Inside a barn in Hokkaido, I sat down with a 47-year-old woman named Mrs. Takahashi and talked about sex. Cattle sex, that is. Of course, the closest thing I've seen to it is a pregnant cow, so I wanted to get a little more information as my interest in this subject was mounting.

I had arrived at Mrs. Takahashi's barn that morning and she kindly offered to show me her stock. As we walked down the aisle of dairy cows, I have to admit I was a bit amazed. Just look at those udders! I thought, feeling like a 10-year-old on a school field trip. They looked heavy, like bowling balls with the finger holes turned inside out.

"Our best cows give 30 liters of milk per day, but the average is more around 20 liters," Mrs. Takahashi said. "That's between two milkings a day, 12 hours apart."