on the TV or go for a walk down the main street of a city without seeing some advertisement reminding you of sex, I imagine Japan is different in that regard. I wouldn't say there's anything hypocritical about how Japan conducts itself, but there's definitely hypocrisy in the west. Our attitudes on sex are a little weird.

Japan isn't too different with the sex sells thing than the west. Generally though, I think what they consider "sexy" is completely different. A good example is a conversation I had with my orthodontist, who spent some time practicing in Japan. Apparently, while westerners find straight, fairly even teeth without protruding buck teeth and canines attractice, Japanese women will actually get braces to make their buckteeth more pronounced and to point their canines forward. This leads to teeth that many westerners find uneven and unattractive, but that Japanese men apparently find quite attractive.

What it comes down to in the end is that different cultures will have different standards and with an island nation like Japan that has been cut off geographically and linguistically for such a long time that their culture and standards can seem totally alien to outsiders.

 

[Fox12]

Anime seems quite similar to comics in terms of fanservice, and Americans love them some HBO fun times. I think sex sells quite well in Japan.

I'm actually curious about this, honestly. Silent Hill 2 was based in the states, but I've heard that it dealt with Japanese hangups on sexuality, and that the can be quite conservative on the issue.

 

[Dimitriov]

Japan is a very conservative and private nation, though Japanese conservatism is different from American conservatism. Japan is far more sex-positive than America but Japanese are far more private and shy concerning sex itself. Sex sells in west, you can't turn on the TV or go for a walk down the main street of a city without seeing some advertisement reminding you of sex, I imagine Japan is different in that regard. I wouldn't say there's anything hypocritical about how Japan conducts itself, but there's definitely hypocrisy in the west. Our attitudes on sex are a little weird.

Japan's pretty weird about it too. On one hand, they've had some of the strictest laws regarding censorship of adult material. On the other hand, they have Kanamara Matsuri.

To be fair, I believe Japan's porn censorship was enforced upon them by the USA following WW2.

That's my understanding too... but to be fair they have been able to change that for quite some time now if they wanted to.

 

[Queen Michael]

Before anybody brings them up: The vending machines selling used panties are a myth.

 

[NeutralDrow]

That's a pretty good answer, actually[footnote]Side note: the comparison to Puritanism was slightly inaccurate, though. The American Puritans were actually really open about and fond of sex. The States didn't start getting ridiculously repressive about sex (and anything body-related) until the 1800s.[/footnote]. Both of our countries are bizarrely inconsistent about sex, we just display it differently. In Japan, it shows as a detente characterized by swept-under-the-rug repression, whereas in the US, it shows as an incredibly dissonant mishmash of open sexuality and hamhanded attempts at moralism.

Both countries got a pretty good grip on slut-shaming, though, consensual or non-. When it comes to victims of sexual violence, it just differs whether they're met with loud denunciations or quiet contempt.

'Bout the only difference is the amount of actual sex taking place.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Before anybody brings them up: The vending machines selling used panties are a myth.

They're not a myth, but they are illegal and not found on every street corner the way people tend to think they are.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Before anybody brings them up: The vending machines selling used panties are a myth.

I thought it was one of those one off weird joke things that did exist (very briefly - no pun intended), but that foreigners ran with because Japan is weird.

(I also find it interesting how the perception of Japan varies. One moment they are obsessed with building the best computer systems, next they spend all their time with schoolgirls while wearing funny outfits. A little while back they were bucktoothed monkeys in glasses failing to conquer the world)

 

[Dizchu]

From what I can tell, there isn't as much of a "unified ideal" when it comes to what's considered attractive in men and women in Japan as there is in the USA. Media in the USA constantly pushes the ideal of hypermasculine aesthetics in men (big muscles, facial hair, angular features) and this weird amorphous blob of features in women (thin with bright white teeth, obnoxious fashion taste, conservative hairstyles etc.)

From what I have seen, in Japan it's a bit different (though they have their own restrictions). The most striking example for me is that androgyny in men is celebrated in a way that would never be celebrated in the USA. To me it seems like there's a greater acceptance of different preferences (even if those preferences are... worrying, like with the sexualisation of pre-pubescent bodies).

I don't think one culture is more sexist than the other, there's just different nuances.

I think it must also be said that it appears that in Japan, sexuality seems to be a more personal thing than an inter-personal thing. The declining birth rate and the growing percentage of young people with no interest in having sex, yet having huge and eclectic porn collections seems to indicate this. It's not unreasonable, sexual relationships are scary and rejection can be soul-crushing. I don't blame young people for retreating into their own bubbles instead.

 

[Banana Cannon]

It's always phrased as 'Vs.' yet I feel that sets a loaded precedent. 'Application' is more fitting a term. How a nation or a culture conducts its attitude towards sex & what they consider sexy in some form comes down to many factors, the more esoteric of which happens to be cultural or religious quirks, & of course media plays upon what's established as general morality/immorality, all to coax the many different forms of desire, both heartfelt with symbolism, & illicit with materialism.

And so I feel out of sorts at points, caught between whatever extremes both aspects of media manage to produce. And that's not a middle ground, but more like the dichotomy between sweet & spicy. While I recognise the full extent of my lustful nature & I know what I like, even the things I'd prefer not to mention, some days I end up telling my Id to go to goddamn sleep & let me think. Always I arrive at the conclusion that trying to assess the underhanded P.R tactics of different kinds of sex appeal in different nations/cultures is opening a can of worms you'd best be armed for, & I wouldn't feel comfortable without a flamethrower: These are the kinds of worms you find in Tremors.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

I've noticed in Japanese porn, women seem to be a lot more passive, they seem to just sit there and let men do things to them. I don't know what that means though because western porn isn't much like actual sex so I can't imagine Japanese porn being like Japanese sex....

 

[VanQ]

Before anybody brings them up: The vending machines selling used panties are a myth.

Nope, they exist. I ran into one by sheer chance while lost just a few years ago. It wasn't out in public view but hidden in a musty old stairwell in a dark corner of Tokyo. To be clear, it was also the kind of place where I was openly approached on the street by very suspicious men offering me "SEKUSU?". No joke, I just pretended I couldn't understand and Gaijin Smashed the fuck out of there as fast as I could.

 

[Rahkshi500]

It may have had something to do with how history and certain belief systems ended up shaping the cultures. The thing is that we're still stuck in a paradox when it comes to sex and sexuality, consuming almost any sex-related products by the truckload, and yet being very much afraid of some aspects of it in our day-to-day lives, placing unfair values and judgements on others, bias assumptions of what we think certain traits are associated with, and trying to decide for others what should or should not be acceptable. In the confines of fiction and escapism, you're free to express yourself however you wish, and yet in real-life there's a overwhelming fear of being judged by others as something abnormal or wrong. Even when we're starting to make some changes and improvements, we still have a long way to go. Though, I admit, there could be other, more relevant reasons than what I just said.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Before anybody brings them up: The vending machines selling used panties are a myth.

They're real, but they've been super illegal for about twenty years. So you won't find one in 'public', but they are around if you know where to look for them, if for whatever reason you'd want to.