Elsewhere in the world, social distinctions between men and women erode on a daily basis, but in Japan, they still endure. Women are expected to be "onna-rashii (womanly)," men must go by "otoko-rashii (manly)" codes of conduct, and to hell with political correctness. And you know something? We actually like it; or at least we're well-aware that those endowed with surplus amounts of onna-rashisa (womanliness) and otoko-rashisa (manliness) are likely to get more respect.

The qualities that constitute onna-rashisa are pretty much standard fare: yawarakasa (softness or flexibility), yasashisa (kindness), karoyakasa (graceful lightness), kenkyosa (modesty). Add to that the traditional demands for women to be kawaii (cute), kirei (beautiful) and tsuru-tsuru (smooth-skinned) and you've got a nation of femmes all aspiring to be some character out of a Junichiro Tanizaki novel (refer to "The Makioka Sisters" for details).

Women's magazines are perpetually coming up with new, and more detailed, definitions of onna-rashisa: lately, there's been an emphasis on good health without the stigma of workouts and muscles (which ruin the onna-rashii body lines) and a lot of ink has been poured in describing preferred modes of womanly skin texture, bone structure, hair length and condition, the exact curve of the ideal onna-rashii waistline. Interestingly, none of these articles (most written by women) has any intention of promoting inequality, but stress how onna-rashisa will actually empower women and inspire self-respect. One headline in the ever-popular An-An magazine threatens: "Kebukai Onna wa Nani o Yattemo Umaku Ikanai (A Hairy Woman Will Not Succeed in Anything)." Scary, huh?