Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Sex-crazed Japanese women?

As my old karate teacher, Mr Miyagi, repeatedly told me:

Every action results in an equal and opposite reaction. 

He was referring to the practice of using an opponent's momentum against them during a fight, but he may as well have been talking about the rise of the carnivorous woman, the nikushokukei joshi (肉食系女), the natural counterpart to the herbivorous man.

Japanese media is running reports of the growing propensity for Japanese women to to freely enjoy sex just as men do.  According to sex writer Yukio Murakami, "Even with steady boyfriends they'll still approach men at train stations as the evening's last train approaches.  The rationale behind such behavior is rooted in simple sexual desire..."

"Most of these ladies", he continues, "aged in their late 20s to late 30s, do not ask for financial compensation.  They are simply looking for excitement."

A similiar typer of woman can be spotted in Shibuya, especially the center-gai area. According to one female writer, "Girls with flexible jobs roam around during the day and give signs, such as a wink, to handsome guys. They approach boys of their liking by saying, "I don't need money so let's go straight to a love hotel."

While it has been known for a decade or more that Japanese women are becoming more assertive, socially confident and financially independent, Murakami attributes this recent upsurge in carnivoralism to a specific cause: “While they say it is due to sexual liberation, that is nominal.  The reality is that they see the unease with North Korea and China’s aggression and find it worrisome. Their maternal instinct is making them aggressive in wanting to leave behind more offspring.”

Well, obviously.  Ask not what your country can do for you, but...

By the way, I am sure I am not the only one who experienced frustration at the lack of naming of those train stations.

No comments: