Japan Has a Stock Photo Website Dedicated to Buff Men in Strange Situations
In a room lined with swords, a red magic circle glows on the floor, and at its center, where a hero ought to be, sits a shirtless bodybuilder in a cardboard box with a protein shaker in his hands. The summoning has gone wrong, though not catastrophically. The image is titled “That Time I Summoned […] The post Japan Has a Stock Photo Website Dedicated to Buff Men in Strange Situations appeared…
In Japan, there exists a stock photo website called Muscle Plus, specializing in images of muscular men in unlikely situations. These photographs, available for free download, depict men engaging in activities they wouldn't typically partake in, such as feeding another bodybuilder bread in front of cherry blossoms or being abandoned in cardboard boxes.
The site, created by bodybuilder Akihito and his company Smile Academy, emerged during the pandemic and gained popularity, featuring men posing in various locations, from tea plantations to grocery stores. While initially intended to grab attention for the company's paid services, the photographs have also found use by illustrators and manga artists for anatomical references.
The local economies have benefited from this unique approach, with some men posing alongside local products and businesses, such as Imabari towels and Tokyo's greengrocer. Despite the efforts put into these shoots, it's unclear how often the images are actually used, but the creative and humorous nature of the photographs adds a unique charm to Japan's promotional landscape.
Written by urgent.news from Tokyo Weekender's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
