Saori Hara: STOP! STD girl #3

Following in the footsteps of Nana Natsume and Sasa Handa, Saori Hara is the new postergirl for the STOP! STD campaign. The campaign is run by Soft on Demand, reputedly one of the largest AV companies in Japan, and is aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. Saori is yet another gravure idol turned AV star that also makes regular appearances into popular mainstream media. She also maintains a weblog, containing information about her day to day activities, as well as lots of pictures of food and her favorite fluffy animals..

Stop! STD (Sasa Handa)

The campaign to educate Shibuya's youth community on the potential dangers of risky sexual habits continues, but with a new and fresh face from the Japanese AV industry, Sasa Handa. Previously it was crossover star Nana Natsume that graced this massive billboard that towers over Bunkamura Dori pointing directly at the 109 building. The STOP! STD campaign is one that promotes education and awareness amongst teens, and is run by Soft on Demand, which is reputedly the largest independent adult video company in Japan.

Kabukicho..

.. is not the kind of place you wanna mess with. A walk around this infamous part of Shinjuku, full of fuzoku-ten, hostess bars, and AV outlets will introduce you to all types of touts, questionable bar establishments, back door restaurants, and just about anything anyone could imagine to commit to video. It's commonly understood to be controlled and regulated by the Yakuza, and is one of the main places that mirrors the worlds common perception of Tokyo's neon landscape.

I've been here a lot over the years, but this night was the first time I was scared into sensibility..

夏目ナナ (Natsume Nana)

Nana Natsume is a well-known and award-winning Japanese AV idol and celebrity. She is one of the many Japanese adult video starlets that has been able to successfully cross over to more mainstream media. She was also awarded the AV Grand Prix by Tokyo Sports magazine for 2005. Today I was struck by her presence on a massive billboard (across from 109) designed to help stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Japan. The youtube video, as abstract as it appears to be, states that 1 in 15 Japanese youth have an STD.