We are about six months behind on this update, but it is a worthwhile topic to catch up on. In January of 2015, we posted The Vagina Kayak and Japanese Genital Politics, which was the story of a Japanese artist,  Megumi Igarashi, who goes by the nickname, Rokudenashiko – or “good-for-nothing girl.” She had a 3D printed plastic model of her vagina fabricated which was installed on a roto-mold kayak. Not long after the vagina kayak was completed, Igarashi was arrested on multiple obscenity charges.

Last May, she won and lost her court cases. On the charge of displaying obscene material, she was found to be not guilty. The judge ruled that the brightly colored and decorated kayak on display at a Japanese sex shop did not obviously resemble female genitalia and could not be considered obscene.

Neverthess, Igarashi was found guilty of distributing obscene material in the form of data that enabled recipients to make 3D prints of her vagina. The trial judge, Mihoko Tanabe, said that the data, though “flat and inorganic”, realistically portrayed the shape of a vagina and could “sexually arouse viewers”, according to Kyodo News. Igarashi was fined ¥400,000 (US $3,700) by the Tokyo district court. The fine was half the amount requested by the prosecution. 

So, it is legal to have a vagina kayak in Japan but not to distribute the plans. Just so you know.

Japan takes a slightly different view of male genitalia, however. The nation has several yearly festivals which celebrate the penis. Every year, the Japanese celebrate Kanamara Matsuri, the Shinto Festival of the Steel Phallus, a penis festival that is considered family entertainment.

Not related to kayaks perhaps, but good news all the same; Igarashi married Mike Scott, the frontman of The Waterboys, a Celtic folk/rock group, in October 2016. They are expecting their first child in February 2017. We send our congratulations and best wishes. I am sure they will take their child kayaking when he or she is old enough.