Japan’s Virgin Crisis. Why are Young People Abstaining from Sex?
The Japanese youth rarely experiences sex
Japan is a prosperous country known around the world for its culture, food, famous travel spots and numerous other things. But did you know that an astonishing number of Japanese people aren’t sexually active? According to the 2016 survey conducted by the Japanese government, 42% of men and 44.2% of women between 18 and 34 are virgins.
It’s imperative to acknowledge the flaws of this survey. For example, only vaginal intercourse was considered as sex, and there was no account for homosexual relationships. Despite that, the numbers are undeniably high. Is Japan suffering a “virgin crisis”? How did this happen, and can it be changed?
The Japanese culture and upbringing
To understand the root cause of such behavior, we should examine the Japanese culture. Japanese people are soft, polite and tend to hide their emotions. Gender-related traditions also add to this issue: reservation and shyness are viewed as “feminine” traits for women. One can assume that Japanese women are not highly likely to approach men, considering their upbringing. What can we say about the country where even eels at the Tokyo aquarium exhibit shy behavior?
Gaming addiction also became a serious problem in modern Japanese life, as a lot of individuals spend their days playing video games. And then, the topic of money is a heavy one when it comes to dating and starting a family.
The socio-economical implications
Japan is notorious for its extreme workaholic culture. It’s accustomed to work an unbelievable number of hours each day, sometimes up to the point of exhaustion and mental health issues. The story of Matsuri Takahashi, a 24-year-old woman who committed suicide because of working over 100 overtime hours per month, made the headlines in 2015. The Japanese even invented a term identifying this horrific trend: “Karoshi” — working yourself to death.
The government has been changing the laws to prevent Japanese citizens from working in unsafe conditions. As of 2020, the country has 20 public holidays that are mandatory to take off work. Dating can be challenging on its own, but how can young people date when they need to work day and night?
We can attribute the lack of personal life to the high costs of supporting a family, particularly when children are involved. According to the 2018 survey, 81% of Japanese people listed the cost of child-rearing as the main reason for not having kids.
Nevertheless, the absence of sex didn’t appear for no reason. It’s interconnected with underlying financial circumstances, work culture and minimal governmental support.
Japan’s rich sex culture
Contradictory to the current trend of abstaining and the “virgin crisis,” the land of sushi has a remarkable sex culture. Japan is famous all over the world for its eccentric traditions and services.
Have you heard of their unusual hotels where you can book a themed room, such as a dungeon or the International Space Station? What about their sex-related events? Japan is doing an excellent job promoting sex, and it simply needs young people to get on board.
Here are examples of how much thought and effort the Japanese invest in the sex culture:
- Sex dolls invention and production. Not only the dolls are high-quality, but they look very realistic!
- Penis festival, where Japanese citizens celebrate the male baby-making organ.
- Nude drawing classes that were introduced to help gentlemen, who haven’t experienced sexual pleasure, to get more comfortable with the female body.
- Plentiful different love hotels. Have you been fantasizing about sex on a boat, in a hospital room or a classroom? Well, you are one booking away from turning that dream into reality.
- Rent-a-girlfriend app. Do you think it’s unfair to ladies who may also wish to book a session? Luckily, there is an application to rent a boyfriend as well. These apps usually ban intercourse, but other experiences might be available.
- Hostess and host bar where hosts entertain customers, and occasionally it leads to romantic encounters.
- Numerous sexual services such as touch bars, remote-controlled vibrator plays, doll clubs, and others.
There is hope
Evidently, Japanese people pay a lot of attention to sex. Regardless of how high the number of virgins is, people are interested in sex. Would a penis festival take place every year if they didn’t care about intimacy? I doubt that.
Young Japanese citizens have a lot of resources to educate themselves on the topic of sex and move on to practicing it. Maybe, a decade from now, the statistics will look differently, and many more people become sexually active.