I'm just wondering who kaoru is always reffering to when he mentions sarashina taika. Does this person really exsist outside the manga?
On a side note, does anyone that has an intrest in this sort of thing know where to find good info on it? All I find are books about being a slave as a lifestyle choice and whip guides. I think it's giving me the wrong impression about how to look at the choices the main characters in the manga behave.

You know what? The scientists are working out how to cure diseases, make us look better, and become physically stronger. There's only one thing I hope they never conquer, and that one thing is death. If you knew that you could take forever to do something, you know that you would; don't lie to yourself. The only ones that truly live like that are the people who never feared death in the first place, the people oft overlooked: the Suicidal people. their motto is: "I never expect to survive, its only a delaying of the inevitable."

The japanese rope tying art is called 'shibari' (among other things). You can find how-to guides online and in books if you add 'how to' or 'history of' or whatever into your search parameters.

It really all depends on what keywords you search for. If you're looking for bondage & domination, you're going to have to refine your search more to get to some reasonable information sites, or you're going to get lots of merchandise & porn sites instead of more informational sites. (If I had specific sites to suggest, I would, but I haven't actually looked myself.)

If you've ever thought or said "Nice Guys finish last" and really meant it, then you should probably read this LJ post by DivaLion. It's incredibly insightful whether you're male or female.

From a bumper sticker I like:
"If you're gonna ride my ass, at least pull my hair."

Safe, sane and consensual (SSC) these simple rules should give you a good starting point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe,_sane_and_consensual

... And yeah before anyone ask I'm a kinky SOB but I'm also a responsible SOB. ^_^