Sculptures of nude, playful teenagers in semi-erotic poses are not an uncommon sight in Japan. It has something to do with the lolita syndrome, I have heard, where older men have a thing for really young girls. It's a cultural tradition. A fact: Japan is one of the few countries in the world where child pornography is legal. (Note from Ed: At the time this photo was taken and this gallery created, this was still true. However, there was a law passed in May of 1999 that changed this practice, and child pornography in Japan is now mostly illegal.) There have been some grumblings recently in Japanese society, usually by women's groups, regarding this phenomena of city governments commissioning "respected" artists to do these kinds of statues. Sadly, their efforts seem mostly to be in vain for now, but that will surely change as the culture changes in Japan. But for the time being at least, this statue of a naked nymph has some snow to help her keep her modesty in the winter.

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