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 14th 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 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.
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