Читать книгу Women of the Orient - Boye Lafayette De Mente - Страница 9

1

THE

WOMEN

OF

JAPAN

GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES

Two things immediately strike the girl-watcher newly arrived in Japan: the doll-like stature and the cute faces of most of the girls he sees. The traveler quickly notes that the petite figure of the typical girl is made up of a gracefully curved neck and shoulder line, a tiny waist, svelte hips, small feet, attractive legs, and a modest but harmoniously proportioned bust. The girl-watcher also notes the presence of tall, long-legged willowy girls of the type so often seen in international beauty contests, but he learns later that they are more representative of fashion model groups and cabaret girls than the average girl in the street.

Although there may be perfectly normal exceptions, men apparently prefer women smaller than themselves. The reasons for this are not particularly important but the fact that the preference exists is very important because many Western women are both taller and heavier than many Western men. Of course, Western women can point out that many men are also fat, and that their husbands and boyfriends like them plump. But I suspect this is nothing more than rationalization. At any rate, when pinned down most Western men appear to have a deep aversion to large women. When the American girl-watcher is confronted by thousands of small-bodied Japanese girls, who more often than not are also shapely, both his ego and his libido expand as if by some dark magic.

COLOR THEM SEXY

Perhaps the next most important physical asset of Japanese girls is their complexion. The skin of the typical Japanese girl, almost always smooth and clear (Japanese girls have fewer pimples and other skin blemishes because of their different diet), is just enough off-white to provide a special thrill to Caucasian Westerners. At the same time, it is white enough to also be especially attractive to Black Americans and other dark-skinned Westerners. Actually, Japanese girls may have one of three distinct complexions: a kind of reddish olive, a yellowish olive, or a creamy white. Girls in this latter category are usually from northern Japan.

The reason why the generally darker complexion of Japanese girls sensually excites Caucasian Westerners is deeply rooted in their psyche, and may have something to do with the fact that there is often a nature-based attraction between opposites. Whatever the reason and whatever the particular shade of a Japanese girl's complexion, there is usually enough of a difference in the texture and color tone to stimulate the interest of the average Western girl-watcher.

A BUST ISN'T EVERYTHING

The Japanese bust brings up two points. First, most Western men, particularly Americans and Latins, seem to have a fixation for female breasts which would appear to be a serious handicap in their admiration of Japanese girls. But such is not the case. These men are apparently able to repress or completely purge the fixation where Japanese girls are concerned, perhaps because the psychological conditioning responsible for the fixation does not carry over to them. Second, the bust of the average Japanese girl is not as small as many Westerners often believe it to be.

This underestimation of the size of the Japanese bust came about because in addition to not wearing stiff brassieres (or brassieres of any type in many cases), the Japanese have traditionally de-emphasized the breast. The kimono, Japan's traditional female costume, makes no allowance for breasts at all. To prevent the breasts from protruding—if they are large enough to protrude—the kimono wearer ordinarily wraps a wide band of cloth around her chest to keep the breasts flat. As geisha buffs know, the kimono led to the development of the nape of the neck as the focal point of sexual attraction in Japan.

Most young girls in Japan today wear bras, but the most common type is made of thin, soft material that still de-emphasizes rather than exaggerates the bust. Older women, especially in rural areas, seldom wear bras. On hot summer days in both rural and urban Japan, older women will often work or sit around outside their homes with their breasts exposed to the cooling breezes. This traditional custom is well summed up in a popular senryu poem: Ko ga dekite kara wa arawa ni hada o dashi —After a woman has had a baby she exposes her nakedness (breasts) in public.

While generally small by Western standards, the Japanese bust is usually well-proportioned for the frame it adorns. In contrast, many Western women are burdened by oversized breasts; or they are embarrassed by breasts that are small in comparison to their overall body size. Only rarely are Japanese women bothered by either of these maladies. When a Japanese girl does have a proportionally small bust, which is by far the greater handicap where Western girls are concerned, the lack is not as conspicuous and is seldom ever considered a serious deficiency. All things considered, the Japanese bust more often than not serves its purpose.

THE LEGS SCENE

No girl-watcher's manual on Japanese girls could be complete without some comment on their legs. The legs of most Japanese girls are proportionately shorter in relation to their body trunk than the legs of typical Western girls—although an improved diet and new living patterns are changing this among the younger generation. In some cases, such as when they wear certain types of Western clothing or compete in international beauty contests, their shorter legs would probably be judged a handicap. But these same legs accent the beauty of the traditional kimono and yukata (a thin cotton, all-purpose robe), adding an especially seductive aura to the area of the hips. Few Western men who have been in Japan have failed to appreciate the provocative appeal of the kimono-clad low-slung Japanese oshiri.

One might at first assume that the shorter legs of many Japanese girls would seriously damage their image in the eyes of Western men because for the last several decades Westerners have been subjected to elaborate advertising campaigns attempting to convince them of the extra special beauty, desirability, and virtue of long slender legs. But these campaigns and other considerations notwithstanding, Japanese girls appear to be even more popular among Western men—no doubt because their shorter legs contribute a great deal to their "little girl" look which the Western girl-watcher finds so stimulating. And it may be that the idea of long slender legs has become a symbol of entrapment to Western men—like evil vines that wrap themselves around their victims in a choking embrace —so that many men find the legs of Japanese girls unusually attractive. In any event, there are more than enough tall, long-limbed girls in Japan for the girl-watcher who prefers this type to admire and perhaps choose from.

THE MACK OF LONG BLACK HAIR

Most Japanese girls have straight black or very dark auburn hair which, in comparison to the hair of Caucasians, is fairly coarse and hard. Yet their hair is one of their most attractive features as far as foreign men are concerned. To most Western men, in fact, the sexual attraction of Japanese girls seems to increase in direct proportion to the blackness and length of their hair.

Of course, this phenomenon is not unique to Japanese or other Oriental girls. It has long been known in the West that men are especially attracted to women who wear their hair long. It has also long been known in the West that men are more attracted to long black hair on a petite woman than on a large woman. It is also true that men are immediately attracted by extra long blond, red, or brown hair, but they are apparently more deeply and permanently attracted to long black hair. According to Western folklore, dark-haired women are more faithful, loyal, and trustworthy than light-haired women. Blondes are often described as more lovable and loving but fickle and unreliable. As is well known, many men actually regard blond and red hair as unnatural to the extent of being freakish, and tend to think of blond and redhaired women as fundamentally inferior people.

Thus Japanese women as a group have a distinct advantage over many Western girls because all of them have black or nearly black hair, and many of them add to this advantage by wearing their hair long and straight more often than their American or European counterparts.

European and Latin men are apparently more aware of the sexual attributes of hair than American men. At a meeting of The International Brotherhood of Bald Men, made up of men from France, Belgium, and Germany, for example, the members voted unanimously in favor of long hair for women. Said the then president of the Brotherhood: 'The beautiful woman usually wears her hair long." He added that this helps the sexes recognize each other and assures that they will be properly attracted. Members of the Brotherhood would surely have a ball in Japan.

THE CHARM OF ALMOND-SHAPED EYES

Back during the days when Japan was the bogeyman of the Far East, the characteristic Oriental eye was often associated (by Westerners) with evil, deceit, and mystery. Today, Western women cultivate the Oriental look as exotic and romantic.

It is not difficult to see the connection between dark almond-shaped eyes, exoticism, and romance. The Orient in general has always been a place of romantic adventure and exotic mystery to the West, simply because it was distant and different. Because we habitually think of a person's eyes as the mirror of his or her mind, and look there first for identification and understanding, the differently shaped eyes of Orientals quickly became symbolic not only of all the other physical differences between Occidentals and Asians but also of the customs and attitudes we couldn't understand.

When the just arrived and often sexually repressed Western man in Japan is confronted by a pair of authentic Oriental eyes—the owner of which he often cannot communicate with—he doesn't see them just as organs of sight that may or may not be attractive in themselves. He sees them as the embodiment of all the romantic past of Asia.

Most Japanese girls have eyes that are very much alike in color, size, and shape. But there are some extraordinary exceptions. These exceptions are so different from the norm as to startle and almost hypnotize by their strange beauty. The Japanese girls who have these nontypical eyes are not purely Mongolian in racial descent. Several million Japanese, most of whom live in the north, have racial characteristics that are recognizably Caucasian. The primary source of these characteristics was the Ainu, a now almost extinct Caucasoid race who were apparently the original inhabitants of the Japanese islands. Over the long centuries of their early history in Japan, the immigrant Mongolian Japanese gradually pushed the Ainu northward, alternately fighting and intermarrying with them.

Among the more outstanding racial characteristics of the Ainu was the unusually large size, light tan color, and brilliant luster of their eyes. Most of the present-day Japanese whose eyes are not typically Oriental owe this feature to their Ainu blood. Unfortunately, for some genetic reason no one has yet explained, the Japanese are frequently unable to assimilate the genes of the Ainu eye if they get more than a certain amount. When this happens the genes run wild, causing the eyes to be too far apart and hopelessly crossed. Often one or both of the eyes close up and wither away as the person grows older. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in the Sendai area of northern Honshu, one of the last strongholds of the Ainu.

On occasion, however, the complete Ainu eye will show up in a Japanese girl without any deterioration. When this happens the results are spectacular. The girl's eyes are so large and so beautiful one never gets over the experience of looking into them. Most of these girls also have unusually slender, elfin figures that make their eyes even more conspicuous. As a result, their eyes become the dominating influence in their lives. They are invariably singled out and put into a special class by the people around them. Many of them become models or movie and television actresses. Their faces adorn magazine covers, billboards, and advertising posters throughout the country, giving the impression that beautiful eyes are common in Japan. This is the provocative Oriental eye the Western man is apt to have in mind when he gazes tongue-tied into the bright faces of young Japanese girls.

APPRECIATING THE NAPE OF THE NECK

The sight of the nape of a girl's neck, and perhaps a little bit of one shoulder, used to throw Japanese men into passionate frenzies—which just goes to prove that a man can work himself into a passionate frenzy over almost anything if he tries. I have nothing against Japanese girls' necks. I've enjoyed the aesthetically pleasing lines and freshly scrubbed glow of many of them during my years of mixed bathing in Japan. My problem was a lack of training in Zen, which would have allowed me to concentrate on the proper spot long enough to work up the necessary enthusiasm.

Later, when I took up the study of the neck at the proper time and place—when the girl is dressed in kimono or yukata and is sitting or kneeling on a tatami (reed mat) floor, preferably refilling your sake cup or laying out the sleeping quilts—I was already prejudiced in favor of other, less subtle attractions. Still, by persevering, I was eventually able to transfer my thoughts to girls' necks several times—but only when they were wearing kimono and nothing else could be seen.

Because the proper appreciation of a girl's neck is not a skill one can gain overnight, I doubt very much if the popularity of Japanese girls among foreign men is due to any particular qualities possessed by their necks. Still, there is something about a Japanese girl's neck that exercises an immediate and powerfully sensual influence on any man willing to make the effort to concentrate on it for a while—as the girl-watcher lucky enough to get a close-up view of the necks of several Japanese girls will soon discover.

HIPS AND HIPLE5SNESS

If asked to list the most attractive features of Japanese girls, few Western men immediately think of including their hips—probably because many of the girls are so slender they are almost hipless. But the no-hip girls are actually just as popular as those with well-rounded oshiri. Both types are important to the romantic reputation of Japanese girls.

How could no hips be an asset? Apparently because of the peculiar experiences and inclinations of many American and European men. Most Western men cringe at the sight of a broad-beamed female. Since many Western women fit this description it can be assumed that large numbers of men in the West are in a state of permanent cringe. When these men are exposed to masses of Japanese girls who are as slender as pre-teenagers, the effect on their hormones and imagination is instantaneous.

There is also the thought lurking in the back of the mind of the Western girl-watcher who looks at a doll-sized Japanese girl that there is someone whom he could impress, whom he could dominate without fear of being swallowed up. Finally, the general lack of bulky hips among Japanese girls gives them a number of athletic advantages over those who are weighed down and restricted in their movements by bulging bottoms. This might not be considered much of an asset by some Western women, but it goes over great with Western men in the Orient.

THE ATTRACTION OF SMALL HANDS

Another characteristic of Japanese girls which the average Western man finds exciting is the small size of their hands. Apparently because of a basic masculine compulsion to be physically superior in size and strength, men are especially attracted to women with small hands. One of the first and most common ways the Western man demonstrates his masculinity to a new girl is by showing her that his hands are bigger than hers.

Since Japanese girls are generally smaller all around than their Western counterparts, their hands are often tiny by our standards. This apparently acts as a subtle sex stimulant to size-oriented Western men. When a Japanese girl who happens to be endowed with small hands and proportionately large breasts confronts a typical American male, he is apt to go into a state of libidinous ecstasy and lose his ability to think rationally.

SHAPELINESS AND ELASTICITY

Japanese girls owe their trim figures in considerable part to their traditional diet, which consists mainly of rice, vegetables, and seafood. This diet, plus the fact that the Japanese have always been extraordinarily active in work as well as the pursuit of pleasure and recreation, has given the women another important advantage over most Western girls. This is a wonderful elasticity of body which makes it possible for them to have children and, without effort or concern, rebound to their original slender selves.

It is difficult to say how much the general absence of obesity and protruding pots among Japanese women contributes to their popular image, but it is undoubtedly considerable. Unfortunately, the diet in Japan, particularly in urban areas, is changing rapidly, and as it becomes more like the American diet the women will no doubt lose this valuable asset. For the time being, however, the body elasticity of Japanese girls is one of their most attractive attributes.

THE YUKATA AND SEX

The kimono is one of the most feminine and sensual articles of clothing ever devised, but because it is a rather complicated costume consisting of several layers and a number of bands and cords, it is difficult to put on and tiresome to take off. This somewhat negates its other attractions for the admiring girl-watcher.

The yukata, however, is an entirely different matter. The yukata is one of the most seductive garments a woman can wear. Originally an undergarment for the kimono, the yukata was first used as a nightgown and bathrobe. Then an enterprising craftsman began making them out of thin decorated cotton to be worn as an outer garment. Soon they were serving not only as bathrobes, sleeping gowns, and house robes but also as the national leisure costume, and often as a work uniform as well.

The importance of the yukata to foreign admirers of Japanese girls can hardly be overemphasized. This importance centers around its use as a bathrobe and sleeping garment, as casual streetwear in resort spas and on the occasion of festivals and parties. Because it consists of only one layer of cloth and is thin, the yukata is a much more intimate garment than the kimono ensemble. This intimacy is heightened considerably by its connection with the bath and bed, and because girls often wear nothing under it.

To fully appreciate the yukata's contribution to male-female relations in Japan, one must participate in its use in the home and in one of the country's fabled hot-spring resort spas. The Japanese are great bathers. No matter what time they return home or check into an inn, if the weather is hot and muggy or cold and damp (and it usually is one or the other) and a bath is ready— and it usually is—they will strip and bathe. If it is still early and they are at leisure, they will often then don a crisp, cool yukata for the rest of the day, even going out in it if the trip is short and casual. In the summer when one is lucky enough to be invited to a Japanese home as an overnight guest, he is almost always invited to refresh himself with a hot bath and then provided with an attractive yukata to put on afterward. This is one of the most delightful and civilized customs ever developed. What it does to establish an atmosphere of friendship and intimacy between a man and a woman is exhilarating to say the least.

The yukata probably renders its maximum service in the hundreds of resort spas dotting Japan, to which the Japanese flock by the millions on weekends and holidays. Most of these spas feature natural hot-spring mineral baths. Others have mineral water that is heated. Both types are invariably located in areas noted for their superbly beautiful scenery. Whatever the type of bath or location, the yukata is the common ingredient that adds just the right atmosphere and flavor to the adventure.

The ritual is more or less the same in every spa. Guests include company groups, clubs, and couples— honeymooning or romancing. As soon as a guest arrives at a ryokan (inn), he is shown to his room, served tea and sweetened bean-paste wedges, provided with yukata and directed to a bath—which may be family-style for couples who want to be alone together, or the large ofuro for those who enjoy mixed bathing with lots of company. Following the bath, the guest puts on his yukata, and it remains the uniform of the day and night for the rest of his stay—except in the event he plays golf.

There is nothing quite like a Japanese spa ryokan in any other country, and a weekend spent in one with a convivial companion is an experience to be cherished. The resort town of Ito on Izu Peninsula about two train hours from Tokyo—one of over 1,200 similar resort spas in Japan—attracts tens of thousands of men and women seeking fun and relaxation over a single weekend. Shortly after arriving, all have bathed and dressed in yukata and are engaged in the pursuit of pleasure of one kind or another. No matter what kind of recreation the revelers may begin with, the atmosphere of the spa, the inn accommodations in which groups share rooms, the intimacy generated by thousands of freshly bathed people in the sexy yukata in one small area, plus the romantic traditions of such areas, have a wonderfully exciting effect that generally leads to thoughts of love.

A worthwhile addition to any list of girl-watching spots in Japan would be one of the major spas, such as Ito or nearby Atami.

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE KIMONO & YUKATA

The clothing a Japanese girl is wearing has considerable influence on her behavior. If she is wearing a kimono or yukata she tends to conduct herself according to traditional patterns, regardless of the occasion. In addition, she not only feels more feminine, she looks and behaves more femininely when dressed in either garment. Part of this is because the kimono and yukata are so restrictive in nature they make it difficult for the wearer to behave in a masculine way without mussing up the costume and appearing very vulgar. The other factor is mental. The girls associate the kimono and yukata with the manners and values of old Japan, and while they are wearing them they are strongly influenced by these standards.

The combination of a kimono or yukata and such traditional surroundings as a famous ryokan located in a resort noted for its scenic beauty and romantic history is especially effective in bringing out the femininity of Japanese women. Men in Japan are well aware of this effect and make regular use of it in their romantic peccadillos by purposely taking their girlfriends to such places.

HOW THEY STACK UP IN WESTERN CLOTHES

One advantage the typical Japanese girl has over her Western counterpart in the matter of dress is that she is generally more concerned about her appearance and the impression her clothing makes. Very few Japanese girls deliberately dress sloppy. When they go casual, they generally do so with a keen knack for knowing what men will find attractive.

Most Japanese girls also gain a special advantage from Western-style clothing because it generally looks better on women who have slender builds and are not over 5 feet and 6 or 7 inches tall. Japanese girls are often especially attractive in form-fitting casual and sportswear.

As a result of the unusual interest Japanese girls have in fashions and dressing well, dress-making schools abound all over the country. Fashion shows are as popular as bargain sales. In Tokyo, for example, dozens of department stores, dress-making schools, apparel shops, and design studios stage fashion exhibitions several times a month, so that on any day there may be as many as forty or fifty well-publicized shows going on somewhere in the city. As a rule, Japanese working girls skimp on food in order to spend more on attractive wearing apparel, and the results are immediately obvious to the girl-watcher.

If the girl-watcher is in Japan during summer, he would find a visit to one of the large beach areas especially rewarding. The swimwear industry in Japan is very advanced, and the girls have taken to bikini suits as if they were made for each other.

ETIQUETTE AND FEMININITY

To the Japanese of old Japan one of the primary goals in life was to achieve harmony within the self and in relations with those around them. Among the means by which they traditionally attempted to achieve this harmony was strict adherence to an elaborate code of etiquette. Eventually they went so far as to equate "proper" manners with virtue. Present-day Japanese are no longer forced to follow such rigid rules of behavior, but after so many centuries of adherence to specific patterns of conduct it has become the natural way of life for them and remains characteristic of much of their behavior today.

Japan's traditional etiquette code demanded a degree of physical gracefulness seldom seen in the West except among professional actors playing roles. Each person, beginning in very early childhood, was methodically trained in how to perform all the routine functions of daily living in a carefully controlled, graceful manner. Being able to eat with chopsticks, for example, was not enough. There was a particular way they had to be held and used. Even minor deviations were not tolerated. The same rules applied in hundreds of other situations. Manners were not a matter of personal interpretation. Everyone was expected to behave in an exactly prescribed way in all circumstances.

Among the methods used to train girls in gracefulness and Japanese manners were the tea ceremony and flower arranging, along with serving food, dancing, and greeting guests. Each succeeding generation of Japanese was meticulously conditioned to be able to perform life rather than simply live it. They were born, raised, and lived all their lives in one giant charm school.

In the new, more relaxed atmosphere of present-day Japan, the training of children in gracefulness and the old code of manners is considerably less intensive. Adults are also less restricted and stereotyped in their behavior, but the Japanese in general are still much more concerned about etiquette and gracefulness than Westerners. Where. the average Japanese girl is concerned, the remnants of this old feudalistic etiquette gain her valuable points with foreign men— who are mostly impressed with its passive and masochistic qualities. The Westerner in Japan tends to see the typical girl as meek, retiring, and flowerlike. His appreciation for this kind of behavior grows out of his conviction that here is a female over whom he can exercise his masculine will. When he compares the feminine behavior of Japanese girls with the rough-and-ready manners of Western girls the conclusion is foregone.

The studied gracefulness of Japanese women is one of the primary facets of their sexual appeal, especially to Westerners who tend to associate gracefulness with femininity. To the average foreign man the unusually graceful girl exudes feminine sexuality whether or not she is physically attractive. A Japanese girl with a plain face and a so-so figure may therefore appear very feminine and desirable because of her manners.

Many of the Western men who have been in Japan and came away impressed with the manners, personality, honesty, and integrity of Japanese girls met only bar and cabaret hostesses—and before the red-light districts were outlawed, professional prostitutes. As is well known, the Western sex girl tends to become hard and cold (an image Hollywood has been trying very hard—with some success—to change). But unless the professional Japanese girl has been "de-Japanized" as the result of long exposure to foreign customers, she is apt to be as soft-spoken, mild-mannered and innocent-appearing as the average girl. Many a foreign visitor to Japan introduced to a young lady who immediately thereafter spent the night with him has refused to believe she was ''in the business." She was "just too nice, too well behaved, too refined!"

To a Japanese girl, whether or not she is a professional sex partner, being a female is a role she takes seriously. Instead of being taught from childhood that she is expected to compete with males, she is taught in both explicit and implicit ways that her role is to serve and complement men. Learning how to do this—along with the usual homemaking skills—is a standard requirement without which she regards herself as incomplete. Femininity and the ability to please men have traditionally been of special importance to courtesans and mistresses in Japan. They received more training and spent more time practicing feminine skills than the ordinary girl, but ordinary Japanese girls as well believe it is only natural for them to become skilled at being women.

THE HUMBLE APPROACH TO SEDUCTION

The nature of Japanese etiquette requires an attitude and manner of great humility. The average Western man is unable to say whether or not any Japanese concerned is really humble, but he tends to be very impressed anyway, especially when the person is a pretty girl. Such behavior has the effect of elevating the position of the man while lowering that of the girl—a situation the man finds very pleasing.

In addition to wearing a humble mien and generally behaving in a reserved, compliant manner, Japanese women also ordinarily use a form of speech that is extremely passive and humble. Receptionists in office buildings, store clerks, and hotel maids, for example, behave toward and speak to every guest or client in a manner Westerners usually reserve for royalty. It is no exaggeration to say that Japanese women literally make men feel like kings. Just a little sample of this kind of treatment is often enough to spoil a Westerner.

Another aspect of this humility factor and another of the secrets of the special charms of Japanese girls, is that they are masters at being aggressive and taking the initiative in their relations with men while outwardly appearing to be passive and submissive. They do this by the simple technique of allowing men to exercise their masculine vanity, which disarms and weakens them, then letting the men know what they want by indirect means. Feeling both grateful and guilty, Western men especially gobble this bait up.

Cabaret hostesses specialize in this technique of "losing to win." Newcomers in the trade are systematically instructed in how to make their customers feel superior by exalting them, always assuming a "low posture," and catering to their whims—whatever they may be. The average Japanese girl receives no special training in this, but so much of it is bound up with the overall culture that she nevertheless rates as an expert by Western standards.

COQUETRY, A FAVORITE TOOL

Japanese women long ago mastered the art of coquetry, giving it—as could be expected—a subtlety and refinement typical of Japanese behavior. The essence of its subtlety is its apparent naivete and innocence. This is particularly attractive to most American men who, because of lack of experience with really clever women, tend to be gullible. The Japanese girl does not even have to be good at coquetry as long as she projects an image of utter innocence—and at this Japanese girls have no peers.

One of the special attractions of Japan's red-light districts, defunct as of 1957, was that the girls generally behaved like paragons of virtue and innocence. Visiting one of the higher-class places was like being entertained in a wealthy home by the exquisitely well behaved, well trained daughters of the house. One doesn't need much imagination to visualize how well this type of behavior goes over with the American visitor lucky enough to wind up in the boudoir of an attractive Japanese girl, whether or not she is a professional.

INFANTILISM AS A SEXUAL STIMULANT

The Japanese girl knows from experience that men frequently like to act infantile. She enthusiastically encourages this impulse when it comes. She also knows that men are especially attracted to women who behave in an infantile manner. She knows this type of behavior is particularly effective on men who are unsure of their virility, and that even virile men get a kick out of it if it isn't carried too far. As a result, she instinctively develops the ability to combine acting like a baby with performing like a professional.

Many Japanese girls have been conditioned to the point where they naturally act infantile in any personal dealings with men, including members of their own family. These girls tend to be very popular with foreign men at first because such behavior is usually a novelty and because the Western man immediately presumes the girls are pushovers. After a while, however, this type of behavior begins to lose its appeal for Westerners. Sensing this, Japanese girls who associate with really masculine foreign men usually give up the practice within a year or so.

Westerners are also attracted to the voices of Japanese girls. As part of their overall femininity, girls are conditioned to speak in soft, sweet, harmonious tones—which, unfortunately, don't usually carry over into English. This manner of speaking includes special word endings and vocabulary that are feminine by nature and use. Girls are also taught to raise the pitch of their voices, since speaking' in a high voice has traditionally connoted femininity, passivity and inferiority—all characteristics men considered ideal in women.

THE HELPLESS ACT

The girl-watcher in Japan who gets into the nest with his quarry may find that nobody can act as helpless, as forlorn, or as sad as a disappointed Japanese girl. Being extraordinarily sensitive and as emotional as jelly, it doesn't take much to break her up. She is most likely to fall apart when the man in her life does something that displeases her or fails to do something she wants him to do. On these occasions she often threatens suicide. The Japanese male is able to withstand this emotional assault because he has a certain amount of built-in immunity. But not so the average American or European. He tries to comfort the girl and quickly finds himself tangled in her web.

The girl-watcher exposed to this kind of behavior for the first time is apt to find it attractive and perhaps irresistible. It arouses his compassion, his protective instincts, his ego, and finally his libido. With all these aroused, all the girl usually has to do if she wants him is reel him in.

CONSORTING WITH OLDER MEN

One of the most important factors in the good reputation Japanese girls have among Western men is the willingness of young girls to consort with middle-aged and older men. For centuries throughout most of the Orient it has been the prerogative of men of means, who were generally the older men in the community, to enjoy the favors of many women. Most of these men chose young girls as their concubines, mistresses, and playthings not only because they were usually the most attractive but also because they were generally the only ones available to staff the large number of drinking establishments and sex houses that have been traditional in the Orient. Over the centuries it therefore became an accepted custom for older men to enjoy themselves with younger women.

Older men in present-day Japan no longer have the field to themselves. Teenage boys have generous allowances from affluent parents, and young salaried men now also compete with their elders for the time and favors of girls in their own age group. But it is still generally true that because of the old sanctified custom of young girls serving older men, middle-aged and older men in Japan are able to make out with girls in their teens and early twenties to a degree unmatched in Western countries.

THE BATH AND SEX IN JAPAN

The ofuro or "honorable bath" is a Japanese institution. It is an institution because it has played an important role in the daily life of the Japanese since the dawn of Japan's history and there are numerous customs, practically amounting to a mystique, surrounding its use. One of the main characteristics of the ofuro is that until recently men and women, boys and girls, all bathed together. Now large baths operated for use by the general public are required by law to segregate the sexes. Those operated privately by inns, hot-spring spas, and hotels do not come under this law, and still offer mixed bathing facilities to their guests. Kazoku furo or "family baths," designed-to be used by small groups, are especially popular in homes as well as in hotels and inns.

Like the yukata, the contribution baths make to male-female relations in Japan is immeasurable. Mixed bathing is a special type of physical intimacy that brings a man and a woman together in a way not possible by any other means. Western men who participate in the practice with Japanese girls find the stimulation they receive a new experience which thereafter colors their opinions of all women.

In addition to providing Japanese women with an unique opportunity to attract and stimulate men, the custom of Japanese-style bathing gives them another advantage that many Western women tend to ignore or underestimate, and that is the lustrative effect of water and its subsequent influence on their love life. The Japanese have long used water for both spiritual and sensual purposes, keeping themselves cleansed of sin as well as more sexually attractive. They learned early that there is something especially exciting about a woman who is freshly bathed, that she seems to have been miraculously returned to a virginal state, like a blossoming morning flower covered with dew.

DRINKING AS A STATUS LEVELER

As a rule, Japanese women do not censure men for drinking. On the contrary, they are more apt to encourage men to drink. Drinking has traditionally been an integral part of religious and social life in Japan. No formal function of any kind is complete without it. On these occasions, drinking is more of a duty than a privilege. Only a person who cannot drink because of some physical condition or illness is normally excused without a great deal of pressure. This attitude toward drinking is partly a result of the distinctive social etiquette of Japan which prevents the Japanese from being informal and frank with each other except when they are under the influence of alcohol. They believe it is impossible to really get to know a person without drinking with him—because the sober person will always hold back and not reveal his true character.

The Japanese feel ill-at-ease with anyone who refuses to drink with them at a party or outing, unless the person has an acceptable excuse. They feel that refusing to drink indicates a person is arrogant, excessively proud, or unfriendly.

This attitude naturally influences the women as well as the men of Japan. To a girl, a man who refuses to drink is somehow less than a man. The average girl who associates with a Westerner wants to see him get drunk at least once and will generally insist that he do so. When he does get drunk she will take care of him as if he were a child, and is very tolerant of his behavior. Most Japanese women themselves drink but usually very moderately. Thus the attitude Japanese women have toward drinking and drunks is another plus in their favor where most males are concerned.

THE FERTILITY CONCEPT

The Japanese attitude toward sex stems primarily from their indigenous religion, Shinto, which is basically a reverence for nature and a deep concern about fertility in all living things. This religious preoccupation with fertility led to the development of festivals and other ritualistic ceremonies designed to ensure plentiful crops and human fecundity.

As the most conspicuous symbol of fertility, replicas of the erect male organ played an important role in many of the festivals and ceremonies. Still today, rural women who want to become pregnant may go to a special "sex" shrine to buy small ceramic or wooden reproductions of the male organ to carry around with them as good-luck charms. Until recent times, women in rural villages would welcome their returning menfolk who had been away to war or work with ribald dances in which they held large wooden penises in front of them and pretended to rape unmarried girls in the village.

In earlier times, stone phalli were placed at crossroads and in other auspicious locations around the country. Probably the most commonly seen symbol of fertility in Japan today are the hundreds of thousands of big and little ceramic and wooden figurines and carvings of tanuki or badgers, with their giant-sized scrotums prominently featured, which are sold in shops and displayed in front of various businesses.

In addition to sanctioning sex as a necessary function in the scheme of life, Shinto also promoted sex for its pleasurable qualities as well.

THE DOUBLE SEX STANDARD

At the same time, sex in Japan has never been a matter of completely free choice for women. A double standard developed very early, and until 1945 was strictly enforced, sometimes in a harsh manner. Men of wealth and rank had the privilege of maintaining concubines and mistresses, while lower-class men could patronize the numerous gay quarters anytime they wished and had the price. The sexual behavior of women was determined by their position and class. As in most countries, the highest and the lowest classes of women enjoyed more sexual freedom than the women in between. During much of Japan's history, women in the upper class were known for their love affairs. Ordinary women who were not employed for the specific purpose of entertaining men in teahouses, bathhouses, or gay quarters were expected to be virtuous and suppress their jealousy—and the majority of them lived up to this expectation.

In Japan sexual promiscuity as a profession has never been considered as morally sinful. As a rule, low-class girls could enhance both their economic and social position by becoming the mistresses of men of standing. Poor girls with beauty and brains who became professional courtesans often became popular heroines, sought after both as mistresses and wives by the most powerful and respected men of their times.

Thus for centuries Japanese women lived in a society in which commercial sex for pleasure was an accepted, prominent feature of daily life. Most of the social life of the illustrious Tokugawa reign from 1603 until 1868 centered around elaborate red-light districts and assignation houses which abounded in the country. The most famous sex district was the Yoshiwara in Edo (Tokyo), a walled city within a city devoted entirely to sensual pleasures.

Then in the 1870s reform-minded Japanese leaders came under the influence of Western missionaries and moralists. At the same time, these leaders learned that in America and some European countries the legal sanction of red-light districts and extramarital sex was considered scandalous. Anxious to make a good impression on the Western powers, the new Japanese government quickly stripped professional courtesans of respectability and reduced them to the lowest social order. The practice of mistress-keeping became more or less a sub rosa affair. The attitude of the ordinary Japanese toward sex was not significantly changed by these developments, but the influence of Western-oriented reformers—mostly women—gradually grew until in 1956 they prevailed upon the government to make the practice of prostitution illegal. The ruling went into effect on April 1 (Fool's Day) in 1957.

SEX GOES DEMOCRATIC

Since 1945 there have been many changes in the way women in Japan regard extra-marital sex. Many wives, particularly younger ones, no longer approve, tacitly or otherwise, of their husbands engaging in sex with other women anytime the whim strikes them. Some take the drastic step of divorcing unfaithful husbands, something which was almost unthinkable in feudal Japan. The attitude of most unmarried girls has also changed considerably. In former times, girls were often forced by economic expediency and precedence to engage in prostitution. During those times engaging in sex for pay was a last-resort measure for most girls who did it, but it was an accepted occupation nevertheless.

Nowadays there are very few if any girls in Japan who are forced by economic pressure to engage in prostitution, although large numbers choose to do so because it is an easy way to make a high income. Most of those who do engage in professional prostitution are employed in the entertainment trades as cabaret hostesses, geisha, and bathhouse masseuses. The significant change is in the large number of young girls from all classes who regularly engage in premarital sex for reasons of pleasure, convenience, or just plain curiosity. More importantly, few Japanese girls are inactive because they believe premarital sex is wrong. Many want to save themselves for their future husbands simply because they know men still prefer to marry virgins, and they are anxious to make good marriages. But if the average Japanese girl in any class or category is subjected to the attentions of a determined lover her resistance is very low.

In a remarkable demonstration of their pragmatic approach to sex, many nonvirgin girls now have their "virginity" replaced by plastic surgery. According to a report by a Tokyo doctor, tens of thousands of ex-hostesses and mistresses have had new hymens built in to wipe out their past, enhance their marriage prospects and "start married life off on the right foot." Foreign women have been flocking to Tokyo for years to have their busts and faces rejuvenated. It seems safe to predict that this new made-in-Japan product may become just as popular as cameras, pearls, and bust-repairing.

When the hymen-replacement operation was first developed in the early 1960s the cost for local girls was only 10,000 yen ($28.78), and girls who had the operation were known as "10,000-yen virgins," or jinko shojo. Now, of course, the operation is much more expensive.

THE ABSENCE OF RELIGIOUS TABOOS

Japanese girls tend to look upon sex as a natural human function subject only to the arbitrary rules and whims of society. As a result of this attitude, they are not bothered by inhibitions arising from fear of divine displeasure or future punishment. On the contrary, there is a strong belief among both Japanese men and women that it is harmful for people (especially men!) to be deprived of regular sexual activity. Japanese folklore points out in no uncertain terms that most of the psychological problems women have are a direct result of too little sexual release.

For their own part, Japanese women readily agree that men need and should have regular sexual intercourse. Until the beginning of the modern era, it was the official Japanese government attitude that prostitutes performed an important service to society by providing bachelors and married men away from home with regular sexual outlets.

Earlier, Japanese wives often preferred not to have intercourse with their husbands during pregnancy. Most of the women who followed this custom expected, and some of them encouraged, their husbands to go out and enjoy themselves with professional women during the period of time they were cut off at home. When a wife saw her husband off on such an occasion, she would sometimes laughingly say, "Don't bring anything home!"

Not being burdened by religious taboos concerning sex or any religious-inspired belief that the act is holy, Japanese girls are able to engage in sex without undergoing any agonizing soul-searching or suffering from guilt complexes.

THE HEDONISTIC SOCIETY

Until the advent of the Kinsey-Masters-Johnson era in the United States, no people were more interested in their own sexual practices than the Japanese. More than a thousand years ago, Japanese novelists (mostly women) were recording in careful detail the courting and mating customs of their times. Contemporary novelists, magazine writers, and social scientists have continued this popular tradition. As a result of this custom, there is a constantly growing mass of data on the sexual attitudes and practices of the Japanese.

One of the more interesting factors brought out by these studies is the complete naturalness with which Japanese girls regard sex, and their lack of inhibitions stemming from social taboos. To them there is no right or wrong way to engage in sex. Whatever the partners find pleasing is right, and they are willing to experiment to find out what is pleasing. When Western men are confronted by this attitude, they are apt to go overboard in their admiration for life in Japan.

Sex in Japan has long been accepted as an art requiring special skill to perform properly, and there has been considerable effort to raise it to an artistic level. Today instruction in the practice of sex is big business. Anyone who can read can become an authority on the theory and practice of sex just by keeping up with two or three of the more popular women's and young girls' magazines.

Beginning in the early 1960s, many publications aimed at women began emphasizing sex education in wall-to-wall stereo, you might say. One feature in a magazine called Josei Jishin (Young Girl Confidential), for example, was a long special section showing its readers in elaborate detail how to sexually excite men and how to perform coitus in the most satisfying manner.

NUDITY ISN'T SEX