Air sex

Air sex is a performance activity invented in Japan; clothed men simulate sexual activity with an invisible partner, often in an exaggerated manner, set to music, and in a competition before an audience. This is somewhat akin to playing air guitar, explaining the name. The creator, J-Taro Sugisaku, says that it was invented in Tokyo in 2006 by a group of bored men without girlfriends. The reigning "world champion" in air sex goes by the name of Cobra.

A report about the phenomenon in the Japanese magazine "Weekly Playboy" in 2006 was picked up by the English language web site "Mainichi Daily News". [ [http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/archive/news/2006/09/20060921p2g00m0dm003000c.html Japan's air sex world champion licks himself into shape] , Mainichi Daily News, 21 September 2006] A video of the air sex "world championship" was uploaded to YouTube in January 2007. [ [http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=%22Air+Sex+World+Championship%22 Air Sex World Championship] , YouTube, uploaded 2 January 2007] This was followed by a segment of the BBC Three documentary show "Japanorama" in March 2007 ["Japanorama", Series 3, Episode 2, BBC3, first aired 26 March 2007] , subsequently uploaded to YouTube and flagged as "inappropriate for some users".

These videos led to coverage in the blogosphere. [ [http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzz/Air_Sex Air Sex links] , by Buzzfeed] The Japanorama video was shown in May 2007 at the JACON 2007 convention in Orlando, Florida, and a spontaneous air sex competition ensued, footage of which also found its way to YouTube.Fact|date=July 2008

In late January and early February 2007, a group of American black male teenagers calling themselves "Peer Pressure" produced two videos called "Pretty Ricky" showing air sex set to music, published on YouTube under the user name "amp6". Fleshbot called these "The Best Air Sex Video of All Time". [ [http://fleshbot.com/sex/teh-internets/peer-pressure-the-best-air-sex-video-of-all-time-259388.php Peer Pressure: The Best Air Sex Video Of All Time] , Fleshbot.com, 10 May 2007]

Since August of 2007, The Alamo Drafthouse has been holding bimonthly Air Sex competitions [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fLBraKZ8v0 Air Sex news report on Vimby] ] . On September 18, 2008, the Air Sex World Championships were held at the historic Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas where a crowd of 1200 people witnessed Sad Larry win the grand prize. Photos [ [http://www.flickr.com/photos/originalalamo/collections/72157603717042432/ Photos from the Austin Air Sex preliminary rounds] ] are posted on the Alamo Drafthouse Flickr page.