There's little as disheartening as a bad session in the sack; a point many Japanese are painfully aware of judging by the enormous sales of sex manuals, according to Spa! (8/14-21).

Most of the "how to" sex books are being sold among men, but gals are also picking up their fair share, the weekly claims as it goes out to try and find what women are researching to polish their bedroom skills.

"For 'how to' type stuff, many women use 'Sex de kirei ni naru (Sex Makes You Beautiful)', the guide published by (women's magazine) 'an an.' Japan's first instructional sex DVD 'Mitsugi Denju - Otoko wo Ikaseru Tekunikku Nyumon (Secret Technique Lessons - A Beginners Guide on Techniques Needed to Make a Man Come)', came out in 1999. It featured a very experienced woman using another woman as a model and providing instructions on how to kiss, take part in foreplay, perform fellatio and other detailed information. This DVD sold mainly among ordinary office ladies," Kaoru Ogiwara, operator of the women's oriented adult goods shop Lovely Pop, tells Spa! "Starting around that time, the desire among ordinary women to become better at sex began to get stronger."

Since the landmark DVD, adult movie makers and educational organizations have come out with a string of instructional sex DVDs to meet the quiet demand for more information among women.

"Specifically, titles like 'Kanno Baiburu (Sensuality Bible) - Pureness and Reality' or 'Betaa Sekkusu (Better Sex)' have sold well. Women want concrete details, with instructions like 'Do this for a guy and he'll love you for it,'" Ogiwara tells Spa! "Women who watch these kinds of DVDs don't want their partners to know about it, so they buy them from places like adult goods stores for women or online sites and then watch them in secret when there's nobody else around. Bookstore shelves are also filled with many sex manuals with attractive covers aimed at women, so it's easier for them to buy that stuff nowadays. And then you've got sex guides like 'Waku Waku! H Room (Exciting Sex Room)' selling at convenience stores." (By Ryann Connell)

August 17, 2007