- Title: JAPAN: Full body suits are the latest fetish trend in Tokyo
- Date: 11th June 2014
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (RECENT - JUNE 7, 2014) (REUTERS) FULL BODY SUIT FETISH FANS, HANAKA AND POPO, WALKING INTO HOUSE HANAKA AND POPO (NICK NAME - REAL NAME NOT GIVEN) WALKING IN TO A ROOM HANAKA AND POPO TAKING OFF THEIR CLOTHES VARIOUS OF HANAKA WEARING RED SKIN TIGHT BODY SUIT HANAKA IN A FULL BODY SUIT HANAKA POSING IN FRONT OF MIRROR WITH BODY SUIT HANAKA'S FEET IN A FULL BODY SUIT (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 23-YEAR-OLD PART-TIME WORKER AND FULL BODY SUIT FETISH FAN, HANAKA (NICK NAME - REAL NAME NOT GIVEN) SAYING: "I feel extremely safe when my whole body is covered, and love the feeling of chill on my skin as the suit touches me, but especially when others touch it -- that is twice or three times the sensation" COUPLE'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 23-YEAR-OLD PART-TIME WORKER AND FULL BODY SUIT FETISH FAN, HANAKA (NICK NAME - REAL NAME NOT GIVEN), SAYING: "There is a community site on which zentai lovers gather. I posted a comment there asking if anyone could lend me a full body suit and got a reply from him. He asked if it would be okay if I used his and we started dating from that point onwards." HANAKA AND POPO SITTING TOGETHER PEOPLE IN FULL BODY SUITS GETTING INTO A CLOTH CIRCLE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE IN FULL BODY SUITS IN CLOTH CIRCLE FULL BODY SUITED PEOPLE SITTING IN A LIVING ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) TOKYO ZENTAI CLUB FOUNDER, SEIWA TAMURA (FAKE NAME - REAL NAME NOT GIVEN), SAYING: "This is like getting a 'second skin' and the whole body is covered up and that turns us into a different person. Also, many members, including me, feel that it sharpens the five senses which human beings have. With zentai, we barely see and hear things, so while it's difficult to feel through skins, we become more sensitive to them." FULL BODY SUITED MAN ENTERING A PLASTIC BAG FULL BODY SUITED MAN IN PLASTIC BAG BEING VACUUM PACKED MEMBERS TOUCHING MAN IN A VACUUM PACK WOMAN BEING WRAPPED UP IN CLEAR FILM MAN HELPING WOMAN WRAPPED IN CLEAR FILM ON TO BED MAN AND WOMAN IN A CLEAR FILM ON BED ANOTHER MAN WRAPPED IN CLEAR FILM CARRIED TO BED MEMBERS TOUCHING OTHER MEMBERS LAID OUT ON THE BED
- Embargoed: 26th June 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA4AY6EWZA7432AMKLLXSXF4TLM
- Story Text: Twenty-three-year-old Hanaka and 29-year-old Popo are going on a unique date.
While they could have opted for the usual movies or trendy restaurant most other couples choose to go to on weekend, these two, who prefer we use their nicknames rather than real names, have headed to the Tokyo Zentai Club located in a quiet residential part of town for a full body suit party.
Changing into tight spandex suits, one red and the other purple, that covers everything from toes to the top of their heads, this couple is part of a growing number of full body suit aficionados in Japan. Called "zentai" in Japanese, a shortened form of "zenshin taitsui" or "full body tights" in English, these suits have been used in the past mostly in music videos, dance groups and comedy skits. However, here they have become a week-end past-time for the young and old alike.
For fans of this fetish, the appeal is in the sensations it provides and the anonymity.
"I feel extremely safe when my whole body is covered, and love the feeling of chill on my skin as the suit touches me, but especially when others touch it -- that is twice or three times the sensation," says Hanaka.
Hanaka says the full body suit helped her not only be herself but also meet her like-minded boyfriend of three years.
"There is a community site on which zentai lovers gather. I posted a comment there asking if anyone could lend me a full body suit and got a reply from him. He asked if it would be okay if I used his and we started dating from that point onwards," Hanaka added.
The founder of the Tokyo Zentai Club, 37-year-old Seiwa Tamura, also not his real name, says full body suits hone the senses.
"This is like getting a 'second skin' and the whole body is covered up and that turns us into a different person. Also, many members, including me, feel that it sharpens the five senses which human beings have. With zentai, we barely see and hear things, so while it's difficult to feel through skins, we become more sensitive to them," Tamura says.
The skin-tight suits come in a variety of colours, materials, and costs. The most popular and basic body suits are made of spandex, but some are designed like superhero costumes. Most of the members have their own tailor-made suits which fit exactly to their body, costing almost 20,000 to 30,000 yen (approximately $200 USD to $300 USD), almost ten times as expensive as the ready-made body suits.
Tokyo Zentai Club, founded one and half years ago, is already 100 strong and growing. Their once-a-month gatherings consists of a variety of events from being vacuumed packed in a human-size plastic bags or being wrapped up with clear film , to being packed together in a cloth circle - mostly to help heighten the sensation of touch through their body suits.
Club rules insist everything is above-board and strictly clothes on, or a full body suit on at very least. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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