A new twist to Orientalist critiques of Japan from the West, Japanese men are still not ‘masculine’ enough. When Japanese men aren’t depicted as nerdy otaku or work-obsessed salarymen (with hidden perverted tendencies), now they’re herbivorous men. What about the idea that Japanese men perform masculinity in a variety of ways? Would that be so wrong?
Lately my American friends have been asking me the most strange question:
“Who are Japan’s grass eaters?”
Initially I thought they were referring to vegetarians or people who ate grass, but it turned out to be something entirely different.
The media overseas has been reporting a shocking recent phenomena in Japan for some time. According to their report, soshokukei danshi (草食系男子) -herbivorous boy – refers to men who are not interested in dating, sex, or marriage. These men have decided to live a life without a partner or even a romantic relationship as a way of turning their back on “macho ways.” They find it safer both emotionally and financially to stay single and celibate. This is a serious matter, they say, because it’s contributing to the rapidly declining birth rates in the nation.
One article cites that 60 percent of Japanese men aged between 20 and 34…
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JAPANsociology 