Have men ever imagined what it feels like to have period cramps? Some Japanese male office workers at a telecommunication company in Tokyo had the rare opportunity to feel menstrual pain, by using a device that simulates the sensation.

Several EXEO Group workers were brave enough to try out "Perionoid", a small device with a stick-on pad which is applied to the lower belly. With a push of a button an electrical signal stimulates the lower stomach muscle to create pain.

One employee who joined the session, Masaya Shibasaki, was almost on his knees, while several others expressed surprised at the amount of discomfort that women endure monthly. The company held the event on Thursday (March 7) in the lead up to International Women's Day on March 8.

The brainchild of Perionoid is a female researcher at Nara Women's University (her name has not been released), who suffered from painful menstrual cramps. The device was jointly developed with researchers at startup, Osaka Heat Cool in 2019 and has been updated a few times to reduce it in size and increase portability.

Since mid 2023 the startup has trained workers at 40 companies and officials at government offices. They've also given basic sex education to younger people in school, according to Osaka Heat Cool brand manager and trainer Chiaki Kubota.