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We have all seen it often before, that when girls are among themselves, they
tend to playfully grope their friend's breasts and it all seems to be okay and
accepted behaviour. This trope is thus appropriately called [Skinship
Grope](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SkinshipGrope). I am aware
this is used often as fan service and it does mention at the trope page, that
one _should not try this at home_ , yet I have had this trope confirmed by
friends and TV shows. Therefore it made me wonder where this trope originated
from. Did it come from a (at that time) weird manga or did this originate from
a cultural difference I am not aware off being a European male myself?


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Where did the Skinship Grope trope come from?


As the member of the Manga & Illustration Society student club at a Japanese
national university, I have seen young Japanese women involved in sub-culture
perform this joking action in public in real life. I have seen it done in a
small group of female friends while staying at an _onsen ryokan_ (traditional
inn at a hot spring), in the midst of a large group of male & female college
students, and my husband saw it done by girls in a booth sitting in a bar-type
restaurant. Sometimes it is either asked ("Can I touch your breasts?" and the
person answers "No" or "I don't have any breasts to begin with"), or
threatened ("I'm gonna touch your breasts!") but if the person protests, the
threat is not followed through, or she might only threaten playfully and then
not go through with it of her own volition. In all cases, the girls have been
fully clothed (I have not witnessed a case in an _onsen_ [hot spring] itself
or otherwise nude context where the Japanese and Korean phrase "skinship"
might be applicable).

Culturally, it is indeed considered okay and acceptable behavior, and does not
imply that that the girl/s involved are lesbians. It seems to be a sort of
compliment, i.e. false hitting-on (a true lesbian could engage in such
banter/activity without ever coming out since the purportedly straight girls
do it too). I heard one female college sophomore give her name, grade, major,
and "I love breasts" as her entire self-introduction to the group (a mixed
gathering of males and females) at the start of the academic year. Of course,
the context matters: young women would not do this at formal functions, when
professors are present, etc. Young Japanese can throw out the phrase 「セクハラ」(
_seku-hara_ , short for "sexual harassment") in these cases, but it [does not
bear the severity and criminal
meaning](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/15328/what-do-young-
japanese-mean-by-%E3%82%BB%E3%82%AF%E3%83%8F%E3%83%A9) of the English phrase
and is not necessarily unwelcome by the person being hit on.

So in anime, this is not simply unrealistic fan service for male viewers, but
rather is a practice among real-life young Japanese women who do not do it for
the sake of the enjoyment of men. As a non-Japanese, of course this is rather
surprising the first time you see it happen.

Culturally, bathing at an _onsen_ or _sento_ does not generally lend itself
toward any sensual content; most women there either avoid eye contact with
others, just don't look down (focus on the other person's face), or look at
the scenery or wall painting instead of at the friend sitting next to you.
People who normally wear glasses cannot see clearly while in the _onsen_
anyway. You can go with your family, relatives, friends, co-workers, and/or
acquaintances, or alone and no one expects to be looked at uncomfortably. The
very fact that everyone is naked and no one cares or is weirded out or shy
about it makes it easy for the average Japanese to enjoy and truly relax.


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