قصة الكتاب :
Media Factory (Media Factory Bunko Da Vinci), 2010. 223 pp. ¥524.
ISBN 978-4-8401-3432-3.
Originally published by Media Factory, 2008.
Morioka Masahiro
Born in 1958. A philosopher who teaches at Osaka Prefecture University. His research and
writing cover fields including bioethics, modern thought, and civilization theory. Published
works include Kanjinai otoko [Man Without Feelings], Seimei kan o toinaosu [Rethinking
Our View of Life], and Seija to shisha o tsunagu [The Link Between the Living and the
Dead].

The term “herbivore man” gained currency in 2009, when it was a top-10 finisher
in the contest for new word or buzzword of the year. The appearance of the term
actually dates back to 2006, but there is no doubt that it was this book that sparked
the surge in interest in herbivore men—young males who seemingly lack ambition
and sexual drive.
The book does not actually examine these young men as a social phenomenon.
Its aim is to teach young men who are by no means uninterested in sex and love,
but remain unassertive, how they should go about having relations with women.
As it happens, this sort of guidance accurately captures the traits and the mentality
of those dubbed “herbivore men.”
Other countries seem to regard Japan as still a male chauvinist society, where
the man rules the roost at home. The baby-boom generation born in 1947–49
certainly looked up to the macho type, and many middle-aged or older men see
wolfishly chasing after the opposite sex as a sign of manliness. However, the
herbivore men of this book are totally uninterested in struggles for supremacy.
Men of the younger generation respect women and listen humbly to what women
have to say; they also see displaying their own weaknesses as a virtue.
Needless to say, this book is popular among young men, but a great many
young women are also keen readers. It tells of a quiet change taking place in relations
between the sexes. (CK)