A JAPANESE porn star has found world fame after complaining on Twitter that there are more Bengal tigers than male actors in the country’s adult movie industry.
Shimiken, a spiky-haired 35-year-old, just can’t keep up the pace any longer.
“There are only 70 male porn stars to 10,000 women,†he wrote on the social network. With 4000 new films every month, the number of male actors simply isn’t enough. This industry is like a hole in the wall that needs to get bigger!â€
While some journalists have questioned his figures, even they agree there is a lack of male porn stars worldwide, and it’s even worse in Japan.
Shimiken, real name Ken Shimizu, was profiled in Details magazine as the man facing the herculean task of “keeping an estimated $20 billion industry from going limpâ€. The hard-working porn star has not had a holiday in seven years, he told the magazine, and with 7000 movies under his belt, he just wants a cuddle.
But the muscly, spray-tanned pocket-rocket is in high demand. He is famous for his stamina, working for six hours a day on up to six different movies, seven days a week. Over 18 years he’s done almost everything — and everyone — from an ex-pop star to 72-year-old twins. The only time he got stage-fright was when he was asked to have sex with a woman who’d just been with a dog. But being a stand-up guy, he compromised by agreeing the dog could lick butter off her first.
Shimiken told Details he follows a strict regime to maintain his energy: high-protein diet, no alcohol and 90 minutes of exercise four days a week (heavy weightlifting and deep squats to improve his thrusting and build up testosterone). He even used to stay up late practising his aim, because “it’s rude to get it in a girl’s eyesâ€. The only performance enhancers he uses are glutamine, branched-chain amino acid, zinc (said to make semen whiter), arginine and vitamin jelly.
Despite his semi-legendary status, even Shimiken has faced discrimination because of his profession. Just a few years ago, no landlord would accept him as a tenant. He was only able to find a home after a real-estate agent who was a fan helped him out.
Shimiken says he knew his destiny was in porn from the age of 15. Obsessed with sex and erotica, he used to masturbate over balconies at school. He dropped out of college to follow his dream among like-minded people, although it wasn’t always as glamorous as he hoped. His first job was to eat a plate of faeces for $160, landing him in hospital.
His parents discovered what line of work he was in after he landed a job on a panel show and his co-hosts exposed his dirty secret to the nation. Later, he starred in a series where he picked up girls off the street and persuaded them to go home with him for sex on camera. In one apparently real scene, his mother barged in to demand what was going on.
Today, Shimiken earns $30,000 a week, has 30,000 followers on Twitter and owns five cars. He has an ex-wife, and two daughters, who he says he wouldn’t want to see in the industry. “The reality is that porn is mostly a s****y place filled with s****y people,†he said. “I’d just like to be a light among the s***. This is where I was meant to be.â€
Japan has a reputation for karoshi, or death by overwork. Every year, hundreds of overstressed workers succumb to heart attack, stroke or suicide due to a lack of work-life balance. A new law will force employers to ensure their workers take holidays.
But will Shimiken ever get any relief?
