Long before coming to Japan, I had heard that lots of Japanese were sadomasochist. Now that I am in Japan, I sometimes see "SM" pictures in (otherwise normal) magazines, but if one is looking for SM clubs, they are actually hard to find... because they aren't advertised in the street. There are lots of them but if you don't know someone who knows it, they are almost impossible to find.

Westerners usually know Japanese for the practice of "hara-kiri" (which is not much practised nowadays ) and "karoushi" or "death by overwork". So I am wondering, do Japanese really like suffering or make other suffer ?

My wife, like lots of Japanese women, love massages, but I admit that I personally associate it more with torture. Everytime I tried, I had to withdraw after 10 seconds as it was too painful. But she actually enjoys it. Maybe that's more a male-female sensitory difference. (or it's me who is oversensitive )

Let' find more examples... Did you know that there was (usually) no anaesthesia for women giving birth in Japan. I've been told that it was changing slowly, but most women still prefer to "feel" they are giving birth.

A friend of mine went to the dentist in Tokyo to take out a painful molar and the dentist wanted to do it without anaesthesia at all. She refused and went to see another dentist, of course. How could some dentist still tak out teeth without anaesthesia in Japan ? But I've been told that even doctors were often reluctant to prescribe painkiller to patients with cancer or any painful disease (or injury).

Is this a cultural fact that Japanese like suffering ?