Culture shock

Paoyu's blog contains a lot of stories and articles about Japanese culture that can make the most jaded of us raise eyebrows. And just when I thought nothing would shock me anymore, this month's issue of marie claire Philippines has an article that talks about the secret world of Japan's sex clinics. These aren't brothels, mind you, but places where male "sex volunteers" sleep with virgins (usually 30-year-olds who feel their deflowering is long overdue) or women who want to gain more experience.

The clinic is run by a 50-something sex therapist, who has 50 male "volunteers" on his list. According to the article, the men are between the ages of 28 and 63, are not sex workers or escorts, but ordinary members of society. Clients and the men arrange their own rendezvous, and they usually end up doing the deed in one of Japan's many love hotels.

Cost: According to the article, women pay 20,000 yen (or around PHP8,900) for the initial counselling session with the sex therapist. She gets to sleep with the sex worker free of charge, although I would assume they are paid a token fee by the head of the clinic? Or the women pays for the love hotel?

Hmm... It's really hard to say if the Japanese are a cool bunch of people... or just plain trippy.