Makiko Itoh : Not a nameless cat. aggregator

recently on twitter: makiwi: @homodachi i dislike the tone/title of article since it makes it sound like ppl are punished for being overweight&adds to JapanisWeird meme.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:39:29 +0100

makiwi: @homodachi i dislike the tone/title of article since it makes it sound like ppl are punished for being overweight&adds to JapanisWeird meme.

recently on hungry for words: Himono onna: Dried fish woman

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:07:58 +0100

Hi! I'm back! The first draft of my bento cookbook is in, and I now have a bit more time for other writing. So many people asked when this blog would be back...so here it is. I hope you'll continue to enjoy it.

So, today's word is another zokugo (俗語　ぞくご）or slang word that is popular recently:

干物女　ひものおんな　himono onna

You may already know that onna （女　おんな）means woman. Himono (干物　ひもの）means any kind of dried food, but it usually means a dried or semi-dried fish. Himono are often eaten for breakfast, and are a popular breakfast item at traditional inns. Here's a grilled horse mackerel or aji (鯵あじ）himono.

Photo by yskfj

So, what is a himono onna or dried-fish woman? It means an unmarried woman, usually in her late 29s to 30s or older, who has given up on love and sex, and is content - or resigned to - live on her own. A himono onna generally regards all that lovey-romantic stuff as too much of a bother, or mendokusai （面倒臭い　めんどくさい). In fact, mendokusai is her first motivation, or un-motivation, for everything. She's stopped trying to impress the opposite sex, doesn't bother dressing attractively and goes around in the most comfortable clothes possible, including going sans bra or no-bura (ノーブラ). She may also stop paying too much attention to things like personal hygiene, or at least stop bothering with makeup, going more than once or twice a year to the hairdresser, doing her nails, and things like that, except when she goes to work. Anticipating the possibility that she will have no children to take care of her in her old age, she may be saving up a lot of her money, buying her own apartment or house (until recently it was practically unheard of for a single woman to buy her own place) - or she may be spending money on herself at will.

According the the Japanese Wikipedia entry on himono onna, she may also:

Be very late replying to emails, because it's too much of a bother (mendokusai).
Eat snacks and simple meals standing up at the kitchen sink
If she forgets something in her house after she's put her shoes on (remember that in Japan, one always removes ones shoes when entering the house) she may go and get it on her knees, shoes in the air
Stop plucking, waxing or shaving her body hair during the winter
Is not afraid of going to a traditional pub or izakaya (居酒屋　izakaya) on her own
Has stopped having 'heart-quickening moments' (i.e., romantic moments or getting excited about anything)

All this may sound like a misogynistic put-down of unmarried women, but in fact many women have embraced the term themselves. There are blogs out there by himono onna. This one in particular, called The Himono Onna's Household Budget Book or "Himono Onna no Kakeibo" (干物女の家計簿 - see more about kakeibo) - is very funny and cute. The blogger illustrates her posts with the most adorable drawings, where she depicts herself as a fat, clumsy seal or azarashi (あざらし) stumbling through life. In her profile, at the left of the page, she says she's 30, an OL (office lady), and her annual income is 3.64 million yen (US$40,520), and her savings are an impressive 4.57 million yen (US$50,854).

I'm rather dessicated myself...

recently on twitter: makiwi: RT @ha1ku is there a term for unmarried men past their prime? - no slang term comes to mind.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:47:31 +0100

makiwi: RT @ha1ku is there a term for unmarried men past their prime? - no slang term comes to mind.

recently on twitter: makiwi: my Japanese language-and-culture blog is sort of back, with a post about 'dried fish women' - http://bit.ly/1Riutg

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:20:10 +0100

makiwi: my Japanese language-and-culture blog is sort of back, with a post about 'dried fish women' - http://bit.ly/1Riutg

recently on twitter: makiwi: comments for this POS article: "Fat in Japan? You're breaking the law" properly take the writer/editor to task. http://bit.ly/1TZXso

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:36:20 +0100

makiwi: comments for this POS article: "Fat in Japan? You're breaking the law" properly take the writer/editor to task. http://bit.ly/1TZXso

recently on twitter: makiwi: some people on twitter come across as bitter and depressed. hope i don't! (big smiiiile)

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:12:46 +0100

makiwi: some people on twitter come across as bitter and depressed. hope i don't! (big smiiiile)

recently on twitter: makiwi: @downbeatpuppet that makes sense. Thanks!

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:52:27 +0100

makiwi: @downbeatpuppet that makes sense. Thanks!

recently on twitter: makiwi: @glamah you know she's not a real doctor...and has a pretty bad reputation in the UK

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:29:00 +0100

makiwi: @glamah you know she's not a real doctor...and has a pretty bad reputation in the UK

recently on twitter: makiwi: great new guest post on JB: Bento: The Magical Bond for Parents and Children by Linda : http://bit.ly/3MSL5u

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:57:09 +0100

makiwi: great new guest post on JB: Bento: The Magical Bond for Parents and Children by Linda : http://bit.ly/3MSL5u

recently on twitter: makiwi: ...in class if Japanese ppl celebrated D-Day. I still remember the headdesk the teacher did. hehe. (and no, they do not.)

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:55:33 +0100

makiwi: ...in class if Japanese ppl celebrated D-Day. I still remember the headdesk the teacher did. hehe. (and no, they do not.)