Sexual Wellness from Japan: Design, Discretion and What Surveys Actually Show

Japan is often discussed in sensational ways when it comes to sex. Headlines tend to swing between "the world's most innovative toys" and "a nation that has stopped having sex." Neither is a fair picture of more than 120 million people. This guide takes a calmer approach. It looks at how two well-known Japanese brands, TENGA and iroha, describe their own design philosophy, and what a large Japanese survey actually measured, including its limits. Brand facts come from the companies' official pages, and survey figures come from the original report.

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How TENGA and iroha describe their mission and design approach
Why "design-oriented" products matter for comfort, hygiene, and privacy
What the Japan Sex Survey 2020 found, and how to read it carefully
How to buy Japanese brands outside Japan through official channels

A note on stereotypes

Before looking at products or data, it helps to set a few ground rules. Surveys about sex rely on people describing their own behavior, and answers depend on how questions are asked, who responds, and how comfortable people feel being honest. Comparing countries is especially tricky when surveys use different methods. In this guide we describe what specific companies and studies say, and avoid sweeping claims about "Japanese people" as a whole.

TENGA: "Bringing Sexuality to the Forefront"

TENGA launched on July 7, 2005, with five items in its TENGA CUP series. The company describes its concept as "Bringing Sexuality to the Forefront, for Everyone to Enjoy" (TENGA, 2021). On its corporate page, TENGA describes its business as "the design and production of safe, hygienic adult novelties" and "the dissemination of information regarding safe sexual practice and disease prevention" (iroha / TENGA corporate information).

Design is central to how the company presents itself. In 2021, TENGA announced that its TENGA GEO series received the Red Dot: Best of the Best award for product design, which the company said was the first time a sex toy had received that accolade in the award's history. The renewed TENGA CUP series and the TENGA AERO series also received Red Dot awards that year (TENGA, 2021).

When we checked TENGA's corporate website in October 2026, it reported over 166 million units shipped in total and sales in dozens of countries (TENGA Co., Ltd., accessed October 2026).

iroha: a brand "by women, for women"

TENGA launched iroha on March 3, 2013. The launch announcement described it as "a brand created by women, for women," built on the belief that "the pleasure our bodies seek is something to be valued as a key element of self-care" (iroha, 2013).

According to iroha's U.S. store, the project started around 2011, as the number of women working at TENGA grew. The name comes from the traditional iroha poem used to learn the Japanese kana alphabet, chosen to express growth and empowerment. The first products, YUKI, MIDORI, and SAKURA, were made of very soft silicone (iroha Store USA, 2024).

Language is part of the philosophy. iroha says it prefers the term "self-pleasure items" instead of "sex toys" or "adult goods," because it wants to avoid words that trigger embarrassment or shame (iroha Store USA, 2024).

In 2026, TENGA announced that iroha had refreshed its brand visuals and statement for its 13th anniversary, describing iroha as a femcare brand that supports women through three brand lines (TENGA Co., Ltd., 2026, Japanese).

Dates from TENGA's and iroha's official announcements and pages, as cited in the article.

What "design-oriented" means in practice

Good design is not only about looks. In iroha's case, the development team has explained the reasoning behind its choices:

Softness to reduce anxiety. Pre-launch research found that hardness and coldness made people feel "scared" or "uneasy," so the team aimed for a soft material that feels gentle in the hand (iroha, 2021).
Everyday-looking shapes. TENGA's 2013 announcement described the first iroha items as having "Wa-modern" designs inspired by traditional Japanese confectionery, with a soft-touch material and a storage case that doubles as a charger (TENGA, 2013).
Usability details. The team mentioned waterproofing and buttons that are easy to press even with long nails (iroha, 2021).
Starting with external items. A company survey of 2,000 Japanese women aged 20 to 39 found that about 70% had self-pleasure experience. Among them, about 40% had used items, most commonly external ones, so the brand launched external products first (iroha, 2021).

For buyers anywhere, these points translate into useful questions: Is the material clearly labeled and easy to clean? Is there a sensible storage solution? Are the controls simple? Does the product look like something you would be comfortable leaving on a shelf?

What the Japan Sex Survey 2020 found

The Japan Family Planning Association (JFPA), through its Family Planning Research Center, ran the "Japan Sex Survey 2020" at the request of condom manufacturer JEX. It surveyed 5,029 adults aged 20 to 69 online between February 21 and 24, 2020. Responses were weighted to match the population of each prefecture (JFPA, 2020).

Question	Men	Women
Have never masturbated	5.8%	43.4%
Use their hands during masturbation (among those who masturbate)	93.3%	85.3%
No sex in the past year or longer (among those who have had sex)	41.1%	49.5%

The report also found that 12.9% of women who masturbate used vibrators or dildos. This was the most common answer after hands, and it was higher among women in their 20s (21.4%). In every age group of women, more than half said they had not masturbated in over a year or had never done so (JFPA, 2020).

Figures from the Japan Family Planning Association's JEX Japan Sex Survey 2020 summary (Japanese), as given in the article's table.

How to read these numbers

These figures are useful, but they need context:

It was an online panel survey. Invitations went to 73,563 people and about 7% responded. People who choose to answer a sex survey may differ from those who do not.
It was commissioned by a company. The survey was run by a respected nonprofit association, but it was requested by a condom maker.
It relies on self-report. Masturbation is a sensitive topic, and some people may under-report.
Comparisons need care. A U.S. national survey found that 21.8% of women said they had never masturbated (Herbenick et al., 2017). That survey used different sampling and questions, so the gap between the two numbers should not be read as a precise difference between countries.

A reasonable takeaway is that a large share of women in this Japanese survey reported little or no masturbation, while a meaningful minority used toys. That is exactly the gap that brands such as iroha say they want to address, by making self-pleasure feel less embarrassing.

Buying Japanese brands outside Japan

Both brands run official U.S. online stores. According to their shipping pages, TENGA Store USA and iroha Store USA both ship orders in a discreet brown box with no TENGA or iroha branding, and the return addressee on the label reads "TENGA USA INC." Both list U.S. shipping at $10, free from $84.99 (checked October 1, 2026). Both stores accept returns only for unopened, unused items within 30 days, for hygiene reasons.

TENGA's corporate site also carries a warning about scams that misuse the TENGA company or brand name. Buying from official stores or authorized retailers is the simplest way to avoid counterfeits and to keep your warranty valid.

Whatever brand you choose, wash products before and after use, follow the manufacturer's cleaning and lubricant instructions, and do not share personal items. See a healthcare provider if you notice pain, bleeding, itching, or other symptoms that do not settle.

The bottom line

Japanese sexual wellness brands stand out less for being "exotic" and more for how they frame the topic: as everyday self-care, supported by careful design and plain language. The survey data from Japan show a wide range of experiences, with real limits to what they can tell us. If you are curious about these brands, read their official specifications, buy through official channels, and choose what fits your own body and comfort.

Last reviewed: October 1, 2026