For a man carrying a nation’s libido on his shoulders, Japanese porn king “Shimiken” looks as fresh as a daisy.
The 35-year-old cult hero, described by one director as the “Cristiano Ronaldo of sex” and famed for his Herculean powers between the sheets, grins as he tells reporters: “It’s a hard job, but somebody’s got to do it.”
Shimiken — real name Ken Shimizu — has slept with more than 8,000 women for his 7,500 movies, and recently caused a stir by begging for reinforcements, tweeting that there were more Bengali tigers alive than male porn actors in Japan.
Photo: AFP
“We’re an endangered species,” he said in an interview. “There are about 70 male actors to 10,000 women.”
Shimiken’s call to arms was retweeted thousands of times by fans worried that Japan’s US$20 billion “adult video” (AV) industry could be under threat.
“We’re getting rarer and rarer, like pandas,” said the celebrity lothario, who drives a vintage DeLorean sports car — the time machine in Back to the Future — and carries phallus-shaped business cards. “It is boring for viewers to watch the same actors all the time. That’s the biggest worry.”
Looking somewhat like pornography’s answer to British punk rocker Johnny Rotten, with his spiky orange hair, Shimiken insisted he has the staying power to keep on going, despite making an eye-popping two to three films in an average day.
“Usually I sleep with two or three girls a day, so I have sex for about two hours every day,” he said. “It’s my dream job — I’ve been doing this for 17 years and I never get bored of it.”
“It beats working in an office,” added the part-time bodybuilder, peeling off a t-shirt bearing the words “Sex Instructor” to show off his biceps. “I’ll do this until I’m 100.”
He might have to, if the decline in male actors continues.
Fitness fanatic Shimiken follows a strict diet, and the contents of his sports bag reveal protein bars, packets of chicken tenderloin and boiled eggs, as well as Japanese reindeer supplements and a drink with snake extract to boost performance. However, no little blue pills.
“I don’t take Viagra,” said the workaholic actor, who uses luxury face creams to keep his essential kit in tip-top condition, adding that he has only once sustained an injury in the area — when an actress accidentally damaged him with a stiletto. “I don’t need it. Not yet.”
Such is Shimiken’s legendary prowess that actresses swoon at the mention of his name, but few express surprise that Japan struggles to produce more male actors.
“He’s a stud,” busty AV queen Anri Okita said. “He’s a marvel of nature, a genius. Male actors are a dying breed. It’s a physiological matter. Only Superman can do what they do, to have that technique and stamina. Japan can be proud of them.”
Celebrated director Tohjiro, who goes by only one name, said: “Sex is difficult. It’s just like with football. You don’t see hundreds of [Lionel] Messis or Ronaldos running about, do you? It’s the same thing. Only Messi or Ronaldo can score the goals they do,” he said.
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
RSS