/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Sex and hygiene

Sex in the west can be spontaneous, but sex in Japan isn't, or at least, not in the same way. In Japan, you can't get in the front door and immediately start stripping each other's clothes off in the hallway. Well, you can, and your Japanese partner will probably acquiesce because they are Japanese, but deep down they will be hideously uncomfortable and thinking, "Sex? But I'm not mentally prepared! I haven't done my kokoro no junbi! And she hasn't had a shower! And I haven't had a shower! This is kind of gross!"

Shower is important. You should shower directly before and after you have sex. Before is more important than after. This makes me sound like I only ever dated people with OCD, but it's the norm. The way I first found out about this was in conversation with my friend Natsue.

Me: I was at Seiji's place hanging out and he randomly told me that I could use his shower if I felt like it. Don't you think that's weird?
Natsue: *cracks up laughing* Cat, that means he wants to have sex with you! If a guy mentions having a shower, he is saying that he wants to have sex.
Me: But isn't it kind of rude to imply I needed to shower first? Like, it was a date, obviously I had showered before going over to his apartment!
Natsue: Well, I suppose so. . . *sounding unconvinced* . . . but didn't you say he lives in Yokohama?
Me: What does Yokohama have to do with it?
Natsue: Well, you went on the train to get there . . . it's better to have another shower. If a guy had sex with me without showering first, it would make me really uncomfortable.