Studies in recent years have shown the importance of physical affection for our physical and mental well-being. an intimate touch can inherently convey a sense of being accepted or cared for and can boost our self-esteem in a very real way.
Touching someone’s hand, giving them a hug, or putting your arm around them can make them feel more loved and appreciated, and that can lead to a stronger sense of self-esteem and happiness. although it goes further. physical contact can also lead to lower levels of cortisol (the hormone associated with stress) in the brain, studies show. this can make people feel more relaxed, more alert, and more content.
Reading: Cuddle cafe japan
Other studies have shown that lowering cortisol levels through physical contact can lead to measurable health benefits, including lowering heart rate and blood pressure. Lowering cortisol levels can also be beneficial in relieving symptoms related to back pain, headaches, insomnia, upset stomach, and skin irritation.
So intimate contact is an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle? should we all be holding hands and hugging as much as possible? the nation of japan seems to think so.
A new type of business has emerged in Japan in the last decade where men can pay to sleep with women. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not that. they are actually doing just that: sleeping.
well, there’s also a bit of cuddling. cuddle cafes offer people the chance to snuggle up to the warmth of another person’s warm body, usually the body of a beautiful young girl, for a price.
From the start, it’s hard to know how to feel about it. Is it cute that people crave physical contact so strongly? Is it sad that people can’t find genuine company and have to pay for simulated affection? Is it creepy that men can pay money to snuggle up to a girl who may be half her age? It’s probably a bit of all three.
what is a cuddle cafe?
A cuddle cafe is a place where you can pay to go and hug someone for an hourly rate. some clients will opt for a quick 30-minute cuddle session, while others will spend big bucks to cuddle up for a 10-hour night’s sleep.
See also: 10 mejores bebidas de café en Starbucks
Many of these cozy cafes will also offer their customers other services for additional prices. again, yes, I know what you’re thinking. but no, most of these additional services are not sexually explicit.
while many have falsely accused these cozy cafes of being brothel fronts. And while prostitution (defined as exchanging sex for money) is illegal in Japan, practices like offering oral sex in massage parlors or having an escort service stop before sex is perfectly legal. however, neither of these services are offered at most cuddle cafes. they are, in fact, mostly just for cuddling.
inside a japanese cuddle cafe
Imagine this: You’ve been hard at work all day selling toys in Tokyo’s akihabara district (the center of electronics, otaku culture, and other Japanese eccentricities) and all you want to do is snuggle up to a beautiful woman. and fall asleep. Unfortunately, you have been single for a few years and instead of going home to a wife or girlfriend, you return to your dark and empty apartment.
but wait! As you walk your way home, you notice a store with a sign that says “soineya” and after reading some information in the front window, you realize that this establishment offers you the opportunity to snuggle up next to a handsome young man. woman at an affordable price. So, you check your wallet, you see a couple of 500 yen bills with iwakura tomomi’s face staring at you, and you decide you’re going to go get them.
first of all, soineya identifies itself as a “specialized co-sleeping store” that offers people “the simple and maximum comfort of sleeping with someone”. but let’s be specific.
when you walk into soineya (a real cozy cafe in tokyo that opened in 2012), you are faced with a menu of services offered. You can start by paying 3,000 yen for 20 minutes of cuddling, which works out to just under $27. the menu also states that you can bump that up to 40 minutes for 5,000 yen, unless it’s your first time visiting, in which case you only pay 3,000 yen.
Do you want to cuddle up for an hour? that will cost you 6,000 yen. two hours is 11,000 yen, three hours is 16,000, four hours is 20,000, five hours is 25,000 yen, and so on. wait, though; if you want to choose which of the employees you hug with, it will cost you an additional 1,000 yen.
The store doesn’t specify what you’re allowed to do during these “standard courses”, but it seems you’re not allowed to do much more than close your eyes and sleep (or pretend to sleep).
See also: Cat cafes find purrfect setting in cities
Beyond the standard courses, however, you can pay for some special services if you have a little extra money to spend. to sleep in the girl’s arms for three minutes, you’re paying an additional 1,000 yen, which works out to just under $9.
for the same price, you can have the girl pat you on the back for three minutes, pat the girl on the head for three minutes, look the girl in the eye for one minute, have the girl change of clothes (out of sight), have the girl give you a foot massage for three minutes, or sleep on the girl’s lap for three minutes.
For 2000 yen, you can make the girl sleep with her head on your lap for three minutes or you can give her a foot massage. so how much do you have to pay to have sex with the girl? well, you can’t, at least not in soineya. innocent caresses only.
the celibacy syndrome in japan
why is there so much demand for cuddle cafes in japan? Well, it seems to have a lot to do with the fact that people in Japan simply don’t date or have sex, leaving the country virtually bereft of friends to cuddle with. as a result, there is a high demand for love (which comes from loneliness) and a low supply of real relationships. this is the economy that has allowed cozy cafes to thrive.
It seems that the younger generation in Japan, in general, does not believe that love can lead anywhere. a revealing 2011 study found that 45% of Japanese women ages 16 to 24 were “uninterested in or despised sexual contact.”
The study showed that more than 25% of men in the same age group felt the same way. In addition, 61% of men over the age of 18 in Japan were not married and 45% of women aged 18-34 were not in a relationship of any kind. In the last decade, it does not seem that the problem of celibate syndrome in Japan has not improved at all.
Personally, I find it incredibly sad that people in Japan (and maybe all over the world) are less and less interested in love and instead go to cafes for hugs to get the simulated feeling of being loved. or love someone.
If someone wants to pay to hug and someone is willing to get paid to do it, then they should have every right to do so. but it’s not a replacement for snuggling up with someone you love and care for. While cuddling with a stranger can help improve your emotional health, it certainly won’t make you as happy as being in love.
See also: Top 20+ mặt bằng quán cafe hot nhất
