Life-sized Dolls

[daredemonai]

We are not getting off topic. The subject is doll-related.

On a life-sized doll thread are we all supposed to talk only about dolls? That will be rather weird. :dies:

IMO, there's no need to try to control threads in discussion sections. Getting off topic will be fine, too. We are not attending conferences or seminars, you know? Unless we adopt K15 system. :evillaugh:

Sorry, you're right. It's just that as someone who has lived in Japan for ages, and has a huge number of Japanese friends, acquaintances, and enemies, I suppose I get a bit frustrated by abstract analyses of "Japanese society," "Japanese culture," "Japanese people," etc. As you and guy know very well, the reality in here in Japan (like everywhere else on this planet) is enormously complex, and there is enormous difference among individuals, not to mention regional differences, differences over time, etc. But most people who do not speak the language and have not spent a lot of time here tend to accept very broad stereotypes as truth. So when you or guy or I say something about Japan, among ourselves we may understand perfectly what the others are saying, because we have in-depth knowledge of the context, but other members may read what we write and interpret it in very different ways. So, for example, someone might read your previous post and think, "Oh, so Japanese people are immature." That is not, I believe, what you meant. And someone might read guy's post and think, "Oh, so in Japan, they are strict and rigid publicly, but in private, anything goes!" Again, I'm pretty sure that's not what guy meant.

I suppose I just hate generalizations about "a people," because it reinforces a tendency that many humans have of seeing their own society as complex, and other societies as somehow simple, or "backward," or even "primitive."

BTW, I feel the same way when I hear Japanese people making generalizations about "Americans" or "Westerners" (or any other peoples). So I speak up in such situations and say, "It's a lot more complicated than that."

So, that's my bottom line: "It's a lot more complicated than that."

In the case of love-dolls, I could go out on a busy street corner and conduct a survey. I could show people photos of various love-dolls, explain how they're made, how much they cost, what different types are available, and ask the people, "So what do you think of all this?" I suspect that common responses would include:

• "Eww. That's disgusting. I get sick just thinking about the kind of people who would buy these things."
  
• "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That is so weird!"
  
• "Well, as long as the people who buy these things aren't hurting anyone, it doesn't bother me. To each his own."
  
• "I think these would be great for someone can't find a real lover for some reason."
  
• "Things like this might lead someone to commit a sex crime. They should be banned."
  
• "Whoa! These are so well made! And you say they cost about 600,000 yen? Wow. That's incredible. I had no idea."
  
• "Actually, I have that doll right there, but with a different wig. I call her Sayaka. I used to have this one, but there's no comparing soft vinyl and silicon."

:dunno:

 

[dfc]

Anyone actually seen one of these in real-life?

I wonder how they feel like on the outside. Sort of approaches uncanny valley for me, but (sad to say) I wouldn't turn one away if someone decided to gift me one..

 

[daredemonai]

I have, um, "handled" much cheaper sex toys made of silicon that looks similar to the silicon used in these dolls. If it's anything like that, they are quite soft and flexible. And on one or two of the sites you can see videos of the breasts being "massaged," which gives you an idea of the degree of firmness. But, of course, there's no substitute for human flesh, is there? :bingo:

Well, except porcine flesh, which, you know, they sometimes use in skin grafts. :casual:

But I've never used (or even seen in person) one these dolls.

And, of course, I've never had sex with a pig. :exhausted: To the best of my recollection, that is. uzzled:

I'm sorry, what was the question? :attention:

 

[japonaliya]

When I was in Japan a while ago, I was in Kyoto searching for a master shamisen repairer and dealer.

I was given an address (and all of us who have been to Japan know about addresses) and was walking around the small narrow streets of the Gion, a few blocks from Shoji dori.

While asking just about anyone as to where this little shop might be, I came a cross a small hotel, and went in to inquire.....

As soon as I entered, I realized this was a "love hotel" and a pretty expensive/high-class one.

So..my point? Can you imagine such a hotel in America?????? ...in Europe??? (except Amsterdam)

What I am getting at is the Japanese have virtually no hangups about sex, or what people do behind closed doors, unless they perceive it affects them directly. Fetishes don't really bother them as long as it's private....

I could also mention places like Kabukichou in Tokyo

But if it were a neighbor drawing attention to himself, the neighborhood would be up in arms...
I am sure that in rural areas of Japan, the people are less tolerant then in the large cities.

The people in Japan do not condone everything for everybody.

They just have their own hangups, not Western ones....

 

[daredemonai]

When I was in Japan a while ago, I was in Kyoto searching for a master shamisen repairer and dealer.

I was given an address (and all of us who have been to Japan know about addresses) and was walking around the small narrow streets of the Gion, a few blocks from Shoji dori.

I think you mean Shijo dori (四条通).

While asking just about anyone as to where this little shop might be, I came a cross a small hotel, and went in to inquire.....

As soon as I entered, I realized this was a "love hotel" and a pretty expensive/high-class one.

So..my point? Can you imagine such a hotel in America?????? ...in Europe??? (except Amsterdam)

No, I can't, and it's for precisely the religious reasons I mentioned in an earlier post (I think). By the way, I can recommend a couple of really nice love hotels in Kyoto. :evillaugh: The most stylish and relaxing is Sari, not far from the Kyoto Zoo. :flattered:

What I am getting at is the Japanese have virtually no hangups about sex, or what people do behind closed doors, unless they perceive it affects them directly. Fetishes don't really bother them as long as it's private....

Generally true, although, not to belabor the point, there are individual differences. And, as buttobi noted, part of the seemingly casual attitude has to do with a general ignorance. CP did not get much attention for decades, just because the vast majority of people didn't know about it and didn't give it much thought. In the case of CP and child sexual abuse, this has changed a lot in the last decade.

But people only complain about love hotels when someone tries to build one in their neighborhood. :snicker: After all, everybody uses them. Hey, it's better than having your spouse--who was supposed to be out of town today--walk in on you and lover right in the middle of it, no? :ridiculed: BTW, that almost happened to me once. Shit, that was a close call. :exhausted:

I could also mention places like Kabukichou in Tokyo

Fascinating place, but today, homosexuality is far more acceptable in the U.S. and Europe than it is in Japan. Again, in Japan there is no association of homosexuality with "sin," but there is intense pressure to stay closeted, and even to marry as a "beard."

But if it were a neighbor drawing attention to himself, the neighborhood would be up in arms...
I am sure that in rural areas of Japan, the people are less tolerant then in the large cities.

I don't think they are less tolerant; they just have a much better grasp of what the neighbors are up to. :snicker: There is no rural "Bible Belt" in Japan. Hell, less than a century ago, rural Japanese farmers were much more open and casual about sex than were urbanites, who were still under the influence of Confucian samurai morals. "Yobai" (夜這い), in which an unmarried young man would sneak into an unmarried young woman's house at night for a "quickie" was fairly common well into the 20th century in rural Japan. And these young people had multiple sex partners, and would gossip with their same-sex friends about who was better, etc.

The people in Japan do not condone everything for everybody.

They just have their own hangups, not Western ones....

Indeed.

 

[bologna]

Speaking of generalisations about Japanese culture (which are at least appropriate when discussing the laws of the land: the only morals which are by definition universally agreed upon) I find it telling that sex dolls of both adult size and child size are equally as scandalous and acceptable as each other.

Nobody can really question that (aside from the witch-hunt for pedophiles or what society perceives pedophiles to be) the overwhelming trend in the west is towards sexual liberation (except possibly in Britain). The vibrator and the dildo have been cornerstones of the 'free' and 'independent' modern woman since the 80s. In liberal western europe at least, so long as my sex doll has heaving tits, I can get away with it with my friends if I have the right outward personality type. I could even show it to an (adult) girlfriend in the right circumstances. And there's no question that my fleshlight or fliphole synthetic vaginas will over time become more and more accepted; though perhaps never to the level that female sex toys are - asking for 1:1 gender equality in my lifetime might be pushing it.

By contrast, Japanese sexual society seems to be regressing; becoming less tolerant (particularly considering just how sexually liberal the society was once upon a time). The prosecutions for obscenity (or at least, the media reporting) are increasing and after taking advice on child pornography from the UN and the American Embassy, there is talk of criminalising many other forms of 'deviant' pornography, even when it features consenting adults or cartoon characters.

It's specious to argue that a country which censors the male penis is 'sexually liberated', or that bans all forms of child nudity has 'liberal attitudes towards child pornography'. Just because the strong arm of the law does not extend to invading your (Japanese) home for child pornography (they already do so for piracy) just yet, it is on the table and it is terribly likely to be cast into law under the so-called 'simple possession criminalisation'.

 

[Ceewan]

It happens in every discussion thread, people make leaps of logic in order to be argumentative and bait others into a frivolous discussion that has little or nothing to do with the thread topic. Come on people, if we can't be friends lets try to at least act friendly or try to ignore each other when we can't just for the sake of the board.

Here is an interesting article:
http://www.wordpress.tokyotimes.org/?p=2142

others:
http://news.3yen.com/2008-01-04/i-doloids-love-dolls-for-japan-and-the-rest-of-the-world/
http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/plastic-fantastic-japans-doll-industry-booming

I personally just find the whole thing interesting and see nothing wrong with a little harmless speculation on the subject.

 

[daredemonai]

So have you guys checked these sites out? A couple of them have English pages. The faces range from "What were they thinking?" to "Wow!" And only a few of the heads have "functional" mouths. Here are some of my favorite faces.

First, the oldest (and many seem to think best) manufacturer, Orient Industry (オリエント工業). Click on the name or image to see a gallery of the dolls photos.

Ai (愛)


Aoi (葵)


Kayo (佳世)


Kirara (キララ)


Tomoko (智子)


Nana (奈々)


Mizuki (みずき)



Megu (恵)


Megu (めぐ--Note that this Megu's name is written in hiragana, while the Megu above is written in kanji)


I think Kayo's my favorite. Whereas most of these dolls have a vacant, naive expression, Kayo actually looks intelligent. I'd love to put eyeglasses on her.

And I like Mizuki, because she looks like someone you might actually see on the street. She has a distinctive, realistic face.

You can see all 30 of the faces they currently make here. Some of the old ones are only available in soft vinyl, some are available in both soft vinyl and silicone, and the newer ones tend to be silicone-only. The two marked "NEW" fall into my own "What were they thinking?" category. "Jun" (潤--Whose names means "moist") is supposed to be making an "ecstasy face", but it looks like she bit her tongue. Not a face I want to have in my field of vision for hours a day. "Yoko" (陽子) is obviously supposed to look like a "mature woman" (as you can tell by the way they have her dressed and posed in her gallery), but, god, couldn't they make a more alluring mature woman? This looks like the nondescript woman who works in the municipal office. She looks like a housewife who would be thrilled to have an affair, but who is so utterly boring she would have nothing to offer to the relationship. She looks like a woman who is taking a class in paper-flower-making. She looks like... Well, you get the idea.

Next time (if there's interest), I'll introduce some of my favorites from other makers.

 

[japonaliya]

I posted these before, but here is my love child hanging out in my office!!!!.....
Click on them twice for huge images.

 

[rubiks6]

If nothing else, she'd save you the price of a ticket in the HOV lanes. I got one of those back in 1997, and it cost me $1000 bucks plus court costs! That's a fair down payment on a doll.

Question: Can they close their eyes, like sleeping? (So the cop doesn't ask questions.)
_______________

Hey, daredemonai, what happened to the doll in the car-seat with the happy-meal ??? I was responding to that post.
____ . :angrygirl: . ____

 

[Ceewan]

If nothing else, she'd save you the price of a ticket in the HOV lanes. I got one of those back in 1997, and it cost me $1000 bucks plus court costs! That's a fair down payment on a doll.

Question: Can they close their eyes, like sleeping? (So the cop doesn't ask questions.)

A few ads and FAQs I noticed said you could order a separate head for that. If I find time later I will hunt up a picture of one.

 

[handyman]

A few ads and FAQs I noticed said you could order a separate head for that...

:shiver:

This comes to mind...

[youtube]C0u7KPH69VA[/youtube]

 

[handyman]

Oh and here's another site;

http://aidoll.4woods.jp/en/

 

[daredemonai]

Hey, daredemonai, what happened to the doll in the car-seat with the happy-meal ??? I was responding to that post.
____ . :angrygirl: . ____

Sorry. It was a direct link to the photo on the site. It seems the guy is paranoid about people using his photos, though, so maybe he changed the URL.

Great clip, handyman. Yeah, the whole "spare heads" thing is pretty weird, but then again, so is the whole life-sized doll thing.

4woods is pretty good, but the faces just aren't as well sculpted as they could be. Haruhi, Yu-ki, Natsuki, and Naomi are okay, though. But that's a matter of tastes, I suppose. I like their "A.I. Peach" body. If their prices were lower, I'd think about it, but their dolls are in the 600,000 yen range.

 

[psicodelicioso]

http://ya-ya-ya.com/lovedoll/index.htm

 

[daredemonai]

http://ya-ya-ya.com/lovedoll/index.htm

Those are made by "Make Pure." I didn't know about "La vie en Doll" before. They seem to be an exporter of love-dolls made by a variety of Japanese companies, but only seem to have clear partnerships with Make Pure and "Erie" (another company I had never heard of). The site is worth looking at just for the hilarious Engrish. They're based in Osaka.

Of the companies introduced there, I could only recommend Orient Industry, Silicone Art, and Unison. (Well, and maybe Trottla, if you're into that kind of thing and willing to take the risk.)

The other two companies, Dekunobo and Novartoc, just make fabric, stuffed dummies. Novartoc's are particularly wretched. The dolls are all lumpy and have horrible head anime-style head designs. If I was going to risk having my girlfriend find a love doll in my apartment, before she stormed out and left me forever, I would at least prefer that she think, "What the--!? God this is really well made! But I can't live with a guy who would cheat on me with a doll that looks better than me!" rather than think, "Ugh! What is this disgusting, tacky thing? I could never live with such a pathetic loser!" :snicker:

BTW, Erie's dolls are made of polyurethane, the same stuff used to make mattresses, and have a rubber skin. They aren't horrible looking, and they're quite cheap (about 120,000 yen) compared with silicone dolls, but I don't imagine they would feel very good. :dunno:

 

[BudEWiser]

Here's a question for you all....
If I had one of the child size dolls, where in the world would I be able to purchase t-back baithing suits for it? They are prominantly featured in some of the secrete junior acrobat series, and seem to fit the little ones properly. I'm not good at sewing, so making my own would be out of the question!

 

[Ceewan]

Get a measuring tape, take some standard measurements, then go out shopping. Remember to leave the tags on the clothes and ask about return policies before buying until you get an idea of the right size for your new friend. A non-return policy on underwear can be expected so buy cheap ones sparingly until you get the right size and fit. If you need child sizes this might take some big balls but just tell them you are dressing up a doll as a prank or something or your wife is a dwarf....any lie will do. I don't believe it is illegal for a man to buy sexy underwear or clothes in any country.

 

[rubiks6]

Victoria's Secret. ___ . :bingo:

 

[desioner]

I highly recommend Wicked Weasel for all of your micro bikini needs. I've ordered a few for my wife but she's much to shy to wear them. She does indulge my desires from time to time though.
desioner