In this age of political correctness, you are well advised to suspend use of the epithet “dirty old man” in favor of “sexually oriented senior citizen.”
In whichever case, it appears that a solid market exists for services that appeal to the libidos of men above a certain age.
Take the “delivery health” service in Tokyo named Kokoro-awase (meeting of hearts), whose website bears the stipulation, “No admission to customers below age 60.”
The owner, M. Nanase, is a 52-year-old woman.
“I’m the second owner,” she tells journalist Momoko Kawai in Shukan Post (May 29). “Fifteen years ago the founder figured out there were opportunities for a sex shop appealing to seniors. I took it over from him.”
Nanase, who was formerly employed at a securities firm, has been at her current job for 10 years. Her husband is aware of her present occupation, but has been ordered to keep his mitts off operations.
With the increasing percentage of elderly males relative to the total population, Nanase sees solid potential for further growth, and is looking into setting up a franchise system.
“Ideally I’d like to open at least one shop in each of Japan’s 47 prefectures,” she said.
Another thing that sets Kokoro-awase apart from services for younger men is the variety of courses, such as its “date course,” with which the customer might simply escort the woman to a restaurant for a meal, eschewing corporeal tidbits.
“More than simply letting off steam in bed, some customers want somebody they can talk to,” said Nanase.
If the customer so desires, they can combine an “Icha-icha” course with a “Love-love” course, securing the woman’s company both clothed and undraped for a total of four hours, at the cost of 46,000 yen.
According to Nanase, some customers make reservations as frequently as once a week.
What types of women are most likely to take up employment in this particular field? Miyuki, age 24, works at a “delivery health” that ministers not only to elderly men, but to handicapped individuals requiring assistance, tells the reporter, “I myself have a handicap affecting my legs.
“I’d always had an interest in sex, but when I went to be interviewed for jobs at 10 different sex shops, I was turned down by all of them.”
“But since I’m usually the one being helped by others, I wanted to be able to help people in a sexual way,” she added.
The virginal Miyuki’s lack of experience actually made her even more interested in this line of work.
“From middle school and high school I’d had an interest in romantic love, and also dated guys, but we never went all the way. I was interested in sex, and when I turned 20 I went to work at a ‘girls bar,’ where I enjoyed engaging in sexual banter with the customers.
“At first, I used a sex service geared towards women. That’s when I developed a longing for a job where I could please people sexually.
”These days, one of my clients is suffering from the effects of a stroke, with one side of his body partially paralyzed. His lower body can function but I sensed he had ‘no self confidence.’ Every time when we went out to an izakaya he’d talked about trivial subjects and since I thought my job involved more activities than just erections and ejaculation, I was sensitive to his wish that we maintain physical distance.”
Other women in the trade moonlight from their regular jobs to supplement their income.
Kaede, age 44, works as a home caregiver on weekdays, but on her days off she works for “Magokoro” (true heart), a delivery health that services the Kyoto and Shiga areas,
“Since I am certified as a first-level caretaker, these days I also assist patients in bathing and using the toilet. As a single mother I raised my daughter to adulthood but now I realize I need to put away some savings and also want to have extra pocket money. In addition to the 300,000 yen I earn at my main job, I can make about 150,000 moonlighting.”
One of Kaede’s steady customers is a retired university professor in his 80s.
“He’s a widower who talks lovingly about his late wife. I console him by smiling and cooing to him, ‘Oh, that was so sweet.’ He’s funny and will chuckle and say stuff to me like ‘I wonder what will happen first: my son (ie, penis) having an orgasm, or me dropping dead.’
“I think you’re only likely to see that kind of black humor at our kind of special services for seniors.”
“The sex industry is often seen as a shady business, said a chap named Kanda, the 52-year-old operator of the Gohoushi Helper Dispatch Center.
“That’s precisely why I wanted to give something back to society. You know, I’ve sometimes learned about a client’s passing away around the same time that they stopped calling for reservations. But no matter how old some men get, they still want to be able to satisfy their sexual desires while they’re alive.”
© Japan Today
