© 2007 Malixe (from Seattle Erotic Art Festival)

Midori is a well-known kink author and educator. Her books include the instructional (The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage, WildSide Sex) and the erotic (the science fiction saga Master Han's Daughter). She travels the world presenting her classes on adventurous sexuality to community groups, fetish events, and more. ALT.com was able to grab a few moments of her time to ask a few questions about both her work and her private life.


How did you get your start in the scene?

Actually this isn’t such an easy question for me. So many people mean so many different things when they say “the scene,” especially with after the propagation of the web.

I’ve enjoyed private sexual adventures of all sorts since my college days, ranging from anal sex to rudimentary bondage. Around ’90 or ‘91 I took my first “step outside of the bedroom” and began to explore what San Francisco had to offer in terms of sexual adventures.

There were BBS’s, such as the Well and alt.sex.bondage but the Web didn’t exist then. Back then, if I wanted information and meet people, it was just easier in San Francisco to physically step out the front door and find some back door of an event or party. I think that still rings true in San Francisco today.

I checked out sex parties, erotic poetry readings, Goth clubs, fetish-themed dance nights, SM groups, post feminist strip clubs, etc. By the early 90’s these were not really underground secrets of the City, but rather part of the rich fabric of life by the Bay. I enjoyed the variety, thrills and dressing up. All the while I fed my nerdy academic interest and social optimism by training with San Francisco Sex Information and then working on the volunteer hot line. I really needed this intellectual and social services sides to fully appreciate, enjoy and balance my pleasure adventures.


Many people know you only as a rope bondage expert, especially with the success of your first book Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage. But you also do teach other topics, right?

I’m really thrilled that the book has been so well received and people are diving into exploring Japanese bondage. It’s now in it’s 5th or 6th printing. It was the first major English language book on shibari.

Ironically its success has also given some people the impression that rope bondage is the only or primary topics I teach on. I do love it ‒ but it’s really a part of the wide range of topics I teach as a sex educator with a subgenre expertise in the wilder side of sex.


What are some of the other classes you teach? Which ones are popular? Who comes to these?

I teach forty-some classes. The seminar host or venues invite me to present on topics that best suit their guest’s interests. Academic institutions like the headier classes such as “Pink Japan: Contemporary Sex Cultures”. The big hit classes at sexy boutiques such as Good Vibrations and Coco De Mer are “JoyStick Secrets: How to Please Your Man,” “Aural Sex: Seduction by Voice,” and “Hands-on Rope Bondage” They always sell-out.

Teaching takes me all over the place. I’m invited to present in major urban area in North America such as Toronto, New York and LA but I’ll also happily travel to smaller places such as Halifax, Kansas City and Boise. Overseas interest has been growing for years as well. This year’s tour schedule takes me to London, Berlin, Australia and New Zealand.

Is rope bondage a kink for you, an art, both, or something else?

It depends on the context. If in my bedroom it’s definitely a sexual turn-on. If I’m teaching a class on it, it’s taught in that context as well. But on stage when I’m performing, when I’m shooting photos or with one of my major installation art pieces, it definitely moves to the realm of aesthetic pleasures, symbolism and art.


You're known as a fetish fashion icon. How did you get involved in the fetish fashion scene?

You flatter me, and that’s definitely part of my history, but today there are so many more iconic fetish personalities, such as my friend Kumi.

I delight in fun, fantastic and sexy clothing. I identify as a fetishist in that I find my sensuality and focus is heightened in the presence of certain thing…. Latex, leather, fur, sexy shoes and boots, gloves, cute bunny things, alien tentacles, etc.

Photo by Michael Blue

In the early 90’s I become friends with many designers. Back then there weren’t many women who were willing to model for fetish designers. Models wouldn’t touch such “risky” work with a 10-foot pole. It’s quite different today, isn’t it? Since I wasn’t a professional model, loved the clothes and wanted to see my friends succeed, I ended up in many photos and catalogues.

Today I love to go to exciting fetish parties. Top of my list is Torture Garden in London. Hands-down, nothing compares to that. I can really dress as wild as I like there.

I hear you have a bit of a bunny fetish. Do you have any other quirky fetishes or fixations that you'd like to share?

Oh yeah, that bunny thing. I think it’s a cultural carryover of being Japanese. The rabbit is a recurrent icon in Japan and I’ve certainly managed to fetishize that. Speaking of which, I need to have more wacky bunny outfits made. I’ve got a fluorescent latex one from Polymorphe that I just adore.

I also love the idea of tentacles. I’d love to be a sexy tentacle alien or make out with a sexy alien tentacle monster. I guess I just watched too much anime and read too many manga growing up in Japan.

Then there’s the fur fetish. I actually sleep upon a luxuriously soft fur throw every night. It just makes me all happy and tingly.

In addition to being an accomplished writer and educator, you're an accomplished rigger and photographer -- and, occasionally, a fetish model. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it?

I really love creating and taking the photos. It’s really fulfilling to being on the creative side of the project. So I prefer to be behind it.

Currently I’m working on my Masculine portfolio of gay and bisexual men. Some samples of that can be seen in my art site at www.Ranshin.com.

I’ll also need to return to working on the Women portfolio soon. These aren’t just rope images ‒ rope just appears in some of my shots. Sometimes the rope becomes a good starting point for the model to engage with my vision and me.

I’m grateful that the images are being received really well. I was accepted for the juried Seattle Erotic Art Show this year, and last year I had my first major show in a two-photographer gallery exhibition here in San Francisco.

So if there are any readers interested in shooting with me, they should drop me a line at ask@planetmidori.com.


Does how you play in private differ from how you play in public? If so, how?

Sex.

There’s just a lot more sex and primary focus on sex in my private play. My private play is primarily with my partner, whereas in ‘public’ parties I may play with people that I have a friendship with but may not be lovers.

Also at public parties I have access to equipment that I don’t in my bedroom, so it’s fun to do the ‘big’ scenes with cool toys and big gear.


What do you feel your responsibilities are as a sex educator to your students?

To encourage honest exploration and lift shame and fear that stops them from that.


What are your favorite topics to teach? To write about?

Oh there are so many!

I love to do the weekend intensives, such as “Women’s Sensual Dominance Weekend Intensive and the “Rope Bondage Dojo Weekend Intensive”. These give me an opportunity to work in-depth with students and teach with individual attention to the students to help them maximize their pleasures, skills and insights.

I also love teaching “JoyStick Secrets.” It’s the blowjob and hand job class. I know that sounds so basic, but it’s the class where often times women are getting their first step and permission to becoming a sexually confident lover. There’s a lot of laughter and joy and good sharing ‒ just a whole lot of fun!


What aspect of your personality and play do you think most surprises people?

I can think of a couple of things.

First, it seems people are surprised that I don’t identify as a dominant. Sure, there’s a port of me that enjoys dominance, but that’s just a small part of my complexity. Perhaps it’s because of my work with photographers and other artists, where either a small aspect of my personality is examined ‒ or where I’m part of an image that the photographer wants to create and it’s not about me. But folks seem to be surprised that I’m not a cold ice queen domme.

© 2003 Michele Serchuk

In the same vein, people seem to be surprised that I’m goofy and kid-like at times. Maybe some people are disappointed, but if they can’t deal with the real me, that just speak to their inability to appreciate the complex joy of being human.

I’ve admired cool beauties with elegance, intensity and aloof grace such as Dietrich and Langtry, but I’ve come to terms with the fact I’m more Mae West and Bette Midler. And that’s just fine as they’re such remarkable women.


Any upcoming new projects or plans you'd like to tell us about?

I’m working on a new book with Daedalus Publishing. I’m not at liberty to talk about it yet, but I’m very excited about it. It’ll be in collaboration with Steve Diet Goedde.

I’m also searching for a large space to create my enveloping installation piece called Path-Web-Choice in a major city. If anyone knows of such a space, I’d love to hear from them. Instead of waiting for the art world to notice me on my smaller scale projects, I’m just going to create this space on my own and let the world be the judge of it. But I need the space.

More on Midori, including blogs, myspace, photos, classes: www.PlanetMidori.com