It's widely assumed that whatever their station in life, most Japanese women over the age of 24 are tsukarete iru (tired). This has less to do with modern living than something ingrained in the Japanese tradition that tires women out before their time -- namely, the emphasis on shigoto (work). Women are expected to work harder and longer than men, especially at menial tasks in the workplace and home. Why? They're generally thought to have more energy reserves (true, they live longer) and much higher endurance. How often have I heard my grandfather remark, with a sort of grudging admiration as he watched his wife going about her never-ending round of household tasks: "Onna wa tairyoku ga arukarana (Women have such strength)." Obviously he didn't choose to hear her sighs of fatigue or complaints about backaches. Most women I know can't get through the week without popping vitamins or gulping energy drinks, and the phrase "Kattarui (I'm exhauuuuusted)!" has become more a salutation than a confession.

Consequently, the Japanese woman is always on the lookout for the latest iyashi (healing) opportunity, whether it's a quick ashi momi (foot massage) in the building around the corner, a glimpse of SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi on TV (not fellow SMAPper Kimutaku -- he makes women tense, you see), or surfing the Web for kawaii (cute) pet sites.

A new phonetic vocabulary to convey this thirst for iyashi has cropped up over the years -- all the words pretty vague in meaning, but suggestive of certain images or sensations linked to solace. Whereas the ideal man was once described as gasshiri (sturdy) or honebuto (thick-boned), nowadays women are looking for the honwaka (warm and fuzzy) type, or as my girlfriend Megumi likes to say: makura ni nattekureru hito (someone you can curl up against like a pillow). It's no coincidence that overweight men are enjoying a popularity unprecedented in the past five decades.