.
The following appeared in Japan Today; you may want to visit the provided link's original page for a few extras, such as readers' comments.
Yumi Kazama: 15 Years in the Japanese Adult Video Industry and Still Going Strong
By Philip Kendall
ENTERTAINMENT FEB. 21, 2013 - 06:10AM JST
Yumi Kazama
TOKYO — As one of the world’s most lucrative adult industries, thousands of women pick up the latex gauntlet every single year in Japan in the hope of finding a life of glamour and fame, only for most to vanish into obscurity within their first 12 months in the business or discover that life on the other side of the lens is not quite what it seemed. But with more than 15 years and 1,000 adult movies under her garter belt, Tokyo-born porn star Yumi Kazama’s feisty antics are still somehow managing to set pulses racing across the country.
In an interview with Nikkan Spa! in order to promote her saucy new photo collection, the 33-year-old actress discusses how she first made it into the industry, the type of work she does and how she unintentionally became one of Japan’s most loved mature hotties.
Released at the end of January, Kazama’s photo album “Bittersweet” features a host of erotic images the like which we’re sure many of us have seen before. The star, however, maintains that this is more than just a regular collection of cheeky (pun very much intended) photos and that she had a lot of input and control during its production.
“For the album, I picked out all of my own clothes – underwear included – and I even did my own makeup. I want to bring fans closer and allow them to see every side of me,” says Kazama explaining the release of the new photo book. Taking a quick look at some of the images released to the press, it soon becomes apparent that, while typically sexy, the album shuns brightly lit studios for simpler “at home” and outdoor shots.
Asked about her early days in the industry and how she responds to the label of “jukujo” (attractive mature lady) actress, Kazama states that it was an entirely natural process and not something that she originally aspired to.
“It’s not that I started off thinking ‘I want to make it in the adult movie business!’ Ha ha. When I was around 25 years old and working in the AV industry, the ‘nature’ and ‘wives’ genres were really taking off. While playing the roles of men’s wives in these movies, I just sort of naturally ‘ripened’ during that period in my life; the role is a part of who I am. I was never one of those highly strung young girls to begin with anyway.”
On starting in the industry
“I first got into the porn industry a year after I graduated from high school when I was 18. I went to an all-girls school and was just a regular, sensible student; I didn’t joke around much and my parents were on the strict side. After graduating, I started attending a technical college, and it was there that I met some really cool, fashionable girls - the kind of girls who are into things like DJ-ing at clubs. I soon started hanging out with them; it was probably in part to rebel against my parents. Anyway, I got hit on a lot during those days, which was totally new for me, and I found myself partying a lot. I guess I was just letting my hair down and a little curious. It was more about quantity over quality, though - I wasn’t really interested in things like love and romance, I just wanted to try it with a lot of guys. So when I was spotted by a scout, I kind of entered the industry with that same curious, playful feeling. I don’t think I ever felt reluctant about it all - I don’t really remember! Ha ha!”
On doing it all
Having played practically every kind of role imaginable in the adult video industry, one might expect Kazama to be something of an extrovert even in her private life. When quizzed by Spa! however, the actress maintains that she is essentially just a down-to-earth girl who, despite having played both passive and dominant roles, really doesn’t think of herself as all that glamorous.
“Of course it can be hard, but it’s still a lot of fun. I feel like if I don’t try a lot of different genres, then it might start to get a little dull. Honestly, I’m a pretty simple person: I don’t really do extravagant and flashy, but by immersing myself in roles like these I get to completely remake myself. It’s honestly a lot of fun.”
Hmm. We hear you, Yumi, but with 1,000 sex tapes to your name, we can’t help but think than maybe you might be a little more outgoing that the average gal.
“Bittersweet” is available now from Amazon JP priced 3,360 yen.
Source: 日刊 SPA!
====================================================
This next article, and its follow-up, appeared in Rocketnews24.
China Now Hiring “Chief Pornographic Identification Officer”, Benefits Include Fruit, Yogurt
Master Blaster Apr 17, 2013
The illegal posting of adult content on the internet is a huge problem for producers, and even for China — a country that maintains remarkably strict standards regarding adult content — it’s near impossible to regulate. Like a whack-a-mole game (especially this one) infinite in scope, when one site is shut down another one pops up right away.
To stem this trend a security company is looking for one brave soul with can sail out into the vast sea of information on the net and locate websites hosting adult content.
That’s right: they want to pay someone to look for pornographic websites – what many of you are probably doing right now, but for cash.
And that’s not all. This opening has a compensation package that puts many other jobs to shame. Free fruit and pudding anyone?
The security company who put this job advert out, Anquan Lianmeng (League of Security) said that they received thousands of applications within two days of posting. Many of which had come in from outside of the country. It’s no surprise considering the description:
Job Title: Chief Pornographic Identification Officer
Work Location: Beijing
Compensation: 200,000 RMB (US$32,300) yearly
Job Description: Rapid Determination of Adult Sites
Requirements:
1) Must be familiar with the standard of adult content from around the world
2) Must be familiar with China’s law standards regarding adult content, familiar with documented regulations
3) Must be familiar with the standards for adult content on China’s internet and it’s service providers
4) Regardless of gender, must be college graduate from 25-35 years old
5) Must have a strong sense of responsibility and work well in a team
You hear that? It’s the sound of millions of Chinese law books opening at once. While 32 grand a year isn’t a stellar salary, it’s more than enough remuneration for the task at hand, and we haven’t even gotten to the benefits package yet.
Benefits
1) Full insurance benefits; food, transportation and some communication expenses
2) Book purchasing expenses (actual cost); daily fruit and yogurt
3) Yearly physical check-up; birthday, wedding, and baby bonuses
So in addition to getting decently paid for looking up porn sites, you get birthday presents and daily fruit with yogurt. Censorship never sounded so sweet!
For me though the best perk has to be the job title: Chief Pornographic Identification Officer for the League of Safety. That title is so awesome I’d pay to have it printed out on some business cards. In fact, I think I just planned out my afternoon.
I wonder if the yogurt’s pro-bio…
Source: Sina Webo League of Safety (Chinese)
Original Article by Megumi Sawai
-----------------------------------------------
FOLLOW-UP ............. (Original article)
Chinese "Porn Identification Officer" Has Seen over 600,000 Adult Videos, Threw up After Watching Some
Joan Coello Apr 21, 2014
Some guys might think that the best job on earth would be to watch adult videos all day and get paid for it. Well, the good news is, there really are such jobs out there. The bad news is, these jobs might not be as fun and easy as you think.
At 59 years old, Chunqi Liu has been working as a professional “porn identification officer” for five years, assisting police investigations on cases involving illegal distribution and possession of pornographic materials in China. He has seen over 600,000 adult videos to date. That averages out to about 329 videos per day! Does that sound like an awesome job to you? He says it makes him throw up.
Some of you might be wondering what exactly a “porn identification officer” does. As mentioned previously, the main purpose of their job is to support the police in investigating cases involving possession and distribution of pornographic materials, which is illegal in China. Their job not only requires them to watch and check videos suspected to be of pornographic nature, they also need to categorize the videos, mainly under three categories – “porn”, “erotic”, and “other”. So it’s not as simple as just watching the videos, there is a certain skill set and professional knowledge required to handle this task.
On top of that, “porn identification officers” are not allowed to choose or reject materials of any genre or from any country. They have to meticulously go through every single piece of evidence handed to them, and thoroughly check the contents of each disk in case there are some vendors attempting to pass the illegal goods off as normal videos by adding in clips of regular movies at the start of the playlist.
Due to the… erm, stimulating nature of the job, older adults who are more composed and psychologically strong are usually preferred for this position. Mr. Liu was a law enforcer before getting transferred to this position due to the organization’s demand for such professionals, and also because of his age. He initially had much trouble accepting his new job, but his chief officer persuaded him into staying in the position.
Mr. Liu initially kept his job transfer from his wife, too embarrassed to tell her what he was doing at work. The cat eventually got out of the bag when his wife called him while he was at work one day, and heard suspicious moaning and groaning sounds in the background. Thinking that her husband was cheating on her, Mrs. Liu brought the matter up to her mother-in-law. Realizing that he could no longer keep things under wraps, Mr. Liu finally spilled the beans, telling his family about his change of job scope from being a police officer to a “porn identification officer”. It took a while for his family to accept the nature of his job, but they have now come to terms with Mr. Liu’s profession.
Though it may seem like the best job on earth to some, Mr. Liu emphasizes that being a “porn identification officer” is not as easy and pleasant as it seems. He has been through times when he worked 20 days consecutively watching video after video, leaving him exhausted and sick to the stomach. Losing his appetite and throwing up after watching those videos has happened to him one too many times.
Well, as the saying goes, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. Every trade has its fair share of sweat and tears, and there are unknown everyday heroes in every profession. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a job that allows them to do what they love, but as long as you learn to take pride in what you do, people are bound to appreciate you for doing your job, right? Unless…what you’re doing is against the law, then perhaps you might want to start looking for a new job.
Source: ETtoday
Images: Knowyourmeme, Wikimedia Commons
====================================================
This next article appeared in Rocketnews24.
Japanese Adult Film Actor Comes Clean About His Career Earnings
Master Blaster Oct 23, 2013
Taka Kato first hit the adult film industry in 1988. Since then he has appeared in 15,000 productions, earned the Tokyo Sports Grand Prix Award for Best Male AV Actor, crossed-over into television, released several books, and “worked” with around 8,000 female actresses. He’s also done a fantastic job for a porn star to diversify his fame.
Still – adult film work alone – how much do you think a male actor in the Japanese adult film industry stands to take in over a 26-year career? In a recent News Post Seven article Kato revealed how big of a wad (of cash) producers were willing to drop on him.
First, Kato explains the “guarantee system” (gyara taikei) of payment in the industry. Male actors get paid in the same way as the film crew – in cash and on a daily basis. The maximum payment in this way is 70,000 yen (US$711) a day, which would only go to highly skilled camera operators or lighting engineers.
In the guarantee system, it’s standard for male performers to get 1,000 yen ($10) for a day’s work on their debut film. Kato once did the same but could quickly work himself up to 10,000 yen a day ($100). After some more time he was able to achieve the maximum payment under the guarantee system.
This is different from female actresses who earn a “performance fee” (shutsuen ryo) which is negotiable. Of course, they don’t receive nearly as low a payment as men do for their debut performance.
Although this might seem like a raw deal for the guys in the industry, Kato feels there are some perks. For one, men get exactly the money they were told handed to them at the end of the day in cash. There are no agents or managers dipping into their incomes, and it’s great during cash-strapped times where money is needed quickly.
So, after 26 years and reaching the highest pay grade for his line of work Kato estimates his porn career earnings to be 300 million yen ($3M). Putting that into a yearly perspective he got somewhere around 11.5 million yen ($117,000) in annual income. Not bad at all, especially considering he also dipped himself into other revenue streams over his long and girthy career. Kato says that he poured a lot of that movie money into his car.
Before some of you guys get your hopes up, Taka Kato brings a special skillset to this profession that few other male performers can. His particular talents have earned him the nickname “Goldfinger” and the classiest way to describe its effect is by showing you this classic by Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
In fact, Taka Kato now has an iPhone app that surprisingly made it onto the iTunes store where you can see how golden your own finger technique is.
▼ Gold Finger!! app title screen
▼ And a demo video (audio NSFW)
Source: News Post Seven via Zakzak (Japanese)
====================================================
One more article you may find of interest; there were too many photographs to reproduce here:
Watch Japanese Women Get Their Heads Shaved Bald in Bizarre Fetish DVD Series, Tonsure Market
.
The following appeared in Japan Today; you may want to visit the provided link's original page for a few extras, such as readers' comments.
Yumi Kazama: 15 Years in the Japanese Adult Video Industry and Still Going Strong
By Philip Kendall
ENTERTAINMENT FEB. 21, 2013 - 06:10AM JST
Yumi Kazama
TOKYO — As one of the world’s most lucrative adult industries, thousands of women pick up the latex gauntlet every single year in Japan in the hope of finding a life of glamour and fame, only for most to vanish into obscurity within their first 12 months in the business or discover that life on the other side of the lens is not quite what it seemed. But with more than 15 years and 1,000 adult movies under her garter belt, Tokyo-born porn star Yumi Kazama’s feisty antics are still somehow managing to set pulses racing across the country.
In an interview with Nikkan Spa! in order to promote her saucy new photo collection, the 33-year-old actress discusses how she first made it into the industry, the type of work she does and how she unintentionally became one of Japan’s most loved mature hotties.
Released at the end of January, Kazama’s photo album “Bittersweet” features a host of erotic images the like which we’re sure many of us have seen before. The star, however, maintains that this is more than just a regular collection of cheeky (pun very much intended) photos and that she had a lot of input and control during its production.
“For the album, I picked out all of my own clothes – underwear included – and I even did my own makeup. I want to bring fans closer and allow them to see every side of me,” says Kazama explaining the release of the new photo book. Taking a quick look at some of the images released to the press, it soon becomes apparent that, while typically sexy, the album shuns brightly lit studios for simpler “at home” and outdoor shots.
Asked about her early days in the industry and how she responds to the label of “jukujo” (attractive mature lady) actress, Kazama states that it was an entirely natural process and not something that she originally aspired to.
“It’s not that I started off thinking ‘I want to make it in the adult movie business!’ Ha ha. When I was around 25 years old and working in the AV industry, the ‘nature’ and ‘wives’ genres were really taking off. While playing the roles of men’s wives in these movies, I just sort of naturally ‘ripened’ during that period in my life; the role is a part of who I am. I was never one of those highly strung young girls to begin with anyway.”
On starting in the industry
“I first got into the porn industry a year after I graduated from high school when I was 18. I went to an all-girls school and was just a regular, sensible student; I didn’t joke around much and my parents were on the strict side. After graduating, I started attending a technical college, and it was there that I met some really cool, fashionable girls - the kind of girls who are into things like DJ-ing at clubs. I soon started hanging out with them; it was probably in part to rebel against my parents. Anyway, I got hit on a lot during those days, which was totally new for me, and I found myself partying a lot. I guess I was just letting my hair down and a little curious. It was more about quantity over quality, though - I wasn’t really interested in things like love and romance, I just wanted to try it with a lot of guys. So when I was spotted by a scout, I kind of entered the industry with that same curious, playful feeling. I don’t think I ever felt reluctant about it all - I don’t really remember! Ha ha!”
On doing it all
Having played practically every kind of role imaginable in the adult video industry, one might expect Kazama to be something of an extrovert even in her private life. When quizzed by Spa! however, the actress maintains that she is essentially just a down-to-earth girl who, despite having played both passive and dominant roles, really doesn’t think of herself as all that glamorous.
“Of course it can be hard, but it’s still a lot of fun. I feel like if I don’t try a lot of different genres, then it might start to get a little dull. Honestly, I’m a pretty simple person: I don’t really do extravagant and flashy, but by immersing myself in roles like these I get to completely remake myself. It’s honestly a lot of fun.”
Hmm. We hear you, Yumi, but with 1,000 sex tapes to your name, we can’t help but think than maybe you might be a little more outgoing that the average gal.
“Bittersweet” is available now from Amazon JP priced 3,360 yen.
Source: 日刊 SPA!
====================================================
This next article, and its follow-up, appeared in Rocketnews24.
China Now Hiring “Chief Pornographic Identification Officer”, Benefits Include Fruit, Yogurt
Master Blaster Apr 17, 2013
The illegal posting of adult content on the internet is a huge problem for producers, and even for China — a country that maintains remarkably strict standards regarding adult content — it’s near impossible to regulate. Like a whack-a-mole game (especially this one) infinite in scope, when one site is shut down another one pops up right away.
To stem this trend a security company is looking for one brave soul with can sail out into the vast sea of information on the net and locate websites hosting adult content.
That’s right: they want to pay someone to look for pornographic websites – what many of you are probably doing right now, but for cash.
And that’s not all. This opening has a compensation package that puts many other jobs to shame. Free fruit and pudding anyone?
The security company who put this job advert out, Anquan Lianmeng (League of Security) said that they received thousands of applications within two days of posting. Many of which had come in from outside of the country. It’s no surprise considering the description:
Job Title: Chief Pornographic Identification Officer
Work Location: Beijing
Compensation: 200,000 RMB (US$32,300) yearly
Job Description: Rapid Determination of Adult Sites
Requirements:
1) Must be familiar with the standard of adult content from around the world
2) Must be familiar with China’s law standards regarding adult content, familiar with documented regulations
3) Must be familiar with the standards for adult content on China’s internet and it’s service providers
4) Regardless of gender, must be college graduate from 25-35 years old
5) Must have a strong sense of responsibility and work well in a team
You hear that? It’s the sound of millions of Chinese law books opening at once. While 32 grand a year isn’t a stellar salary, it’s more than enough remuneration for the task at hand, and we haven’t even gotten to the benefits package yet.
Benefits
1) Full insurance benefits; food, transportation and some communication expenses
2) Book purchasing expenses (actual cost); daily fruit and yogurt
3) Yearly physical check-up; birthday, wedding, and baby bonuses
So in addition to getting decently paid for looking up porn sites, you get birthday presents and daily fruit with yogurt. Censorship never sounded so sweet!
For me though the best perk has to be the job title: Chief Pornographic Identification Officer for the League of Safety. That title is so awesome I’d pay to have it printed out on some business cards. In fact, I think I just planned out my afternoon.
I wonder if the yogurt’s pro-bio…
Source: Sina Webo League of Safety (Chinese)
Original Article by Megumi Sawai
-----------------------------------------------
FOLLOW-UP ............. (Original article)
Chinese "Porn Identification Officer" Has Seen over 600,000 Adult Videos, Threw up After Watching Some
Joan Coello Apr 21, 2014
Some guys might think that the best job on earth would be to watch adult videos all day and get paid for it. Well, the good news is, there really are such jobs out there. The bad news is, these jobs might not be as fun and easy as you think.
At 59 years old, Chunqi Liu has been working as a professional “porn identification officer” for five years, assisting police investigations on cases involving illegal distribution and possession of pornographic materials in China. He has seen over 600,000 adult videos to date. That averages out to about 329 videos per day! Does that sound like an awesome job to you? He says it makes him throw up.
Some of you might be wondering what exactly a “porn identification officer” does. As mentioned previously, the main purpose of their job is to support the police in investigating cases involving possession and distribution of pornographic materials, which is illegal in China. Their job not only requires them to watch and check videos suspected to be of pornographic nature, they also need to categorize the videos, mainly under three categories – “porn”, “erotic”, and “other”. So it’s not as simple as just watching the videos, there is a certain skill set and professional knowledge required to handle this task.
On top of that, “porn identification officers” are not allowed to choose or reject materials of any genre or from any country. They have to meticulously go through every single piece of evidence handed to them, and thoroughly check the contents of each disk in case there are some vendors attempting to pass the illegal goods off as normal videos by adding in clips of regular movies at the start of the playlist.
Due to the… erm, stimulating nature of the job, older adults who are more composed and psychologically strong are usually preferred for this position. Mr. Liu was a law enforcer before getting transferred to this position due to the organization’s demand for such professionals, and also because of his age. He initially had much trouble accepting his new job, but his chief officer persuaded him into staying in the position.
Mr. Liu initially kept his job transfer from his wife, too embarrassed to tell her what he was doing at work. The cat eventually got out of the bag when his wife called him while he was at work one day, and heard suspicious moaning and groaning sounds in the background. Thinking that her husband was cheating on her, Mrs. Liu brought the matter up to her mother-in-law. Realizing that he could no longer keep things under wraps, Mr. Liu finally spilled the beans, telling his family about his change of job scope from being a police officer to a “porn identification officer”. It took a while for his family to accept the nature of his job, but they have now come to terms with Mr. Liu’s profession.
Though it may seem like the best job on earth to some, Mr. Liu emphasizes that being a “porn identification officer” is not as easy and pleasant as it seems. He has been through times when he worked 20 days consecutively watching video after video, leaving him exhausted and sick to the stomach. Losing his appetite and throwing up after watching those videos has happened to him one too many times.
Well, as the saying goes, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. Every trade has its fair share of sweat and tears, and there are unknown everyday heroes in every profession. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a job that allows them to do what they love, but as long as you learn to take pride in what you do, people are bound to appreciate you for doing your job, right? Unless…what you’re doing is against the law, then perhaps you might want to start looking for a new job.
Source: ETtoday
Images: Knowyourmeme, Wikimedia Commons
====================================================
This next article appeared in Rocketnews24.
Japanese Adult Film Actor Comes Clean About His Career Earnings
Master Blaster Oct 23, 2013
Taka Kato first hit the adult film industry in 1988. Since then he has appeared in 15,000 productions, earned the Tokyo Sports Grand Prix Award for Best Male AV Actor, crossed-over into television, released several books, and “worked” with around 8,000 female actresses. He’s also done a fantastic job for a porn star to diversify his fame.
Still – adult film work alone – how much do you think a male actor in the Japanese adult film industry stands to take in over a 26-year career? In a recent News Post Seven article Kato revealed how big of a wad (of cash) producers were willing to drop on him.
First, Kato explains the “guarantee system” (gyara taikei) of payment in the industry. Male actors get paid in the same way as the film crew – in cash and on a daily basis. The maximum payment in this way is 70,000 yen (US$711) a day, which would only go to highly skilled camera operators or lighting engineers.
In the guarantee system, it’s standard for male performers to get 1,000 yen ($10) for a day’s work on their debut film. Kato once did the same but could quickly work himself up to 10,000 yen a day ($100). After some more time he was able to achieve the maximum payment under the guarantee system.
This is different from female actresses who earn a “performance fee” (shutsuen ryo) which is negotiable. Of course, they don’t receive nearly as low a payment as men do for their debut performance.
Although this might seem like a raw deal for the guys in the industry, Kato feels there are some perks. For one, men get exactly the money they were told handed to them at the end of the day in cash. There are no agents or managers dipping into their incomes, and it’s great during cash-strapped times where money is needed quickly.
So, after 26 years and reaching the highest pay grade for his line of work Kato estimates his porn career earnings to be 300 million yen ($3M). Putting that into a yearly perspective he got somewhere around 11.5 million yen ($117,000) in annual income. Not bad at all, especially considering he also dipped himself into other revenue streams over his long and girthy career. Kato says that he poured a lot of that movie money into his car.
Before some of you guys get your hopes up, Taka Kato brings a special skillset to this profession that few other male performers can. His particular talents have earned him the nickname “Goldfinger” and the classiest way to describe its effect is by showing you this classic by Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
In fact, Taka Kato now has an iPhone app that surprisingly made it onto the iTunes store where you can see how golden your own finger technique is.
▼ Gold Finger!! app title screen
▼ And a demo video (audio NSFW)
Source: News Post Seven via Zakzak (Japanese)
====================================================
One more article you may find of interest; there were too many photographs to reproduce here:
Watch Japanese Women Get Their Heads Shaved Bald in Bizarre Fetish DVD Series, Tonsure Market
.
