Blogpost 8: Moving Forward

There is a popular saying that goes: “All good things must come to an end.”  And our discussions on Japan’s unique gender group herbivore men are no exception.  Now that we have finally reached the end of our journey, I think that it is only fitting to put things in their proper order, once and for all.   

By now I can claim that we have truly known the herbivore men by heart.  I can even say that we were able to squeeze out the tiniest details from the discourses we had about them.  We learned their social and gender identity, grasped the issues surrounding them, and understood their role in the Japanese society.  I would like to believe that I was able to present facts and provide impartial discussions about them.  And from these, I can bravely conclude that we have succeeded in putting together every piece of the puzzle.

And so for my final entry, allow me to focus my discussion on one vital component present in all of my blogposts – perspective.  This is the time to hear the side of the scrutinized.  It is the moment to hear the voice of the herbivores.

 

I.PERSPECTIVE

Let me begin by saying that no matter how hard we put into trial the herbivore men, and no matter how long our discussions go, it will all boil down to this simple logic: Herbivore men are here to stay.

In my previous blogposts, it is evident that the emergence of these herbivores is very unprecedented.  Their existence is a direct counter-culture to the dominant salary men culture in Japan. I have encountered Ms. Aulia Dwi Nastiti’s study entitled, "Redefining the Concept of Counter-culture: Study Case of Soushoku Danshi Culture in Japanese Contemporary Society". According to Ms.Nastiti, 

“Counter-culture appeared to be the way to mark an oppositional position to a dominant power. A countercultural movement is indicated by the expression of ethos, aspirations, and dreams of a specific population during a well-defined era as mode of resistance to social control exercised by the superior.”  She further discussed that, “Contrasted to the expectation of their parents for them to be married and have job with steady incomes, many young men see marriage as restriction to their freedom.”

Now from this viewpoint, it can be said that these herbivores aim for independence.  I think that their deviation from Japanese culture was majorly influenced by the strict norms.  In simple words, they got sick and tired of the cultural and societal expectations that Japan has towards them.  They merely wanted to get out of their cage.

Now Ms. Nastiti’s claim was supported by an article written by Mr. Joel Kotkin entitled, "Beware the Herbivore Effect".  In this article, Mr. Kotkin said that, 

“Japan's herbivores are more interested in comics, computer games and socializing through the Internet than building a career or even seeking out the opposite sex.”  Now if we take a good look at this statement, we can pull out a hidden factor important to the herbivores – leisure.  Firm to my earlier claim that herbivore men seek independence, I believe that Mr. Kotkin’s statement is an indirect affirmation of this.  Engaging in leisure activities is a method by which people get rid of their stress.  In this way, we feel refresh and ready to take on the road ahead of us.  We feel strong, confident, and free. Another supplement to this claim was an article by Mr. Kyojiro Kagenuma entitled, "Grass Fed - An Explanation of Herbivore Culture".  Mr. Kagenuma mentioned that, “The Herbivore Men is a culture that rejects traditional Japanese way of life in favour of individual happiness instead.”  Mr. Kagenuma’s statement is a strong declaration of what herbivore men are really fighting for – happiness.

II.CLINCHER

The point of all my blogpost boils down to these important factors change, acceptance and respect. As I mentioned before change is inevitable. It is a constant part of life. Fact is not all change is for the better but all change is vital. After change acceptance should follow. Without acceptance then change is pointless but acceptance is also the hardest value ti imbibe. Since most of us are afraid to welcome change then it is also hard for us to accept. Hard but not impossible. Finally we have respect. Now this is the desired outcome. This is what everybody wants but the thing is respect is a two way process. To earn respect we must also give respect. Easy as that. The Herbivore Men of Japan embodied all these three factors. They have changed the Japanese society and culture dramatically Their emergence and existence could be said that is in the process of acceptance and ultimately they seek and desire respect from other people. All of these for what?

Happiness. I believe that this is the most important factor that we should consider in this journey. They only wanted to be happy. To be free. Most of the time, we tend to forget how hard we try just to achieve happiness and I guess that goes the same with herbivore men. We placed them into scrutiny. Studied them academically but we forgot to feel them emotionally. I guess their pursuit of happiness is what kept them going all this time. Because I know for a fact that by being genuinely happy. We will be ablle to fully move forward.

Blogpost 7: Love

The journey towards rediscovering Japan’s gender culture is nearing its end.  From herbivore men to carnivore women Japan has truly undergone a drastic transformation in terms of defining gender and societal roles.  And looking back the discussions about these two gender groups became very extensive and comprehensive in order to resurface and grasp the different viewpoints about them.  But judging from my previous blogposts I believe that there is still one thing missing in the areas that we have covered so far love and marriage. 

Herbivore men claim that it is by choice that they do not commit to relationships nor engage in sexual intercourse.  In turn one of the major effects of this behavior is the low population in Japan that may also be attributed to the absence of marriage. This blogpost will attempt to explain this phenomenon. We will look at the different factors influencing this behavior among herbivore men.  We will also gaze upon the culture of courtship and marriage.  By doing this I believe that we may find a way to fill the gaps between herbivore men and carnivore women.

I.     Dating A Japanese

In Japan there is popular way of expressing one’s admiration towards the opposite sex.  This is somehow similar to the western concept of Valentine’s Day.  As most of us know Valentine’s Day is celebrated every 14^th of the year during the month of February.  This event is a day to honor love and is devoted to all couples around the world.  Common practice on this occasion involves chocolate and flower giving.  This is a simple direct way for men to express their love towards women.  Now how is Valentine’s Day similar or different in Japan?I have come across an article written by Mr. Zack Sultan entitled "Traditional Japanese Dating".According to Mr. Sultan Valentine’s Day or Japan’s men-receive-chocolate-from-multiple-females for reasons of either love or obligation day has become as much a part of Japanese culture as baseball and mayonnaise on pizza.  The corresponding White Day when males return the favor of obligatory gifts is exactly one month later allowing Japanese men time to  recover from the shock of an implicitly expressed display of affection and  weigh their options.  This tradition dates as far back in Japanese history as 1978 when it was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association.  Before the adaptation of these conveniently passive western courtship rituals Japanese males were required to take a different more active approach in the pursuit of womenfolk.  It may be that more traditional Japanese women are more responsive to a more traditional courtship.

Following Mr. Sultan’s account it can be seen that Valentine’s Day is an occasion which gives opportunity to Japanese women to express their admiration towards a certain male.  And an interesting twist is the fact that men can receive as many chocolates even if they are from a number of girls.  In a way I think that this is a prevalent tradition of women confessing not only their admiration but also their love towards males.  It is a total display of affection.  Moreover Valentine’s Day in Japan is a day when females are permitted to be aggressively pursuing their love interest.Another interesting trivia is how men are given the chance to respond to the women’s confession. This is called White Day which happens exactly a month after Valentine’s Day.  And based on the description of Mr. Sultan about this event I believe that this implicitly show the high regards that men have in Japanese society.  Out of all the girls who confessed admiration to them they are given ample time to think it over and total control as to whom to choose.  This may also be attributed to the strong and prevalent patriarchal system in Japan.

II.   The Married Life

Now that we learned the dynamics of Japanese courtship let us move to its next phase – marriage.  As mentioned the low population rate in Japan may be connected to the absence of marriage.  Normally marriage binds a man and a woman in the eyes of men and God.  This signifies that these people are now ready to tie the knot and have a family of their own.  But with Japan’s current situation it is the other way around.  Assuming that there is no marriage at all then there would be no husband and wife there would be no children; hence no family.  This is a simple analysis to the domino effect brought about by the change in gender roles in Japanese society.In an article by Mr. Michael Hoffman entitled "Married or Single Japan is a Desolate Country" he gave a distinct description of traditional Japanese marriage.  According to him 

“In old Japan marriage was essentially a device to produce family heirs.  That done husbands typically pursued love eros and romance in the licensed pleasure quarters while wives seethed at home in silent frustration.”   

Based on this it can be said that marriage is the key to ensure that family lineage will continue.  More than anything else Japanese values the traits of honor and pride. For them these traits must be maintained and sustained throughout generation.  Thus producing of heirs should be a top priority especially for men.  I encountered an article by Prof. Edward Norbeck entitled "Changing Japan".  In this article Dr. Norbeck discussed that 

“Today marriage in Japan can be either an ‘arranged’ union or a ‘love’ match.  In theory an arranged marriage is the result of formal negotiations involving a mediator who is not a family member culminating in a meeting between the respective families including the prospective bride and groom. This is usually followed if all goes well by further meetings of the young couple and ends in an elaborate and expensive civic wedding ceremony.  In the case of a love marriage which is the preference of the majority today individuals freely establish a relationship and then approach their respective families.”

In this generation I think that arranged or fixed marriage is no longer widely practiced.  People have already freed themselves from this tradition which was negatively viewed by many critics.  Liberalization of the minds is also one of the culprits for this change of perspective.  The dominanceof the concept of choice and freedom took the lead and was majorly favored.  Nevertheless the importance of marriage cannot be overlooked by the young Japanese generation.  I think that with their current condition this holds the answer to the survival of their society.

III. Why Become Herbivores?

We now know the value for family in Japan.  We are also familiar with the amusing approach of Japanese courtship.  Although we have a concrete background of these two aspects the ultimate question is still left hanging: Why do men become herbivores?

To shed light about this matter I have encountered an article by Mr. Tom Foremski entitled "Digital Girlfriends Preferred By Japan's 'Herbivore'Millennials".  In the words of Mr. Foremski 

“The phenomenon emerged a few years ago with the airing of a Japanese manga-turned-TV show. The lead character in Otomen was a tall martial arts champion the king of tough-guy cool. Secretly he loved baking cakes collecting "pink sparkly things" and knitting clothes for his stuffed animals. To the tooth-sucking horror of Japan's corporate elders the show struck a powerful chord with the generation they spawned.”

This statement strongly suggests that media could be a suspect with regard to the emergence of herbivore men.  As we know media in all its forms is a powerful tool to send messages across a wide scope of audience.  It is often used to create change and influence the way people see things.  Moreover Japanese popular culture of manga and anime may also have a major role in this phenomenon.Since most roads lead to media as one of the culprits for this phenomenon the Japanese also utilized media to control the situation.  I have come across an article written by Mr. Max Fisher entitled "Japan’s Sexual Apathy is Endangering the Global Economy".  According to Mr. Fisher 

“There's an entire industry in Japan that helps men who eschew romantic lives cope with loneliness through relationship-simulating video games and even holiday retreats.  National programs encourage young men and women to get together and politicians often debate how to 

create more Japanese babies.” 

With this it can be concluded that a major reason for the emergence of Japanese herbivore men is really attributed to media.  I believe that media sensationalize the topic of herbivore men during the peak of its occurrence.   And with the power that media hold it was only a matter of time before these herbivores made it to the top chart.

IV.Perspective

   True enough that Japan faces a grave threat in this current generation. With the emergence of herbivore men and carnivore women one may hastily conclude that Japanese tradition of courtship and marriage I think that the young Japanese must look within themselves and appreciate the splendor of their culture. They must use their history to define their present and hopefully establish a future.