Japanese young men typically prefer briefs and thongs rather than boxers.  While boxers are not unknown, that is not what they wear when they are dressing up.  A boxer is what you wear in bed, as one Japanese man in his 20s tells MYNIPPON.

The look that is now being referred to in America as ‘metrosexual’ is nothing but a polished version of standard Japanese style for men.  It is true that some Japanese men have been known to shave hair on many parts of their bodies other than the face, many ‘idols’ routinely apply lipstick and put makeup on when they appear in public, and do not necessarily feel shy about wearing what Americans might call as cute underwear.  So the macho image of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise that American media and fashion houses project for men does not fly with Japanese men.  Thus, almost all underwear in Japan, for both men and women, is locally designed and produced, except for a some minor imports from Europe, which is much closer to Japan in fashion and style anyway.

And there is no scarcity of women who love such effeminate men.  A clean-shaven face with not a trace of hair, good (even long) hair, feminine appearance, and a trace of makeup in the right body parts is all you need to develop a following among mostly European girls, who like to refer to them as ‘boi’.  As an English girl who likes no one but these Japanese metrosexual men tells us, “I only find Japanese men attractive now.  Western men really don’t do anything for me anymore.  And it’s the feminine guys I find the most attractive – the type that you see around Tokyo working in convenience stores to earn enough money to be in their visual kei bands where you see them dressed in girlie clothes and men's makeup.” 

Gackt, the Japanese music celebrity, is a classic example of such men.  If no hints were provided, it would be impossible to predict Gackt’s gender by looking at his face.  In response to our story on Gackt, we have heard not only from his music fans but also girls who became his music fans because they like his effeminate looks.  

So it is not just the gays and crossdressers that prefer the Japanese man’s cool look.  We do not even think that the look should be characterized as feminine.  It is just a different style that runs counter to the shabby look that seems to define the American man these days.  While some gays jokingly complained in a New York Times article that they can no longer distinguish gays from heterosexual men, we believe that the metro-sexual look just shows that we all have a desire to look pretty and the gay community has done a great service to other men – teaching them about hygiene and body appearance.  And guys, don’t worry of being labeled as ‘feminine’; the number of women who chase such men is exploding.  As Rebecca from the US puts it, "I personally believe that so-called "Fem-bois" are attractive as hell! I've always been attracted to such men. I've never really gone for the tough-guy western mannerism."

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