Darrien wrote:
>> http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0307/0706flagellation.html
>>
>
> From the article:
>
> [begin]
> Neighbors say the man was generally
> quiet, but occasionally weird sounds
> would emanate from his apartment.
>
> "You'd hear an 'Ouch!'" one neighbor
> tells Gatsun! "followed shortly after by
> 'Oh, but it feels so good.'"
> [end]
>
> Are Japanese walls typically this thin?

I presume that you have never been in what passes for an apartment in Japan.
The walls of mine were so thin that I hear the conversations of my next door
neighbors even if they were talking at normal conversational volumes. I am
far from strong (I once ran away from a chick that was dyed pink for
Easter), but I could have very well punched a hole through the common wall.
Ceilings and floors were thin, too. My neighbor's bedroom was right above
mine and every night I was lulled to sleep by the sounds of their fighting
or fucking (sometimes both).

-- 
Kevin Gowen
"The US economy accounts for about one-third of global GDP-greater than
the next four countries combined (Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom
and France)."
- "Advancing the National Interest: Australia's Foreign and Trade
Policy White Paper", Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade