TOKYO
Japanese survey site Minna no Koe recently polled Japanese women about what they would do if they were a man for one day. 4,043 respondents weighed in with their hypothetical plans, so let’s take look at the top eight.
1. Go topless at the beach (21 percent)Japan really doesn’t have any nude beaches, and so women don’t really get to feel the cool sea breeze against their completely bare torsos. This response probably got a bit of a boost from Minna no Koe’s survey being carried out in mid-summer, since after a mild June temperatures and humidity are on the rise, having just about everyone wishing they could get away with one less layer of clothing, no matter where they happen to be.
2. Try hitting on a girl (20 percent)In Japan, a lot of romantic relationships either develop from school or work acquaintanceships, or through a third-party introduction from friends or colleagues. Because of that, striking up a conversation with an attractive stranger occupies a bit of a more mysterious and exciting part of the popular imagination, and is something women rarely do in Japanese society.
3. Wear my hair in a style I can’t as a woman (12 percent)Japanese fashion trends, compared to many other countries, tend to skew a bit more traditionally feminine, so a day as a guy would be a chance to rock an ultra-short haircut without anyone batting an eye.
4. Rent some adult videos (12 percent)Again, this isn’t something someone really needs to be a guy to do. Ostensibly, those who made this selection are talking about renting adult video oriented towards male viewers, which might be kind of embarrassing for a woman to do, but even guys feel awkward walking up to the register with an armful of porn
5. Go to a hostess bar (11 percent)A common lament among Japanese women is that they can’t understand why a guy would drop a wad of cash just to have a hostess in a low-cut dress pretend to like him, and so some saw the prospect of spending a day in a man’s body as an opportunity to find out what it feels like first-hand.
6. Wear a suit (11 percent)This one is a bit of a head-scratcher, since it’s not all that uncommon for Japanese businesswomen to wear suits, even though they’re not as ubiquitous as they are among male white-collar professionals. Women’s suits in Japan often sub a skirt for pants, though, and generally don’t include a necktie, so respondents who made this choice apparently want the whole men’s suit experience.
7. Use my new deep voice to sings songs I usually can’t (6 percent)Japan does love karaoke, so some would opt to utilize their sudden testosterone boost to hit those low notes.
8. Give someone a kabe-don (3 percent of respondents)While the maneuver doesn’t require any exclusively male anatomy parts, the romantic wall-pound trope is seen as inherently manly in Japanese society.
Source: Mina no Koe