I was recently interviewed for a fascinating article on Japanese pro-dom culture and recommend the read to all as a way of gaining insight into how very differently BDSM manifests in different cultures.
In Japan, the culturally entrenched view of women as less socially important than men shows its impact clearly when you compare the typical Japanese prodom with her cohorts in the West. Over here, you can blow thousands on a few hours with a professional dominatrix — while in Japan costs are comparatively modest. The low rates are driving sex tourism for those services too. But perhaps the biggest difference is that in the West, we see a prodom as on somewhat equal footing with a private femdom in terms of her power over a submissive.
Even though Western clients may provide details of what they want, what limits they have, and fantasy scenarios they want to enact in their negotiation process, it is understood that the prodom is still in charge of the scene and considers the client to be submissive to her will. She takes on the superior, ownership-type role for the duration of a session. And that is what typical clients want.
In Japan, the average prodom is a woman-for-hire whose focus is on fulfilling the instructions her clients dictate. She does not assume power over the scene (unless her clients specifically orders her to do that? a bit confusing to us Western femdoms!).
Check out journalist Jake Adelstein’s enlightening round-up in the Asian Times.
