Himono onna: Dried fish woman

Hi! I'm back! The first draft of my bento cookbook is in, and I now have a bit more time for other writing. So many people asked when this blog would be back...so here it is. I hope you'll continue to enjoy it.

So, today's word is another zokugo (俗語　ぞくご）or slang word that is popular recently:

干物女　ひものおんな　himono onna

You may already know that onna （女　おんな）means woman. Himono (干物　ひもの）means any kind of dried food, but it usually means a dried or semi-dried fish. Himono are often eaten for breakfast, and are a popular breakfast item at traditional inns. Here's a grilled horse mackerel or aji (鯵 あじ）himono.

Photo by yskfj

So, what is a himono onna or dried-fish woman? It means an unmarried woman, usually in her late 29s to 30s or older, who has given up on love and sex, and is content - or resigned to - live on her own. A himono onna generally regards all that lovey-romantic stuff as too much of a bother, or mendokusai （面倒臭い　めんどくさい). In fact, mendokusai is her first motivation, or un-motivation, for everything. She's stopped trying to impress the opposite sex, doesn't bother dressing attractively and goes around in the most comfortable clothes possible, including going sans bra or no-bura (ノーブラ). She may also stop paying too much attention to things like personal hygiene, or at least stop bothering with makeup, going more than once or twice a year to the hairdresser, doing her nails, and things like that, except when she goes to work. Anticipating the possibility that she will have no children to take care of her in her old age, she may be saving up a lot of her money, buying her own apartment or house (until recently it was practically unheard of for a single woman to buy her own place) - or she may be spending money on herself at will.

According the the Japanese Wikipedia entry on himono onna, she may also:

• Be very late replying to emails, because it's too much of a bother (mendokusai).
• Eat snacks and simple meals standing up at the kitchen sink
• If she forgets something in her house after she's put her shoes on (remember that in Japan, one always removes ones shoes when entering the house) she may go and get it on her knees, shoes in the air
• Stop plucking, waxing or shaving her body hair during the winter
• Is not afraid of going to a traditional pub or izakaya (居酒屋　izakaya) on her own
• Has stopped having 'heart-quickening moments' (i.e., romantic moments or getting excited about anything)

All this may sound like a misogynistic put-down of unmarried women, but in fact many women have embraced the term themselves. There are blogs out there by himono onna. This one in particular, called The Himono Onna's Household Budget Book or "Himono Onna no Kakeibo" (干物女の家計簿 - see more about kakeibo) - is very funny and cute. The blogger illustrates her posts with the most adorable drawings, where she depicts herself as a fat, clumsy seal or azarashi (あざらし) stumbling through life. In her profile, at the left of the page, she says she's 30, an OL (office lady), and her annual income is 3.64 million yen (US$40,520), and her savings are an impressive 4.57 million yen (US$50,854).

I'm rather dessicated myself...

Comments

[Biku]

Sounds a little bit like depression, too. :(

[maki]

Not necessarily. It can also be a positive thing, where a woman is no longer worrying about pleasing others but rather living for herself. I guess it all depends on the indivual!

[Becky]

I feel like you're writing about me! I'm not surprised that there's a phrase to describe this group of people--most of my Japanese friends are talented single women in their 30s, who have basically decided that they are on their own as far as finding happiness.

[zeptimius]

So... how does the dried fish fit in?

[Aux]

So 干物女 is legit, then? I always thought it was a conveniently created buzzword in the drama ホタルノヒカリ(http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Hotaru_no_Hikari)!

Actually, both the drama and your post have hit a little close to home, though I'm still only mid-twenties... Can't figure out whether that's a good or a bad thing! Getting all done up (clothes, hair, make up, nails, etc.) is fun once in a while, but I have no idea how Japanese girls do it every day! (It's a bit more relaxed here.) I choose an extra hour of sleep in the morning instead ; )

[yoko]

I was a himono onna for much of my thirties, although I could've done better with saving money. :| But then I got married. I think I still have that attitude, though.

[bashakku]

I could see it instantly! A little shrivelled and a bit toughened I guess.

[maki]

The term probably originated in Hotaru no hikari (in the original manga on which the TV series is based), where the main character Hotaru likes to have a late night tipple (banshaku) on her own, sake in one hand and picking at a himono with another - both considered very old-man sorts of things to do. So a himono onnna is not just rather dry and tough, she also does rather unfeminine things in her daily life - and doesn't care what people think about it.

[kim]

Haha, at 26 I guess I'm on my way to become dried fish. But for now I seem to focus more on 'spending money on myself at will' instead of the saving up part. I'll start saving up around the same time when I start going no-bura I think :) Great post, I love these bits of typically Japanese culture (like the old man smell too)

[Haf]

Thank you for that interesting post. Glad so see that you've started writing again. :)

It reminds me of another term.
I've learned the term クリスマスケーキ a while ago, which is a slang word for women after they turned 25. It was explained to me that this was meant in such a way, that like an old christmas cake, women after a certain age "turn stale" and are not desired, therefore certain women try desperately to find a husband before they turn 25.

[chad]

welcome back! congratulations on completing your work, i know it's always a great feeling when the stress finally lifts (some) :)

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[maki]

Does this look like a food blog to you? You are an idiot.

[katt]

hahha,
pretty much describes me...
I am himono onna,
lazying around the house
practically doing nothing during weekends or holidays, take shower @4pm or much later, just hang out around the house watching tv or read books or mags,
but rest assure, I am a different person at workplace...I'm going by this term now, thks for sharing!

[hibanarei]

If someone was to list all the symptoms of a 'himono-onna' I have a feeling I'd say yes to everything~

[Lux]

What a fascinating post! As I read this I noticed many himono-onna characteristics in myself. Sometimes it feels nice to belong to a stereotype--means you're not alone!

By the way, I love this blog. I speak chinese and am endlessly fascinated by colloquialisms, slang, and idioms--especially those from asian languages. They tend to be exceptionally creative.