In Tokyo

ECONOMISTS and population experts alike have reason to lament the rise of a new generation of young Japanese who are seemingly not terribly interested in love and marriage.

The dating rituals of such Japanese couples seem to lack the sparkle that one normally associates with young people in love.

A recent survey by the Research institute of Industry and Regional Economy, which is under the umbrella of the influential business daily Nikkei, found that over 60 per cent of Japanese below 30 years of age spent most of their dates at shopping centres and outlet malls, or in the homes of their boyfriend or girlfriend.

Many of these young men and women also go on dates wearing just the sort of clothes they would wear every day – stuff likely to have been purchased at one of the country’s ubiquitous low-cost casual outfitters.

For them, going on a special dinner date or a long drive into the countryside in a flashy automobile is also no longer considered the cool thing to do.

These young Japanese would rather just have a simple meal at home, one cooked in the microwave, and watch rented DVDs together.

Such behaviour alarms Japanese businesses.

If young Japanese couples increasingly stay away from fancy restaurants, do not buy clothes to impress their dates, give each other fewer presents, and give cinemas a miss, it means a major setback for personal consumption which in Japan is traditionally fuelled by younger consumers.

Other surveys have found that fewer young Japanese these days crave to have their own cars, a fact that spells trouble for Japanese carmakers.

The country’s birth rate – already a major headache for national planners – will also suffer.

If the dating behaviour of young Japanese is not much different that that of married couples, singles are likely to see little merit or attraction in taking that final plunge.

A decrease in marriages simply means that fewer babies will be born in Japan.

Unlike many European countries where increasingly babies are being born out of wedlock, most Japanese babies today are still being born only to wedded couples.

A lot of the blame for the decrease in the number of marriages in Japan has been put on the modern Japanese male.
In 2006, columnist Maki Fukasawa coined the moniker “grass-eating male” (“soushokudanshi”), in a series of articles about marketing products to men under-35, to describe today's young Japanese male.

“Grass-eaters”, or herbivorous males, will happily graze alongside their female companions and are not given to forming deeper relationships.  In contrast, “meat-eaters”, or carnivorous males, home in on their prey. 

The term “grass-eating male” has gained wide usage in Japan during the past year, as a result of which the definition of what constitutes a “grass-eating male” has also grown.

It is generally agreed that “grass-eaters” do not see women as sex objects; they are gentle in their relationship with the fair sex; they prefer to be indoors rather than outdoors; and they tend to be delicate by nature.

“Grass-eaters” are also said to be not terribly positive in their attitude towards love or sex, and are more interested in fashion or their own hobbies rather than falling in love.

Moreover, the “grass-eating male” is likely to have a sweet tooth and an ardent interest in food.

It is not unreasonable to suppose that the “grass-eating male” may not be confined to Japanese society.

“Grass-eating males” are also likely to exist in other modern societies where equality between the sexes is regarded as a matter of course.

So ladies, if your boyfriend exhibits some of the traits described above such as being gentle and a foodie, he may well be one of Ms Maki’s “grass-eaters”.