[pogo101]

I read a book about 15 years ago, "The Pink Samurai," that included a lot of this theme of Japanese men being rather clueless about how to deal with women. (Aren't we all? But this book's point was that, in Japan, the confusion was to a much greater degree than in the USA and Europe.)

I tend to think that part of the reason why is that Japanese women were kept politically and socially less powerful than their USA and European counterparts MUCH LATER into the 20th Century ... and so, now that Japanese women are catching up rapidly, Japanese men are somewhat taken by surprise. Their grandfathers still remember when women were not to speak unless spoken to. Put differently: Japan, although catching up rapidly in this regard, is still "only" in the 1950s or 1960s "That Girl!" stage of male-female sexual politics.

Sorry if that came off like Andrea Dworkin. :)

[beelzepug]

"Sorry if that came off like Andrea Dworkin."

Well, there's one who could put me off sex. UGH!

[PJ-Comix]

I read a book about 15 years ago, "The Pink Samurai," that included a lot of this theme of Japanese men being rather clueless about how to deal with women.

You bet! I met lots of Japanese businessmen when I lived in La-La Land. They ALL wanted to hop in the sack with "blonde" American women. I put "blonde" in quotes because most such "blondes" had dyed or bleached hair. And it didn't matter how horribly ugly they looked as long as they had blonde hair. A typical Japanese man would rather hop into the sack with a Courtney Love than an Ava Gardner. Incredible but TRUE. This is why so many hookers in L.A. have fake blonde hair.