Kickboxing Geishas: How Modern Japanese Women Are Changing Their Nation

by Veronica Chambers

Forget the stereotypes. Today's Japanese women are shattering them -- breaking the bonds of tradition and dramatically transforming their culture. Shopping-crazed schoolgirls in Hello Kitty costumes and the Harajuku girls Gwen Stefani helped make so popular have grabbed the media's attention. But as critically acclaimed author Veronica Chambers has discovered through years of returning to Japan and interviewing Japanese women, the more interesting story is that of the legions of everyday women -- from the office suites to radio and TV studios to the worlds of art and fashion and on to the halls of government -- who have kicked off a revolution in their country. Japanese men hardly know what has hit them. In a single generation, women in Japan have rewritten the rules in both the bedroom and the boardroom. Not a day goes by in Japan that a powerful woman doesn't make the front page of the newspapers. In the face of still-fierce sexism, a new breed of women is breaking through the "rice paper ceiling" of Japan's salary-man dominated corporate culture. The women are traveling the world -- while the men stay at home -- and returning with a cosmopolitan sophistication that is injecting an edgy, stylish internationalism into Japanese life. So many women are happily delaying marriage into their thirties -- labeled "losing dogs" and yet loving their liberated lives -- that the country's birth rate is in crisis.

With her keen eye for all facets of Japanese life, Veronica Chambers travels through the exciting world of Japan's new modern women to introduce these "kickboxing geishas" and the stories of their lives: the wildly popular young hip-hop DJ; the TV chef who is also a government minister; the entrepreneur who founded a market research firm specializing in charting the tastes of the teenage girls driving the country's GNC -- "gross national cool"; and the Osaka assembly-woman who came out publicly as a lesbian -- the first openly gay politician in the country.

Taking readers deep into these women's lives and giving the lie to the condescending stereotypes, Chambers reveals the vibrant, dynamic, and fascinating true story of the Japanese women we've never met. "Kickboxing Geishas" is an entrancing journey into the exciting, bold, stylish new Japan these women are making.

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction, Sociology, Feminism, Womens, Cultural, Asia

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Veronica Chambers is a prolific author, best known for her critically acclaimed memoir, Mama’s Girl, which has been course adopted by hundreds of high schools and colleges throughout the country. The New Yorker called Mama’s Girl “a troubling testament to grit and mother love… one of the finest and most evenhanded in the genre in recent years.” Born in Panama and raised in Brooklyn, Ms. Chambers' work often reflects her Afro-Latina heritage.

Her most recent non-fiction book was Kickboxing Geishas: How Japanese Women are Changing their Nation. Her other non-fiction books include The Joy of Doing Things Badly: A Girl’s Guide to Love, Life, and Foolish Bravery. She has also written more than a dozen books for children, most recently Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa and the body confidence Y/A novel, Plus. Her teen series, Amigas, is a collaboration between Chambers, producer Jane Startz, and Jennifer Lopez.

Veronica spent two seasons as an executive story editor for CW’s hit series Girlfriends, and earned a BET Comedy Award for her script work on that series. She has also written and developed projects for Fox and the N.

Veronica has contributed to several anthologies, including the best-selling Bitch in the House, edited by Cathi Hanuaer, and Mommy Wars, edited by Leslie Morgan Steiner.

A graduate of Simon’s Rock College at Bard, she and her husband have endowed three scholarships at the college in the fields of music and literature. She has been the recipient of several awards including the Hodder fellowship for emerging novelists at Princeton University and a National Endowment for the Arts fiction award. She speaks, reads and writes Spanish, but she is truly fluent in Spanglish. She lives with her husband and daughter in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Reviews

[Rowena · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The thing about Japan is that it's a developed country and a developing country all in the same breath. It's such a contradiction." - Veronica Chambers, Kickboxing Geishas

My selection of this book is proof that I am often drawn to a book because of its innovative title. I was definitely intrigued by the subject matter finding myself more interested in feminism, and also because I work at a Japanese company and know quite a bit about Japanese culture due to my Japanese co-workers. Given what I've heard from the Japanese women (and men) I've talked to about the high levels of chikan (groping) and flashers at Japanese high schools it was hard for me to believe that Japan is experiencing a feminist revolution, kickboxing gender roles.

This book is very informative about Japan and the strides that Japanese women have been making. Some of the topics covered:

- Enjo kosai - aka "compensated dating," a euphemism for prostitution
- Unique aspects of Japanese culture- for example, capsule hotels!
-Linguistic problems- single women are called parasite singles, single women over 25 are called stale Christmas cake, those over 30 are called make inu (losing dogs).
-The kawaii culture exemplified by Hello Kitty
-Japanese women in the corporate world
-The domestic impact of Japanese women travelling to foreign countries.
-Love, dating and marriage in Japan

I also learned that like politicians from anywhere else, Japanese politicians often talk rubbish. Case in point, the following comment from a Japanese Diet politician in the 1980s: "In Japan, the men cannot rape the women because they do not have the energy."

Initially, I found the writer's voice a bit distracting. It's written in an ethnographic style and the writer is too present, in my opinion. It's understandable that the background of an ethnographer is important to know as our perspective is based on this. However, her interjections did get a bit tedious and I wish she had kept more of a distance in her writing.

Despite this, I found the book interesting. It is definitely not meant to be academic and I think that people who already know a lot about Japan, they might find the book to be rudimentary.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting topic and the book did a respective job covering it. The book left me wanting to know more about the numbers behind the book's discussions.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I read that tackled the lives and struggles of the contemporary Japanese woman in society. One of the aspects I liked best was that we also see this in relation to Western sensibilities. I really wanted to hear the observations and impressions from a woman with similar sensibilities and concerns that I would approach this topic as well.

It was very enlightening as we are exposed to vignettes and instances of different types of women and how they have either tried to balance traditional values with their own ambitions or completely reject traditional values. I'm not sure how prevalent these examples actually are in Japanese society since most of this is anecdotal research rather than empirical.

She covers a wide variety issues. My only question is where these observations and assertions fit in Japanese society as a whole today. The pitfall of her inquiry is that it is a very narrow scope based on her observations and the people she was able to access. These are a series of instances but no empirical data on the whole. In spite of those pitfalls, I found this book to be very enlightening all the same.

[Elizabeth Reuter · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the positive, Kickboxing Geishas is very readable, and in many chapters, thought-provoking. However, it shouldn't be taken as a researched scholarly work, or even as journalism.

Chambers injects, not only a lot of her own story, but a lot of wishful thinking into the pages. The result is a shaded story, a one-sided conversation with obvious bias.

Which, again, was quite interesting to read. But read it with a grain of salt.

-Elizabeth Reuter
Author, The Demon of Renaissance Drive

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't hate this book, but it read like some insufficiently edited blogs. There weren't mistakes per se, although I doubt some of the figures presented (like Japanese men having $10,000 a day to spend on food and entertainment). It was more like unusual analogies or descriptors would be repeated within two pages of each other, which is jarring, and far too many pop culture references. I blame the first on introduction material being added to explain the grouping of shorter essays (and no one bothering to read a chapter all the way through) and the second on just being the kind of writing style that works better online than in a book. I don't know for sure that it was assembled from blogs but it was not put together as a book in mind first.

The content was interesting but again didn't really gel. I think I would rather have read about the author's experiences as an outsider who feels comfortable in Japan and her relationships with interesting women. There were too many shallow vignettes in this book. It felt rushed and episodic. I wouldn't turn down fiction by this author, though. It's a great voice; the story it was telling was in the wrong medium.

[Katy-Del · Rating 3 out of 5]

My grandmother was married to an American soldier after WWII. She was disowned and they moved there family back to Texas when my father was 5 or 6. I've never been to Japan, but I am facinated by japanese culture.

The subject of a woman's place in modern society there is not something I've heard a lot about, so it's kind of a shock to hear that so many girls aspire to be a housewife. I see a huge juxtoposition in the fact that life there seems so modern, but the values and expectations are described as being like they were in the US in the 1960's.

I liked that Veronica Chambers interviewed any woman who would talk to her. We see a huge variety of women, from hip-hop DJs to company VIPs.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Kickboxing Geishas" was written ethnographically, so the author was very present in the story - most of the time, too present. Her observations were shallow and perpetuated the "ugly American" stereotype. I appreciate Chambers' use of narrative and I enjoyed some of the individual stories of women in Japan, but there wasn't enough "meat" to support her claims. It's been a long time since I've abandoned a book before finishing it, but I just can't make it through the last two chapters.

[Colin Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst the conversational tone doesn't quite click, this breezy book is packed with stories of intelligent women who are knocking (kickboxing down?) cultural discrimination that have existed for centuries.

[ashes ➷ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is readable nonfiction. If you are not into that... this book is not for you; be warned.

Personally, I started out with a four-star view of this book. Strong facts and stories, interestingly interwoven with the author's own experiences, and a genuinely interesting look at the lives of many different people-- men and women alike-- throughout Japan.

Unfortunately, this book has a lot of typos. I mean, a lot of typos. I actually took a photo of a page which said something along the lines of "women are scene as" etc etc... Apparently this was professionally published, but somehow near the end of the book it began to look more and more as if people had just stopped (proof)reading. And that did take me out of the book.

In addition to that, you can see the author's view right from the title-- 'kickboxing geishas'. The idea is that the geisha is not strong enough, that to really be Feminist and Interesting she must be doing something strong and American, like kickboxing!!! And that view does pop up again throughout the book, though Chambers does talk more about why geishas aren't bad or anti-feminist or whathaveyou. I don't even know if this paragraph makes sense; it's just odd to see 'kickboxing geishas' in the context of overcoming sexism; I guess I don't think the role of a geisha needs to be edited in order to overcome sexism. This still doesn't make sense and all I'm saying is that Chambers is not Japanese and for that reason some bias came through. Not as much as people might make you think in the reviews, but still.

Overall? Would recommend, if you're interested in Japan and Japanese culture. Just know that amidst interesting information and compelling experiences there will still be the view of someone who is not Japanese pervading through the overall book.

[Mandy Tanksley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Japan and it's culture is a fascinating and exciting study to me so I expected great things from Kickboxing Geishas. In the end, it took me much longer to read than I thought it would. I had to digest it bit by bit, not because it was unbearable but it was simply not what I expected. Veronica Chambers has taken a topic of great interest to me and turned it into a book worthy of reading if only for a little glimpse inside the world of women in Japan. At its heart, the book lacks a solidly built voice. There's a lot of repeating of ideals and phrases within a few pages of each other as if we've forgotten what certain words mean and typos that obviously weren't caught during this printing (something I can forgive). There's a few figures I don't think quite add up and one I know isn't right (and not sure how it wasn't caught - 1,000 yen does not equal $10,000 as stated on page 217). I'd say to pick a different book on this topic to read, but as Chambers points out, that's not really an option.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

By rights this should get 3.5 stars.
I liked it very much, but it wasn't quite what I had expected. There are lots of interesting stories about women working in Japan and making their own way. Chambers gives an insight into the current situation for women, too, setting the scene.
While the stories are based on interviews, it is not an interview format and so the voices blend with the text. Also, the stories of individual women are very short, so there is not always the kind of backstory that would help to understand where these women come from and exactly how they got where they are.
I was really interested in how women in Japan have broken out of the mold and how they are now changing their own destiny and their country. This question was not really answered for me - it was explored, but in the end it didn't really enlighten me. That's why the book only gets 3.5 stars - it is interesting and relevant, but it doesn't quite hit the point it should be making according to its title. That's a pity, as the book is very ambitious and still very much worth the read.

[Grape · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book. I love Japanese culture, and being a woman, I was especially interested in how Japanese woman's roles exist in Japan.

Unfortunately, I gave up on it. I did get to chapter 4... I'm curious to know if anyone felt like the author was repeating things from one chapter to another? Up to this point, the book felt sort of disjointed. Like the author wrote each chapter individually, and then put them together without reading it through as a book to determine how the pace or consistency felt. I just remember saying at least two times, "Didn't she already make this point clear? I thought I just read that..."

I might try picking it up again later because the topic of the book is still very interesting to me. There are just SO MANY BOOKS out there to read so I decided to go with one that was able to keep my attention more effectively for the time being since they've been piling up lately...

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know it might be naive of me, but in a weird way I was looking for actual kickboxing geishas. But that is a metaphor for the stereotypical Japanese woman (geisha) breaking out of that role and re-defining it.

It was a fascinating read about a culture I knew little of. I liked it and recommend it for anyone interested in the culture, women, and/or changing roles.

The only thing I wish was addressed was the choice of women choosing to be wives/mothers. In presenting all the choices women are choosing (politics, business, not being a mother) I felt the author took the role of housewife as the default and not a choice. Maybe I don't know enough of the culture to know different, or maybe I'm enforcing my "western viewpoint" but having the ability and freedom to choose and choosing to be a housewife is just as important as choosing to not be one.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main flaw with this book seemed to be that the author could not stop interjecting herself (her views, her life, etc.) at any given opportunity and I really didn’t find it fitting or appropriate at all. I don’t care to hear about how she did or did not befriend the people she interviewed, that’s not what the book was supposed to be about: a nf book on the lives of modern Japanese women. Instead, I got some of that, but a whole lot of an American woman’s personal experiences in Japan. And that’s fine if I were reading a travel narrative, but I wasn’t.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting writing on a culture that I had no idea was so much like my own. I liked the author's outsider take - the quirkiness surrounding her struggle with customs and desire for acceptance in a country where she couldn't help but stand out. The stars of the book- the Japanese women determined to change their lives and their country are so inspiring. I especially related to the women moving towards slow living. Could have benefitted by better editing - a few errors really jumped out at me. My pet peeve!

[Nina Singhapakdi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kickingboxing Geishas" was an interesting read. I have a strong intellectual interest in women's studies, especially gender roles and femininity constructs throughout the world. This book's main research sources were interviews with accomplished Japanese women and their perception of how gender roles are both changing yet remaining stationary. This book gave me a lot of things to reflect over in regards to how, as women, we can balance moving past societal constrictions while still honoring our essence.

[Ginger K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting collection of interviews with women throughout Japan. The women are artists and performers, housewives and corporate managers, small business owners and office ladies. The interviews are organized around various themes, and the women are thereby presented as facing a number of issues both specifically Japanese and universal. Chambers provides a great glimpse behind the Western stereotypes of what it means to be female in Japan.

[liz.nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

A letdown, more fluff than substance. The tone sometimes gets condescending. The anecdotes and descriptions of Japan were really interesting for someone who's never been there, so it was worth the read for that.


(And granted it's the first printing so I tried to understand the typos throughout, but I winced at the grammatical errors.)

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. The writing here was just okay, and thou the author did do her homework, you couldn't go a page without her making some meaningless outdated pop-culture reference. This was just okay. I didn't feel like I gained any insight into the culture that I didn't already have. Kind of disappointing, but not awful.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt that this book was good, but more so if I didn't have a background of studying Japanese culture. While I admit that the style of the book, mostly written using anecdotes from the interviews, I had the feeling that it was just one long magazine/newspaper article (Veronica Chambers is indeed a journalist). More statistics would have helped in this case.

[Kourtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this book a 3.5. I had to read it for my Women in East Asia class. I kind of judged it based on the cover; I don't really like it. However, I liked the book. It was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. It's an interesting look at how women live in Japanese society and the roles they play.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good: Subject matter, peppering of personal stories with data and objective info
Bad: After a while the one after the other stories (this woman did this, that woman has this life) get tedious. Also copy editing was obviously not a priority.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Maybe it's because I can't actually visit another country in real life, so I'm stuck with armchair traveling. Regardless, I really liked her choice of giving in-depth information on a few people rather than reading generic statistics about all Japanese.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, especially since I've been to Japan three times. It was published in 2005, but I think it's still accurate. As the book points out, the change for women in Japan is very slow. I highly recommend this book.

[Jeshu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read with some interesting stories about successful women in Japan that have been able to break the rules and go for their dreams. However, the author talked too much about herself, and I wanted to read about japanese women, not about Americans in Japan.
The effort is appreciated, though.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just got old. As an ethnic Japanese but cultural American, it just got old. I get it. Japanese women were repressed and now they are fighting it. I grew tired of it half way.

[Ingenue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting exploration of various aspects of modern Japanese female culture, from a non-otaku US perspective.

[Shawn Buckle · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the intent was there, Chambers scope is a little too narrow for me.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book about Japanese culture and in particular the role of women in modern Japan.

From reading this book, I discovered the Gwen Stefani song Harajuku Girls and now I am a Stefani fan.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Japanese women and "men" are slowly but positively stepping out of their "traditional roles" and moving towards a different view of work and family.