'Sex and the Japanese' provides a broad look at the changing concepts of sexuality in Japanese culture. From the days of concubines and geishas to the present, sex and sexuality in Japan has always been openly discussed and available - due for the most part to Shinto, the native religion of Japan that recognises and respects the sensual side of life.
Unlike regions in the West which require that human sexuality be repressed to the point that it is traumatising rather than nurturing, Shinto celebrates the sensual side of life with great gusto. The Japanese have thus been saved from the fears, frustrations and violence that results when this natural and essential human need is denied and subverted.
