Kabukicho is know for being Japan’s red light district (Picture: Getty Images)
A Japanese content creator revealed a surprising cultural norm in Japan, after asking women if paying for sex workers counts as cheating.
The TikToker, who goes by Takashii From Japan, asked female passers-by the simple question – and the consensus was clear.
‘It does not [count as cheating],’ said one woman. ‘I don’t care if it’s just for sex.’
Most of the women asked in the video agreed that no, visiting a sex worker does not in fact mean their partner is being unfaithful.
For some, the reason was that there would be no feelings involved in the hypothetical encounter.
‘I’d rather they go to a prostitute than talk to random girls,’ said one woman.
‘As long as there’s no feelings for the prostitutes,’ agreed another.
Others said the transactional nature of sex work means it’s not cheating.
‘I told my boyfriend, “go to a prostitute if he wants to cheat”,’ responded one woman. ‘It’s okay if he pays money.’
While another said it doesn’t count as long as there’s ‘decent reason’ for her partner to go. According to her, these included ‘companionship.’
In a slightly confusing exchange Takashii then clarified, ‘Like, with their boss?’ and the woman nodded – implying it would be okay for her partner to pay for a prostitute if it was in the context of a work environment.
Other women agreed that they would be upset, but it’s still okay. ‘It’s kind of part of Japanese culture,’ said one respondent. ‘Japan is famous for it’s prostitution.’
Only one confirmed that it was in fact cheating: ‘I don’t understand why they want to go to a prostitute,’ she said simply.
In an earlier video, Takashii also put the question to men, whose answers were more mixed.
While some, like the women asked, agreed that the fact you were paying meant you weren’t being unfaithful, others said it depends on how the girlfriend felt.
‘That’s something the couple has to decide on,’ said one man. While another agreed: ‘If your girlfriend says it’s okay, then it doesn’t count as cheating.’
The videos have caused a stir online, with people being shocked so many young Japanese people felt the visiting sex workers while in relationship was okay.
‘This is actually shocking,’ wrote one commenter on TikTok, while another added: ‘What the heck!? Really???’. While another simply wrote: ‘Mind blown.’
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