ACTTJ - Shaped like a bowling pin.....
Takumi's Virtual Hole offers a glimpse into Japan's adult toy land
Japan's adult toy market is expanding more furiously than many of the organs it caters for, according to Shukan Post (8/10).
The Adult Treasure Expo held in Chiba last weekend provided a strong glimpse of how adult-oriented businesses are now as much about boom as they are about boom-boom.
"Tighter regulations mean there are fewer adult stores than there once were, but the number of catalog companies selling adult products grew dramatically from 462 in 1999 to 3,127 by 2005," Takashi Kadokura, representative of the economic department at the Brics Research Institute, tells Shukan Post. "Adult merchandise has clearly become more mainstream, with even major discount outlets like the Don Quixote chain selling sex toys in their stores."
And it's high-tech new toys that are helping propel the adult merchandise industry to unprecedented highs -- such as the Virtual Hole Takumi, featured at the Adult Treasure Expo. The toy is shaped like a bowling pin and is attached to a PC by a USB cable. The man then inserts his member into the bowling pin and starts running the supplied blue movie, featuring a naked young woman writhing and groaning, on the computer. It's here that Virtual Hole Takumi starts to amaze.
"Thanks to a newly developed signal control system, the toy adjusts its movements depending on the actions of the woman on the screen," a spokesman for developer Daihaku tells Shukan Post. "It's possible to recreate slightly different actions, such as when a woman uses her mouth or a couple are enjoined, so the pleasure given to the user is an accurate simulation of the real thing."
For those who prefer a bit of distance in their love lives, there's the Televibe, a vibrator activated by a call from a mobile phone.
"Using a mobile phone and inputting a certain signal allows the user to manipulate the speed and intensity of a vibrator, as well as switch it on or off," a spokesman for Kairaku Kobo Regina, creator of the Televibe, says. "It doesn't matter where the wearer is, as long as the call gets through you can even manipulate the vibrator while carrying on a conversation over the phone."
Another popular product at the show was the Prostate Pro, targeting middle-aged and elderly men who are finding that they can't quite rise to the occasion like they used to.
"It's a ring, containing a permanent magnet that's had a slight gauss adjustment, and worn over the penis and gonads for 10 hours a week," a spokesman for manufacturer Infinity says. "The magnet improves circulation and stimulates activity in the prostate, which is important in maintaining regular function in the male organ. The Prostate Pro makes men act like men."
Economist Kadokura sees products like the Prostate Pro helping spark the growth in the adult toy market.
"Women and the elderly have been the driving force in the market's recent expansion," the beancounter tells Shukan Post. "Goods that explore sexuality are gaining social acceptance and giving the market the momentum to come up with a whole new range of products."
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