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INTEREST: Idol Group Combines Pop Tunes and Sushi Making

Not to be all serious in a post on an interest story, but this is an example of one of the remaining majorly patriarchal things in Japanese society: sushi chefs.

Outside of these gimmicky sushi bars where women make sushi, it's basically unheard of for a woman to be a sushi chef in the sushi places in tokyo.
There's a sushi maid-cafe like place in Akihabara, and this place which is more like a sushi/idol group bar fusion thing... But actual normal sushi restaurants and even cheap kaiten sushi places are exclusively male when it comes to the people actually making the sushi (women man the register or act as waitresses but never making the sushi itself).

This has always sort of bothered me since I started living here. Sure I can sort of accept some things which are men only in Japan, like Sumo... but sushi chefs? It's high time a woman who wanted to be a sushi chef doesn't have to move out of Japan to realize her dream.

There is a few hundred years of this tradition, in early times right up to the early Twentieth Centrury because women would perfume their hands which tainted the hand made food, so only men made sushi. I heard that on one of NHK's cooking shows

Mohawk52 wrote:

There is a few hundred years of this tradition, in early times right up to the early Twentieth Centrury because women would perfume their hands which tainted the hand made food, so only men made sushi. I heard that on one of NHK's cooking shows

Well, it's not surprising that the historical excuse would be so flimsy.

Are you asking me that question because you don't actually think the justification of "they perfumed their hands" is flimsy?

Okay, you're just trolling me or whatever?

I'm going to assume you don't think that perfume can't be washed off or is mandatory or something.

Leebo wrote:

Okay, you're just trolling me or whatever? I'm going to assume you don't think that perfume can't be washed off or is mandatory or something.

I'm going to assume you are a young lad whats never had perfume on his hands to know that. Tell ya what? Try doing that and get back to me first.

Sorry, I'm not in a silly mood right now to joke about this.

Leebo wrote:

Sorry, I'm not in a silly mood right now to joke about this.

I'm not joking laddy. I'm bloody serious. Do it. Go put some perfume on your hands if you can and try to wash it completely off so you can not smell any of it afterwards. let me know how you get on.

Was it in Old Boy or something where one of the characters said that women can't make sushi because their hands are too warm?

Mohawk52 wrote:

Leebo wrote: Okay, you're just trolling me or whatever? I'm going to assume you don't think that perfume can't be washed off or is mandatory or something. I'm going to assume you are a young lad whats never had perfume on his hands to know that. Tell ya what? Try doing that and get back to me first.

I don't know how you're missing Leebo's really obvious point:

If a woman wanted to BE sushi chef, she obviously wouldn't perfume her hands. We aren't born with our hands permanently smelling of jasmine and tasting like alcohol-based perfumes. It's a stupid excuse.