If you or someone you know were described as a cabbage roll, how would you react? What if someone called you a hyena or said you were especially “creamy”?
There are apparently 10 distinct categories into which men fall in Japan, with women knowing exactly the type they’d like to get to know better or avoid altogether. Read on to find out whether you’re a Soy Milk, Bacon Asparagus, Creamy, or Cabbage kind of guy, or to learn how to apply these unusual tags to the men you meet in Japan.
Presented by Ilaria, the Italian curator of YouTube channel It’s All Manga’s Fault and long-time resident of Japan, the following list describes 10 different types of men as viewed from a romantic perspective. As Ilaria mentions, these personalty types are not her own creations, but rather those described online by Japanese women.
1. The Carnivorous Man
You might not think it to look at the guy in the video, but the men considered “macho” in Japan are often the same guys who spend a lot of time on their looks and buy expensive designer clothes and accessories. These nikushoku men are the kind of guys who actively hunt for women when out on the town and hone in on their “prey” with tried and tested move sets. They’re also, apparently, prone to cheating, so beware if you give in to that well-sculpted tuft of facial hair and wry smile.
2. The Herbivorous Man
Known in Japanese as "soshoku otoko" (literally plant-eating men), these are the polar opposites of the abovementioned Carnivorous Man. Whether or not they make good boyfriends, of course, comes down to personal preference, but if you’re interested in a guy who could be described as a herbivorous man then be sure to make the first move yourself or else you may be old enough to rock one of these epic walking sticks before he works up the courage to ask you out.
3. Bacon and Asparagus Roll Man
"Asupara behkon maki kei otoko" (asparagus bacon roll type men) are exactly what they sound like: meat on the outside, all veggie in the middle. They may well come on to girls as if they have all the confidence in the world and try to emulate the typical meat-eater look, but get to know them and you’ll find that they’re actually all soft and squidgy on the inside, or “all mouth and no trousers” as we say in my fair homeland. While some may think this a good thing, and will at least mean that they can skip all the awkward procrastination involved with dating a Herbivorous Man, others will find Bacon Asparagus Men’s macho posturing annoying or borderline pathetic.
4. Cabbage Roll Man
As Ilaria notes in her video, this type of man is often a big hit with the ladies since although he looks all soft and innocent on the outside, thus making him easily approachable, get to know him and you’ll find a man with the appetite of a carnivore. Those looking for a genuinely soft and cuddly man may be slightly disappointed, but others will be thrilled to find that their man is much tougher than he first seemed.
5. Creamy Man
“Creamy” men purportedly have wonderful skin and are mild and gentle, but when it all kicks off he’ll come out fighting and show himself to be tough. Kind of like a vanilla latte with a sneaky shot of alcohol, perhaps? Ilaria mentions that these men seem a little too good to be true, a bit too much like a character from a manga, perhaps.
6. Cashmere Man
Nope, I’ve never heard of this one before either. Apparently, having a welcoming smile and “shiny hair” makes this kind of man akin to the kind of fine, soft wool you’d knit a sweater out of. He also has a surprisingly strong personality. Aside from the colour of his hair, is anyone else wondering what the difference between this kind of man and a “creamy” type is?
7. Soy Milk Man
Named after his love of the healthy, bean-milk beverage, Soy Milk Men purportedly have a lot of the same interests as women, making them easy for girls to talk to an identify with. As someone who also drinks a lot of soy milk and unashamedly goes for head spas once a month, I can’t help feeling this one could do with being renamed since despite ticking those two boxes, I’m nothing like the kind of Soy Milk Man described here. That being said, the reason I enjoy said head spas so much is less because of what it does for my hair and more to do with the fact that a pretty girl is massaging my scalp and neck for half an hour while I recline in a comfy chair, so perhaps I’m less of a “Soy Milk Man” and more of a “Dude Who Has a Soft Spot for Pretty Girls and Thinks Soy Milk Tastes Nice”…
8. Hyena Man
AKA that creep who mistakenly thinks he’s handsome and tries to hit on everyone in the bar. Hyena Men prey on easy targets because they lack the charm to actually attract women who aren’t vulnerable in some way. Never a name to be associated with, unless you’re auditioning to play the villain in a stage production or something.
9. The Fasting Man
The No Thank-You Man as he’s otherwise known isn’t even worth approaching if you’re looking for love. For whatever reason, he’s finished with love and romance, and he isn’t afraid to make that painfully clear from the start. There’s also a good chance he plays sad songs on his guitar and keeps a blog about how the world just doesn’t get it. Whatever it is.
10. The Otaku Man
Rounding the list off is the good ol’ otaku; the kind of guy who’s so into his hobby that he’s probably not even looking for love, but if he finds it he’s at least not likely to abandon it (unless, of course, it gets in the way of his beloved hobby). Otaku men are often considered to have bad dress-sense and be slightly immature, but they’re also kind and thoughtful, so it’s hard to be too judgemental of them. And, as we’ve seen, there’s a broad spectrum of otaku out there, so these guys probably deserve to have a little asterisk attached to the name of their category.
What do you make of this list? If you’re a guy, do you feel that you could be easily classified as one of these men? If you’re a girl or a gay guy, do you have a personal preference for one of these types? While we may not all agree with some of these distinctions, it is at least good to be armed with the lingo used in Japan to types of men. At least that way, the next time you’re described as a “cabbage roll” you’ll know not to be immediately offended.
Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- The “doya-gao” phenomenon and where you’re most likely to see it -- Sorry, studs, you’re just too handsome for your own good! -- You’re probably not as genki as this old lady!
© RocketNews24
40 Comments
Login to comment
Emily Anne
All 6 comments are so great... Lol never happened before. Bahahahah
nath
Your j-hubby, by very virtue of the fact of having married a foreigner, is not your typical Japanese person, and therefore it's not that surprising that he wouldn't fit into the list.
Fouxdefa
What? This must be a list about manga characters and not real people. My J-hubby doesn't fit any of these.
Juan Rodriguez
I would like to be the Soy Milk Man hahaha
Fox Sora Winters
@Thunderbird2: Well of course we exist, but the media doesn't report on guys like us. They'd rather paint Otakus with the same broad strokes, labelling us all as creepy obsessive paedophiles or whatever because the public eats that up more easily. It's not just sex that sells, sensationalism does as well. It's easier for people to believe that Otakus are bad people than to accept that there are many different types, many of these being far from what the media depicts. The truth tends not to sell well, unless it's a tragedy. I think this quote from Monsters sums up the press quite well: "I can get paid five grand for a photo of a girl killed by extraterrestrials. You know what I get paid for a picture of a girl smiling? Nothing."
It's that kind of logic that warps the minds of the general public, and surveys like this appear because of that, surveys that categorise men according to set parameters instead of treating them as individuals. And people wonder why so many marriages these days end in divorce. It's not surprising, when you treat someone according to a falsely perceived stereotype instead of as an individual.
Elizabeth Heath
This article is horrible in so many ways.
Thunderbird2
Manuel... why the comment about being past child bearing age? You seem a wee bit bitter for some reason.
Manuel D. Valencia III
For Japanese women: Cutie immature Cosplay type Passive Agressive Mama's girl Hermit who lives way past child bearing age Women devoted more towards kids than husband
For japanese men: Shy boy Nerdy guy Pervert Passive Agressive Girlyman
bookowls
I've identified three types of Japanese women:
1). Child
2). Witch
3). Loony
Spot on!
Thunderbird2
How about a version of Otaku Man who can also hold down a steady job and have a realistic outlook on life AND keep his hobbies. We do exist you know ;)
LBW2010
Japanese women can indeed be...bizarre. On a variety of levels.
souka
There are only two types of people whether male or female -- those who work hard and those who don't.
sf2k
So go get a poodle, and don't procreate. Problem solved
Alex80
Ilaria's channel is amazing! :D
Patrick Smith
BertieWooster, no it hasn't changed much. I still find Japanese men my age (late 20's) who are single basically act like they are 13 year old boys when it comes to women.
Fox Sora Winters
If I could attach a meme to this, I absolutely would. This article and others just like it are the reason why aliens won't talk to us (I had to work in a meme somehow). Seriously, I want to bang my head against the wall until I break through it. Any girl that categorizes men like this isn't worth dating. Each man is different, unique. If you try and treat them all according to these imagined groups, you're bound to step on some toes and ruffle a few feathers. Have none of the women in this travesty of a survey ever considered treating a mean like an individual, instead of like a "cabbage roll"?
It must be a very slow news day if tripe like this is considered newsworthy. It's something you would find in a gossip magazine. A failing one at that.
Serrano
"Hyena Men prey on easy targets because they lack the charm to actually attract women"
Hyena Men definitely aren't the only ones that lack charm.
Seungyun Jung
Hahahahhha lol this is good, i can somewhat imagine to a certain extent to the list. I think i have seen some guys like those on the list xxx
Disillusioned
Are you referring to the 35 year old salaryman that sleeps with his manga cuddle pillow?
wtfjapan
yeah left out the "Rolls of Cash Men" this is one of the best. nearly all of the bad habits of men that women dislike are erased if your one of these type of men!
BertieWooster
What about the guy who hasn't graduated puberty yet?
I used to meet a lot of guys like this when I was teaching "salarymen" in Tokyo.
They go out with a girl or meet a "professional" and the next day go into a huddle to discuss it.
But that was a long time ago.
I hope things have improved since then!
Qamar
....stereotypes! All people, men and women are individuals!
jpntdytmrow
How would an article on 10 types of white men according to white women be percieved, or white women according to white men, or whatever race or culture one chooses, I wonder?
Serrano
There's really only one type of Japanese man - the ones I see every day.
StephenEFY
Before anyone freaks out JK
Disillusioned
This has just been recycled from a few years ago. I reckon there are only two types of japanese men: Sukebe and more sukebe!
StephenEFY
I thought there were only 2 types. The nerd and the dude that might as well be a lady ( Aerosmith ) saying a Japanese guy is tough is like saying your 80 year old grandma is a real badass.
warispeace
afterthequake seems to be a "play by play" man. Giving us the rules, running numbers and even some analysis.
afterthequake
CGB Spender, Scrote, yeah my above post does seem a bit of a brag. It is in reaction to the article, which, at least for the first half of the list, seems to be about nothing more than 'does the guy shag and if so how much and with whom', making sex the be all and end all of relationships, which just seems so ironic in a country like Japan (or maybe everywhere) where there are so many sexless marriages and rife infidelity. Being aware of these issues, when I got serious with a J girl, I was extremely explicit with my expectations about what our marriage should be like regarding sex, and I think up until this point it has helped us, as we know what to expect. So, that is my advice. Be perfectly clear about expectations, and make sure you know the person you hook up with. I feel like I really have to earn my two a week though. Massages, cooking, cleaning, and listening to endless amounts of chatter .....................
nath
I think there are only two types: those that let women control their lives and those that don't.
Scrote
aftethequake: I hope you have your wife's hanko on that "2 times a week" contract. If you can't fulfill your end of the deal is she allowed to subcontract the work to others? I'd check the small print if I were you.
CGB Spender
Actually, afterthequake, you're a variation of the hyena guy, since your bragging so proudly about how often a week you pop your wife.
Maryam R. Hamandi
3♡♡♡ ありがとうございました
shonanbb
I just like nice people. I am sure they can be found in all those labels.
Chou Masamori
How does you identify someone cool and handsome but doesnt present himself gorgeusly ( just the way it is, no make up, styling etc.) . And even when it come down to woman, can be harsh if it is true. Cabbage-roll ?
choiwaruoyaji
I've identified three types of Japanese women:
1). Child
2). Witch
3). Loony
umbrella
The only thing that matters is how much money the man has.
warispeace
What about Vacuum man? The guy who loudly sucks a lot of air as he tries to think of an answer to a question but is so, well, vacuous inside and he has little or nothing to say that is not standard reply.
afterthequake
Great article. I would have to classify myself as a "Cabbage Roll Man". I probably would have liked to be the Carnivore, but with all the effort involved I think I defaulted. Still though, I think the "Cabbage Roll" is the way to do it, and I believe the relationships are far more genuine. One thing I would advise for other Cabbage Rollers, is don't hesitate in letting your 'special lady friend' know that you need / want 'it' often. When I met my Japanese wife I let her know I was a '3 times a week' guy, which she eventually negotiated down to 2, which I can live with, and now after popping a few kids out, she's still good to go.