If you still don’t know what it is, just look at the picture to give yourself an idea of what it looks like. Actually, not many people wear them in their daily life these days, but they are often still used as traditional clothing for festivals (祭り/まつり/matsuri) and such. If you want to learn more about festivals guys that wear fundoshi, take a look at this earlier post about the Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival)!

[box type="alert"]Be warned – there are a handful of butts to be seen in this post. If you are butt-shy, look away now![/box]

Series of Fundoshi Posters Theft

Japanese people are never in short supply of absurd news stories reaching their television sets and an odd piece on the fundoshi was recently reported. Someone in the Shinsekai (新世界) district of Osaka repeatedly stole posters containing the image of a man wearing fundoshi underwear.

The B2 size (approx 20×28 inches) posters are made for a town renewal project for the area. As for the fundoshi part, an actual piece of white cloth was attached to the poster and the phrase, “If you choke it off at its root, then it’ll never grow and develop” (締め付けてちゃ 下は育たない/shimetsuketecha shitawasodatanai) was printed on it.

According to MSN-Sankei-West, it was discovered by a police officer that one of the fundoshi posters went missing on April 10th.  Over the next three days it was found that several of the other posters were removed from other areas, as well. The people in the area wondered in their Osaka dialect, “なんでやろ(nandeyaro)?” -Why?

To be honest, I became rather curious as well. Who stole the posters? A man? A woman? A group? And for what reason? Because they look funny? Or, because they were so attractive? I was compelled to look into it online, but unfortunately I couldn’t find any answers. However, I did successfully, and rather unexpectedly, come across a news story regarding the fundoshi and how it is becoming more popular among WOMEN – I wrote that in caps so you would know it wasn’t a typo.

Fundoshi Underwear for Female Boom

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, fundoshi underwear was originally designed for men. However, it seems that fundoshi for women, called ‘SHARE-FUN’, started being sold last December. Share-fun is an abbreviation of osharena-fundoshi, which means fashionable fundoshi. Plus Charming Company’s cute new take on the classic, yet comfortable, fundoshi has caused women to take notice as the company sold every last item (over 800 pieces) during the month of February.

According to Keiji Nakagawa, the head of Japan Fundoshi Association, the secret of its success was not only in its fashionable design but also in its health benefits. Compared to typical underwear, which usually contains an elastic band, a fundoshi can provide a more free and comfortable feeling. It is also said that the lack of tightness encourages better blood and/or lymph circulation and prevents swelling in the legs as well as menstrual irregularity.

On the other hand, conventional underwear that is too tight for you could be very dangerous. Not only could it cause inflammation around your waist or upper legs or other forms of stress, but can also prolong unpleasant candidiasis or colpitis. He suggests that wearing a fundoshi, instead of normal underwear, can make these symptoms milder.

Now, the Sharefun is not only catching on in Japan, but in European countries as well. I found an online review by a woman who tried Sharefun in the UK. The following is an excerpt from a blog called Cherryful.

I have been wearing the Sharefun fundoshi for a week now and I love it! I was apprehensive at first, thinking the linen material would not stretch and therefore feel tight, but due to the way the fundoshi is worn, this is not an issue at all. It is easily and quickly adjustable to fit a variety of shapes and sizes, and it suits me fine. My privates feel very free and natural during walking and sitting for long periods. Linen is also very cool during the summer heat. All in all, an excellent product and something that has made me change the way I look at underwear.

Pandoru Shorts

Fundoshi are pretty cool, eh? However, obviously some women didn’t like the sound of the name ‘fundoshi’ so they spent some time contemplating what a suitable name for the female version would be. They came upon the French word ‘pendre’ which translates to ‘droop’ in English and now fundoshi for women are also called ‘pandoru shorts’.

They didn’t simply change its name into a cuter one, they also created a more fashionable version graced with an array of pretty designs. There is even a fundoshi fashioned like a frilled apron, which is made with lace and has a little bow tie on it.

According to Tokyo Sports Newspaper, this fundoshi boom among women was triggered by a Sexy Japanese Model, 壇蜜 (Dan Mitsu), who wore fundoshi to her 32nd birthday party at Roboto restaurant. Tight underwear is like a big smile because it makes your cheeks go up! But really, fundoshi is like an even bigger smile, isn’t it?

Mitsu also received an award at the Second Annual Fundoshist Awards, which was held by the Japan Fundoshi Association on January 31st. Although the calendar of Japanese actress Rie Miyazawa wearing fundoshi sold more than 300,000 copies 24 years ago, it never triggered a boom such as this.

Fundoshi Items

Up to now, you have learned that this fun, cool, comfortable, and healthy underwear is rising in popularity throughout Japan, not only for women, of course, but for men as well. So now fundoshi are for anyone who has some consideration for their nether-regions – that basically means everybody. That being said, I’m sure you won’t be surprised that even Hello Kitty has been spotted wearing a fundoshi.

Although these products were banned because they didn’t have permission to use the regional name printed on the products, we can at least say there was one occasion when Hello Kitty had actually shown off her butt. How cool is that? Well, it’s not over yet. Sylvanian Families (シルバニアファミリー, Shirubania famirī) wear the fundoshi as well.

If you want to see more, check out here.

So, more and more people/characters are beginning to like fundoshi. Someone even came up a golf ball set where the golf tees are shaped like men and women wearing fundoshi.

How to Wear Fundoshi Underwear

Do any of you want to try this Japanese underwear? For those of you who do want to try putting it on, I’m going to give you step by step instructions. Just as a side note, I’d like you all to know that it wasn’t my intention to have this article sound like one large advertisement.

First, get your own fundoshi, which is about 6-10” wide and 92-96” in length and made of a lightweight fabric that is usually cotton.

Second, drape one end of the cloth over either shoulder or grip it with your mouth and let the other end drop to the floor. Hold it against your private parts with your other hand.

Third, hold the fundoshi with one hand and pull the other end of it so that it runs underneath and between the buttocks. Next, twist the fundoshi to the point that is resembles a braided rope.

Fourth, wrap it around your waist until the length of fabric is once again resting in front of you. Direct it back underneath your buttocks again. Pull firmly to tighten.

Fifth, wrap the fundoshi all the way around the waist to secure it.

Sixth, release the other end from your shoulder or mouth and pull it between your legs. Pull it firmly between your buttocks to form another covering layer, but not too hard.

Finally, twist and wrap it around the other side of the waist. Loop it under the existing cords making sure that the back view has a ‘T’ shape and not ‘Y’ shape. Then pull it across to the other side and twist it several times under the length around your waist to secure it.

Well, how does it fit? Don’t worry if you need to try it again. Apparently, it’s not uncommon to do it many times before you’re good at it. However, if you find that it is far too difficult for you, there is actually a magic tool that allows you to wear a fundoshi right away.

Fundoshi Camera

February 14th is not only Valentine’s Day, it’s also national Fundoshi Day in Japan when everyone enjoys and celebrates the fundoshi. This day was actually created by the Japan Fundoshi Association. In order to let more people try fundoshi on Fundoshi Day this year, the association planned a secret event one day before Fundoshi Day.

They released a brand new app called ‘Fundoshi Camera’, which lets you superimpose a fundoshi onto whomever you choose without the hassle of actually finding a fundoshi and learning how to put it on.

Are you going to get the app? Go ahead and enjoy your own fundoshi! Me? Well… I want to, but I guess I need to get an iPhone first. Have any interesting fundoshi/underwear related stories? BRIEFly share them in the comments below!

So what happened to them? What brought about their downfall and how come nobody really knows or cares about them anymore? Well, this article will answer those questions and introduce you to the relatively unknown world of the taikomochi. Brace yourselves.

Who Are These Strange Men?

The taikomochi men got their start as the Japanese equivalents of jesters, and they were once attendants to the feudal lords of Japan. Houkan was the formal name for a jester with taikomochi being a less formal name for them, literally meaning “drum bearer”. Not all of them used drums, but it nevertheless became the common term for them.

Taikomochi started doing their thing in 13th century Japan, focusing mainly on dancing, the electric slide and gangnam style being two of their favorites. These men both advised and entertained their lords with many being tea ceremony connoisseurs and artists. By the 16th century, they also became known for their superb storytelling, focusing mainly on humor and conversation. The taikomochi also acted as advisors to the military, were involved in strategizing, and even fought alongside their lords in battle.

Basically, the taikomochi could do anything – a jack of all trades, if you will. Need to be entertained? Taikomochi. Need someone to fight in battle for you? Taikomochi. Need some tea? Artwork? Music? Stories? War advice? Love advice? The winning lotto numbers? Taikomochi did it all, and they enjoyed their extreme usefulness for about four centuries.

Time for a Change

An era of peace began in the 17th century, however, making the taikomochi not as useful to their lords as they used to be. No longer being needed for military advising and soldiering and the like, taikomochi had to focus their skills to a particular area. Entertainment. Ultimately, they changed from being men of many hats to becoming pure entertainers. A number of them found employment with oiran, high class female courtesans.

These courtesans were employed at pleasure quarters that had quickly become glamorous entertainment centers offering more than just sex to their patrons. The highly accomplished courtesans of these districts entertained their clients by dancing, singing, and playing music, much like the taikomochi did for their lords back in the day. Some were even renowned poets and calligraphers, just like the taikomochi.

What a perfect place for the taikomochi to get involved with. Gradually, the taikomochi and the courtesans both became specialized in their new profession of pure entertainment. The first pure entertainers of the pleasure quarters were the taikomochi, and they were dubbed geisha (arts person). These male geisha were responsible for entertaining customers waiting to see the most popular and gifted courtesans of the day.

Women Ruin Everything #sadface #misogynyisntfunny

Around 1750, the first onna geisha (female geisha) emerged, causing quite a commotion. She was called a geiko (arts girl), and this is still the term for geisha in Kyoto because they like to talk differently than everyone else in Japan. But anyway, this geiko was a Fukagawa prostitute. She was a skilled singer and shamisen player named Kikuya, and she was an immediate success. Kikuya pretty much singlehandedly started the downfall of male geisha everywhere.

I mean, if you think about it, most of the patrons of these pleasure quarters were men, and most men would rather be entertained by a woman instead of a man. All entertainment skills equal, most men would probably choose a woman to entertain them, just because they’re more fun to look at.

Kikuya made female geisha extremely popular in Fukagawa during this time. As female geisha became more widespread, many courtesans began working only as entertainers (rather than prostitutes) right in the same places as male geisha. By the end of the 18th century these onna geisha outnumbered the male geisha and the men became so few that they had to go by the name of otoko geisha (male geisha) to avoid confusion with their female counterparts.

The female geisha took over due to their artistic skills, contemporary outlook, sophistication, and boobs. The men, not wanting to throw in the towel just yet, continued to assist the women working in the pleasure quarters.

According to the book “Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World”, in Yoshiwara there were 16 female geisha and 31 male geisha in 1770, 33 female geisha and 31 male geisha in 1775, and then a whopping 143 female geisha and only 45 male geisha in 1800. The females started to really take over the field here and the role of the males was relegated to a role of supporting, rather than assisting, and most often only at big parties. The role of a geisha was now truly considered a female occupation.

The Decline of Geisha and the Rise of Maid Cafes and Host Clubs

During their heyday, there were about five or six hundred taikomochi in Japan. Since then, the geisha of both sexes started to decline with the increasing popularity of maid cafes and host clubs starting around 1920. Their decline sped up with World War II, and the taikomochi continue to decline today.

The main reason for the decline during the war was because most men and women had to go to factories or other places to work for Japan. The geisha name also lost status and respect during this time because prostitutes began referring to themselves as “geisha girls” to the American military.

In 1944, all of the geisha tea houses, bars, and houses, were forced to shut down, and all employees were put to work in factories for the war effort. About a year later, they were allowed to reopen, but very few men and women returned.

Although there are still small communities of geisha in Kyoto and Tokyo today, there are less than ten taikomochi in Japan. Few young women are interested in becoming geisha these days, and even fewer young men are interested in becoming taikomochi. Host clubs and maid cafes, however, are still going strong.

So tell me, did you already know that the first geisha were actually male? What do you think about their beginnings and how they eventually got stomped out by the female geisha and then society itself? Would you rather be a taikomochi or a host club host? Let us know in the comments!

Sites Referenced:
Wikipedia Taikomochi
Wikipedia: Geisha

Poll-related things should be left to our friends over at WhatJapanThinks, but I couldn’t help myself on this one. Uniqlo, a super-cheap clothing store chain, came out with this website, which is probably 80% about bras, but also throw in a few other questions as well. At the top-left of the screen there’s a question (also translated into English right underneath), and everywhere else is a cacophony Japanese women answering questions. You can even click on them to find out more, or see what someone has to say about the question being asked.

It looks like Uniqlo gathered a couple hundred women, and asked around 15 questions, which they answered on video (click on one of them to see your response). On the bottom left, there are a few options that let you narrow things down. Things like age, body type, bra size, and height are all options.

In the bottom right, there is the option to change things to “English.” It doesn’t change what the people are saying, but it does provide subtitles for you, as well as changes some other things to English as well.

Perhaps the most interesting part is the ability to click on people as they fly by, to see their response to a particular question. Although questions seem to change randomly, you can usually get a few clicks in before it changes to something else. There aren’t a ton of questions, so it’s pretty easy to loop around, and the feature that lets you narrow people down makes it more manageable (you’ll see what I mean when you visit the site).

Want to check out this page of pure graphical data? Click here (and yes, it is completely safe for work…suspiciously safe.)

As much as I want to be outrageously snarky in this post, I don’t think I can bring myself to do it. After all, social anxiety disorder is pretty serious stuff, especially in Japan, the birthplace of the hikikomori (引き籠もり or “pulling away”) phenomenon. In an attempt to help out those who are uncomfortable in social situations, Avex has introduced a DVD titled Miterudake (ミテルだけ) or “Just Looking”. The DVD is labeled as “interactive”, but there are really only two activities that users are expected to perform:

1. Choose one of fifty relatively-diverse women

2. Endure them staring at you for about a minute (eyes up, boys)

[yframe url='www.youtube.com/watch?v=A12dH72757U']

3. Repeat (does this count as an activity?)

So basically, the only purpose of the DVD is, as its creator states, 「人と目を合わすこと」, or to help people “adapt to others”. As weird and pointless as it may seem, I can’t deny that there are people out there who do have a major fear that they’re constantly being judged by others. Still, I think it might be more cost effective to just realize that most people aren’t actually staring at you in real life (especially not in Japan, where a lot of “normal” people still find sustained direct eye contact to be rude) than to go and buy a $25 DVD. Or you could just find a picture of the Mona Lisa.

But hey, whatever floats your boat. I’m certainly not one to tell other people how to manage their neuroses. One thing I can say for sure about this DVD, though, is that it’s bound to act as inspiration for many x-rated spin-offs. You just wait and see–in the next few months, scores of new AV DVDs will hit shelves of sketchy Akihabara porn shops with similar premises and similar titles (“Just ____ing”). Come on, it’s Japan. You know it’s true.

Anyway, sorry this article was a bit boring. To make up for the lack of entertaining sarcasm, here are some links to more Miterudake clips and spoofs on the Youtube and NicoNico Douga. You can also find more clips on the Miterudake website (as well as links to the personal blogs of some of the women, which is kind of creepy).

EDIT: Here’s a video from Koichi. Thanks, Ko.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muGL99W6v6o']

According to a recent online poll conducted by Livedoor, a Japan-based internet service provider, the women of Gunma Prefecture (群馬県) are the most unattractive in Japan. Ouch. That’s right, out of Japan’s 47 prefectures, Gunma, located in the middle of the Japanese archipelago, placed dead last.

Of course, the men of Gunma had something to say about the poll. Some “were not surprised about the results”. One college student observed, “Now that you mention it, there aren’t many pretty women in Gunma”. Others, such as those who work in the Gunma Prefectural Government, found the poll to be a bit more upsetting.

One such official dismissed the unofficial results, speculating that “not a lot of people from Gunma voted”. Probably true, but it must be noted that these findings, however unscientific, aren’t unique. In a 1993 survey as well, Gunma Prefecture came in last in terms of female beauty. Double ouch.

Honestly, though, I’m not sure it even matters. Somebody had to come in last, after all. I’m sure there are some very lovely ladies who reside in the prefecture—but it probably still hurts for Gunma-ites because it’s their second time on the bottom of such a list. Still, I wonder, what would you do if your state or prefecture came in last on a similar poll? Would you laugh? Would you cry?

I think a person’s reaction to their state being labeled “Home of the Least Beautiful Women” depends on two things: how personally they take it, and how much pride they have in their state in general… I think I would be pretty miffed on behalf of Hawaii if it ever happened to us D:

Source: MSN Mainichi Daily News (a bit redundant, no?)

Oh, and if you’re wondering who came in as being “most pretty”, the top 5 are as follows: Akita, Tokyo, Hokkaido, Kyoto, and Okinawa. I’m sure the women there are feeling pretty smug right now.