SCMP reports that Japan’s sex industry is remaining open amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
Japan has been in a state of emergency since 7 April resulting in Tokyo’s nightlife closing down. Restaurants, like many around the world, have limited their service to takeaways or have shut down completely.
However, Tokyo’s adult entertainment industry remains open. Hostess clubs continue to allow men to book women to chat face-to-face with. Pinsaro oral sex bars are still offering services for 6.000 yen.
The Japanese government has not enforced penalties for businesses that remain open during Covid-19 pandemic. However, it urges citizens to limit human contact by 70%-80%.
“We’ve been making sure patrons wash and sanitise their hands and clothes before entering the venue,” says Britney Jane, an American in her 20s who has lived in Japan for five years and works at an S&M club in Osaka.
“This process is repeated each time they step outside. I feel if I’m going to get sick, it’s more likely going to be from when I’m on a train or in the supermarket.”
“The virus was confirmed in a person working in my local supermarket, but even then, I am not scared,” Jane added. “Japan seems to be one of the countries doing the least, and I guess that makes me feel like it’s less scary. I just feel worried for the elderly because Japan has so many of them.”
“Some people are losing their jobs, businesses are going bankrupt,” says the owner of the bar where Jane works, who declined to give a name. “We’re either going to die from coronavirus or we’re going to die economically.”
Yu, 27, from Tokyo said her friend working at a pinsaro bar is provided with a wet towel to offer her clients to clean their genitals before servicing them.
“My friend told me she is trying to cut her days back,” she says. “She’s in the upper echelon of girls in the bar, so she has regular clients and the freedom to do that.”
“Many of those girls who move to Tokyo from elsewhere live in a flat provided by the owner of the bar, which means they do not have a lot of autonomy,” Yu added.
In related news, Canadian sportswear brand Lululemon has issued an apology after an employee promoted a racist Coronavirus-related T-shirt.
