Sex education is notoriously inadequate in Japan, contributing to the relatively low usage of condoms by young people.
But it seems some pedagogues are determined to make up for this in other areas of teaching.
At least, that might appear to be the logic partially behind why an educational event at Kyoto University recently included a live demonstration of shibari Japanese rope bondage.
Pics and tweets about the incident went viral last week in Japan, not least because of the incongruous notion of a renowned institution hosting such a sexual subculture.
Kyoto University is one of the most prestigious colleges in the country, usually ranking in the top three.
The public demonstration was held as part of a free kinbaku (shibari)-themed symposium organized by the Unit of Kyoto Initiatives for the Humanities and Social Sciences, held on the afternoon of October 24 in a lecture room in Kyoto University’s Faculty of Letters.
Nominally held because shibari (aka kinbaku) “is transforming itself into a new trend of contemporary art,” the symposium explored “the significance and potentialities [sic] of such KINBAKU [sic] New Wave.” The lineup of guest speakers included Hajime Kinoko, a leading figure in the shibari scene, and “humanists of Kyoto University.”
Kinoko’s demonstration, which was also streamed live, featured the model Aimi, who we have written about on this blog before.
