chat with mei: prostitution in japan - part 2
Hello world!
先週に引き続き、あたしの友達のMeiとの会話をシェア！先週の記事のテーマはセックスだったけれど、今週のテーマは売春について。売春だけではなく、風俗の経験もあるMeiがオープンに彼女の経験をシェアしてくれたよ！
Here's part 2 of chat with mei :) Last week's topic was "sex" but this week is about prostitution in Japan. She shared her experience on not only prostitution but also working in sex industry (※fuzoku.)
※fuzoku - there are many kind of fuzoku, but mainly, a store for sexual enjoyment which includes conversation, dancing, bathing and oral sex to stay legal without coital activities.
Hikari: 売春を始めたきっかけは？どれくらい？
Hikari: Why did you start working as a prostitute? How long did you do it for?
Mei: 学生の時に学費に困って。最初は風俗で働いていたけど、お客さんが払ったお金が100%自分に支払われる訳じゃないのが嫌になって個人営業を始めたよ。期間は18歳～22歳くらいまで、だいたい月４くらいはしてたよ。(Meiはもうすぐ23歳。)
Mei: When I was a student, I needed money because I was paying my tuition. When I started, I was working at a fuzoku but I didn't like it because I didn't make 100% of the customers' money. So, I started my own business as a prostitute when I was 18 and I took about four jobs each month. And I stopped when I was 22. (She is turning 23 very soon!)
H: 風俗についてもそうだけど、Meiの事情、何も知らなかった！じゃあ、もう今はやってないの？
H: I've known you for such a long time but I didn't know your situation at all. So, you don't do it anymore?
M: 学生の頃は普通のバイトをかけもち＋風俗をやっていたから勉強する時間も限られてて辛かったな。今は進んでやってないよ！でも、以前わたしを買ってくれた人から連絡がくるとたまにお小遣いもらってセックスしちゃったりはするかな。
M: When I was a student, I had both a normal part time job and job at the fuzoku. I didn't have enough time to study and I remember that it was hard. I don't need to work as a prostitute anymore but when I get messages from my customers, I still go see them to have sex for a little extra money.
H: 普通のバイトもしてたの！？想像できない。彼は全部知ってるんだよね？周りの意見とか気になったことある？
H: WHAT? YOU HAD NORMAL PART TIME JOB TOO!? I can't imagine how hard that was! Your boyfriend knows everything, right? Have you ever cared about what people think?
M: 当時の彼氏、一人前の彼氏、今の彼氏。三人とも私のこと全て知ってるよ！それを含めて私だから付き合って数ヶ月であえて暴露してる。そこで軽蔑されたら、私自身を軽蔑されてるような気がしちゃう…。「そんな過去があるからこそ今のMeiなんだよね！」と前向きにとらえてくれる相手で本当に良かった。
周りの意見は気にしなかったなぁ。いろんな意見があって当然で、私がやっていること、やってた事が正解だなんて全く思わないけど、学生時代の私にはそれしか手段がなかったし、後悔は今も全くないよ。
M: My last two boyfriends and my current boyfriend, all of them know about everything! I told them all a few months after we started dating. If they disapprove what I do, then I would feel like they disapprove of me.
They all took it very well, saying things like "You're the way you are because of your past." I feel lucky that they were so understanding.
I'd never cared about what people think about what I do. I know there are many kinds of opinions about it, and I don't think what I was doing was right things to do but I didn't have any choice when I was a student and I've never felt regret, even now.
H: 彼氏がそうやってMeiの全てを受け入れて理解してくれるって、いいね♡だって理解もせずに、自分の嫉妬心の方が強い人もいるだろうし。
あたしの中で『売春』や『風俗』って言葉を聞くと、ドラマや映画で見るようなやり取りしか思い浮かばないんだけど、実際はどう？例えば、危険なイメージや無理やりだったり、おっさんが多かったり。でもそれってステレオたいぷなイメージなんだろうな、と思う。
H: That's so nice that they accepted who you are like that! I assume there are people who wouldn't be able to accept who you are.
I have some images of "prostitution" and "fuzoku" from Japanese movies and TV shows like dangerous, and forcibly, but I think these are stereotyped images on them. Is it real or different?
M: わたしは風俗の中でもヘルスで半年間働いていたんだけど、最低6時間勤務でお客さんとお客さんの間の休憩は10分以内と言われて、体力勝負だった。フィニッシュは口内発射と決まっていたから仕事後もご飯が喉を通らないことも… 泣 お客さんは遊び慣れてる人が多くて、優しい人にしか当たったことないかな。本番は禁止だけど、裏取引でセックスすることも度々あったよ。
個人の売春だと、出会い系サイトの掲示板に条件と値段を書き込んで、返信をくれた人と待ち合わせをしてホテルに直行。脅されたり、監禁されたりはないけど、セックスした後、シャワーはいってる間に逃げられてお金受け取れなかった事もあり。
相性が合う人(身体だけではなく、性格とかも)とは買い物に一緒に行ってご飯食べてからホテルでセックスをする事が多かったよ。何年も付き合いがあると、普通に飲みにいったり、仕事の話をしたり友達感覚になる！
M: I worked at fuzoku for 6 months. I needed to work for more than 6 hours, and I only had break time for within 10 minutes between customers, and that was physically tough. My store offered every customer blow job and swallowing so I was losing my appetite when I was working :( Most customers were accustomed with sex industry so most of my customers knew how to treat me nicely. Having sex with your customers is prohibited but I sometimes made deals with them outside of the store.
As a prostitute, I posted my requirements and price on online dating website, and I met people who responded to me and went to love hotel. I'd never been threatened or confined but while I was taking a shower after having sex, I had experienced that some people left without paying me.
If I met someone who is fun to be with like not only sexually but also personality wise, I went shopping, dinner and love hotels. I have long term relationship with some customers, so we just became friends and go for a drink, too.
H: よく考えたらこうやってMeiの話を聞くまで、ちゃんとどんな仕組みかすら考えたことなかったかも。とっても興味深い世界！多分みんなが気になることだと思うんだけど、相手と会う時間の長さや値段はどうやって決めたりするの？男性側ではなくてMeiに決める権利があるの？(例えば何して、とか何時間でいくらとか)
H: I'd actually never thought about how all works until I heard your story. It's very interesting! I think a lot of people wanna know: how did you decide the hours and price? Do you have a right to decide instead of customers?
M: 出会い系サイトだと、女性利用者より男性利用者の方が多いから必然的に女性が条件を提示できるよ。 私は「１時間半以内 車には乗りません。ノーマル(プレイ) 2.5(金額) ゴ有(コンドームあり)」と、掲示板に貼り付ける事が多かったよ。１時間半以内と書くのには理由があって、前に会った人が絶倫でほぼ半日セックスしっ放しで体力的にキツかったから。笑 車に乗らない理由は、待ち合わせして車に乗った途端に後部座席から何人も出てきて強姦されてしまった子も居ると聞いた事があるので最低限の対策。 掲示板を見てると、条件は様々！１万円でも良い人、縛りたい人、スパンキングしたい人…などなど！ 男性側は、待ち合わせしても他国の人が来たり、おばさんが来たり、条件と違う人が現れる事が8割だそうなので、私の希望金額は高めだけど、まだ若いし♡普通体型の普通の女の子なのでお相手は喜んで支払ってくれる♡
M: On online dating website, there are more men users than women so women have the right to decide conditions, requirements, and price. I usually posted: "Within an hour and a half. I'm not getting into a car. Normal (= play.) 2.5 (= price: 25000 yen) with condom." The reason why I wrote "within an hour and a half" was physically REALLY tough for me since I was having sex with customers a half of a day. And the reason why I wrote "I'm not getting into a car" was: I heard that some girls got raped when they got into someone's car which actually had more people in the backseat, so I wanted to protect myself from what I know. When I see the online dating website, I see a lot of conditions and price: 10000 yen, BDSM, spanking and etc.
I've heard that 80% of online profiles listed as "Young Japanese prostitute" are not actually younger girls, and often not Japanese. So, my price is higher than others but I'm the one who they want like young and fresh so they're happy to pay me that much money.
H:やっぱりインターネットを通して会うとなると、そういった女性側にも男性側にもリスクがあるんだね。それで１か月だいたいどれくらい稼いでたの？それでどうしてやめようって思ったの？
H: I guess there will be a risk for both men and women when you try to meet someone through the Internet. How much did you earn in a month? And what made you think to quit?
M: そうだね。男性側がシャワー浴びてる間にお金抜かれたり、身分証明書を取られて脅されたというのも聞いた事あるよ。
お金必要な時にサクッとセックスして、社会人になってからは毎月２５万くらいは稼いでたかな。仕事の給料は全く使わないで暮らせる時もあったりした！やめようと思った理由は…キリがないから！
お金があると、美容院に頻繁に行ったり高いお酒ばっかり飲んだり、とどんどん生活水準を上げちゃってたの。それに気づいて、生活をシンプルにしていったらお金が必要じゃなくなっちゃった。セックスの回数が減ったぶん、今は彼氏とのセックスに燃えてる！笑
因みに風俗を半年で辞めた理由はクラミジアにかかって、当時の彼氏にまで感染させちゃってたからなんだよー。
M: Yes. I've heard like while man takes shower, a prostitute takes money or ID from his wallet and threaten him after sex.
When I needed money, I would just have sex quickly and make 250000 Yen (= about US$2200.) After I graduated school, I could live without using the money I made from my actual work.
This is the reason why I quit. I didn't want this to go on and on. I had more money than I needed, I went to beauty salon a lot, and bought expensive alcohol. I had the realization that I wanted my lifestyle to be simple and to have less money. Also, not having sex with other guys has made sex with my boyfriend more enjoyable
And the reason I quitted fuzoku was I got chlamydia and it infected my ex boyfriend who I dated at the time.
H: ２５万！それでもそうやって自分の生活水準に気づけるなんて、Meiらしくて納得。売春って中毒性があるって聞いた事があったけど、やっぱりMeiみたいな子もいるよね。
クラミジアになってからは性病対策や避妊にはもっと気をつけてる？もし気をつけてるなら具体的にどうしてる？
H: 250000YEN! I can see that you can realize those things even though in the situation where you can drown yourself into money. I've heard that prostitution is addictive, but now I know there are girls like you. Since you've got chlamydia, do you care about STD more? If so, how?
M: 私は欲しいものがあると「身体売ればいいか」って思うようになっちゃってたな。物欲も自分でセーブできるようになったって事は大人になったのかな。笑
低用量ピルは元々飲んでいるけど、彼氏以外とは生で挿入しない、性器同士を生で擦らない、喉から感染するのも嫌だからフェラもしない、という対策は最低限してる。後は１年に一度は性病検査も受けてるよ。彼氏にも検査に行ってもらって、お互い検査結果を見せ合ったりもする！
M: When I wanted something, I was like "let's just sell myself." I hope I'm becoming an adult from being away from desires.
Whenever I wanted something, I was like "let's just sell myself." I hope by being away from my desires I'm becoming more of an adult. I've been taking low-dose pills, but I won't have sex without a condom unless it's with my boyfriend, and I don't give blowjobs because I don't want to get TDS.
Also, I get checked once a year at gynecology. I ask my boyfriend to go to check and we show each other's result.
H: あたしは性病検査、一度もしたことないや。Meiの話を聞いてたら、自分ももっと気をつけようと思ったよ。やっぱり性についての知識と教育って大切だと再確認した感じ。
meiの思う売春の悪いところといいところは？
H: I'd never gotten checked before! Listening to you story made me want to be careful and aware of those things. And also, we need more knowledge and education on sex.
What do you think of good part and bad part of prostitution?
M: コンドームを付けるだけでも、色んな病気の予防になるからそこだけでも最低限やらなくちゃね。
私自身は売春したことによって、学費を賄えたり、留学に行けたりしたのは良かったよ。色んな性癖の人、仕事の人に会えて視野は広がったな。でも、その分セックス中に彼氏の顔思い出して泣きそうになった事もあるし、彼氏とのセックスにも新鮮味を感じられなくなったり… 言葉で言い表せないけど、大切なものを失った気がする。
待ち合わせして大きな事件に巻き込まれるリスクもあるので、軽率な気持ちで絶対にしないでもらいたいな。
M: Just using condom is huge difference, you know. So, there are many STD so you need to protect yourself with what you know at least.
Good part is I could pay my tuition, and even I could go to study abroad. Also, I could meet a lot of guys who have different sexual inclinations, and people who has different jobs and it made my view wider. However, I almost cried when I thought of my boyfriend while I was having sex with guys, and I don't enjoy having sex with my boyfriend like I used to. I can't explain what it is but I feel like I lost huge thing inside me.
I just don't want girls to do this, because there are so many dangerous risks than you think.
Meiとあたしの会話を見て、どう思った？何か新しく思ったことや知れたことはある？あたしはMeiとの会話からいろいろ知らなかったこと、知っているつもりだったけど違ったり、たくさん学べてとっても楽しかった♡ 本当にありがとう！