By Peter Berton

JAPAN – Too good to be true? Apparently not: Since December, a Japanese adult video producer and manufacturer of condoms, sex toys and lingerie has been paying men to sample “soap land,” health, and erotic massage parlors nationwide. In return, the men must write detailed reviews for the company’s public database of adult services.

The company behind the offer, Soft on Demand, evidently has two primary reasons for spending an estimated U.S. $1.2 million to fund the project: 1) a peer-created guide to massage parlors may create additional traffic for its website, and 2) SoD reportedly hopes to encourage the seedier joints to clean up their acts and quit giving the entire industry a bad name.

Reviewers must be “Japanese males 20 years or older who write well, are open-minded, and are able to visit one establishment a week,” according to RocketNews24. “Written reviews must be ‘heartfelt’ and sincere, and be a minimum of 1,500 Japanese characters, which is the equivalent of around two pages of text in English using an average sized font.

“As well as providing men with a free pass to enjoy the sights, sounds and sensations of the sex shops, the company will foot the bill for hotel accommodation (excluding use of the minibar and room service),” the report noted.

Although Soft on Demand cautions reviewers to refrain from having intercourse with any of the service providers — because that would constitute prostitution, which is illegal in Japan — the company places no other restrictions on activity.

The project’s recruitment page (in Japanese) is here.