Herbivorous versus Carnivorous

There seems to be a unique trend in Japan of men becoming more feminine, or perhaps less masculine. The era leading up to the bust economy provided the stereotypical "carnivorous" male with economic competition for better wages, more money to lavish on girlfriends and a more male versus male society. Since then, the Japanese economy and men's outlook on their futures has changed considerably, and Tomoko Otake at the Japan Times delves into some of the reasons and results.


These images, polls taken by Fuji TV and images from Japan Probe, first track the number of respondents that say they sit while peeing over eight years. Second, women were asked if they think their husbands sit while peeing in the first bar and in the next bar is the response of their spouses of whether or not the pee sitting. Because women in Japan tend to take care of the household chores, they would rather not clean up the unnecessary splash back that occurs from standing urination.

Fashion remains a massive dimension of the gender role break off.


A Reuters article and an article linked to Okane's touches on the suject of bras for men. These are not for overweight men, but for guys that want to feel a bit more secure. It doesn't seem like they want people to know they have a bra, but want to psychological reinforcement of an underwire.

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, Kyoto

I traveled north to Kyoto a while back and went to the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, 伏見稲荷大社, just the east of the city. Fushimi is the ward of Kyoto the shrine is found in, and Inari is the god of harvests, fertility and foxes. Inari is also the god of business, and many of the massive red "torii" gates are donated by business seeking success. There are thousands of the red torii that line the pathway leading about three kilometers up the mountain. Many tourists come to this site, and it is especially busy on Japanese New Years. In 2006, the police estimated that 2.69 million visitors came to this shrine over three days.

As you make the grueling trek to the top, you will pass many old "tsuka, 塚” mounds for worship.

The worship of Inari itself dates to the year 711, when this shrine was first built. But since then, more that 30,000 shrines dedicated to Inari have been built across Japan. Inari is a kami of agriculture but has been thanked by some ancient generals after victory in battle was achieved.

The Shinto god Inari, when in a physical form, can be either three separate kami, or five. Inari also has a messager spirit of the "kitsune, 狐”　a fox with a red bib and sometimes holding a scroll in its mouth.