About the Author

While living in Tokyo for two years, Joan Sinclair heard rumours of sex clubs with mirrored floors and fantasy decor. She returned to San Francisco to begin a career as an attorney, but the thought of photographing these clubs never left her mind. In 2004, she packed her camera and moved back to Japan for a year. After endless nights of karaoke, she forged friendships with sex club managers and workers, and was given open access to the clubs that appear in this book. James Farrer teaches Sociology at Sophia University in Tokyo. He conducts comparative research on ideas of sexuality and romance among young people in Japan and China. He also researches and writes about nightlife in Shanghai and Tokyo. He is author of the book Opening Up: Youth Sex Culture and Market Reform in Shanghai.