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Express Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
How 'Butter' became a feminist phenomenon
Butter is inspired by killer Kijima, who poisoned men she met online. Photo: AFP Japanese writer Asako Yuzuki did not expect her novel Butter to capture a cult following abroad, hailed as a biting feminist critique of sexism and body-shaming. Translated into English last year, the tale of murder and misogyny has whetted an insatiable appetite, selling 610,000 copies overseas, including 400,000 in Britain - more than Japan - where it won multiple awards. Yuzuki was inspired by the real-life story of Black Widow Kanae Kijima, a woman sentenced to death in 2012 for poisoning three men she met on dating sites. The sensationalised media coverage at the time largely focused on Kijima's appearance, speculating how someone described as homely and unattractive could be considered a femme fatale. Many credited her romantic success to her homemaking prowess — notably in the kitchen. "When the case broke, the Japanese media mainly remembered that the suspect liked to cook and took classes ... to 'please men'," Yuzuki told AFP in an interview. "That deeply disturbed me." In Butter, a journalist likewise disquieted by the portrayal of a Kijima-like character (renamed Kajii) writes to the jailed suspect, hoping to secure an exclusive interview by appealing to her gourmet tastes. Via a letter soliciting the beef stew recipe that Kajii reportedly fed her final victim, the pair begin an intimate and life-changing relationship. This proves a vehicle for Yuzuki to chew over the roots of misogyny in Japan, where traditional male and female roles still dominate and women are held to impossible beauty standards. In politics and boardrooms for example, women remain rare. Japan ranks 118 out of 146 in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Gender Gap Report. "Japan is a deeply patriarchal country. Very often, it is the father who occupies the central position within the family unit. This is the basis for laws even," Yuzuki said. 'Fatphobia' Food - particularly butter, that artery-blocking symbol of pleasure and excess — forms the molten core of the story. Through sumptuous descriptions of butter-rich ramen and lavishly buttered rice, Yuzuki explores the tension between indulging appetites and the self-denial required to fulfil the societal pressure on women to stay thin. "There is an incredible amount of adverts for weight loss, cosmetic surgery and diets. This country is obsessed with fatphobia," Yuzuki said. It is also tough for women in Japan, where the #MeToo movement never really took off, to speak out about discrimination and sexual assault. Shiori Ito, a journalist who took the rare step of publicly accusing a prominent Japanese TV reporter of rape — a charge he denies — is a case in point. Ito's documentary Black Box Diaries, which was nominated for an Oscar, was not released in Japan because it used material recorded clandestinely or intended for judicial use only. "In other countries, especially the United States, from the beginning of #MeToo, many well-known journalists have seriously investigated these cases, and it is because this information was made public officially that the victims were able to be protected," Yuzuki said. But in Japan, "women who have had the courage to speak out are reduced to the role of activists and consumed by the media within that framework," she said. Another example is Masahiro Nakai, a boyband member and a star TV presenter accused of sexual assault. He initially disputed the facts and then apologised. The scandal shone a spotlight on the toxic culture of young women being pressed into attending dinners and drinking parties with powerful figures. "What strikes me is this uninterrupted chain of sexual violence, and especially that these are crimes committed within one organisation, covered up by another organisation... that of the media," Yuzuki said. Yuzuki is convinced that change can only come from outside. "When foreigners take up a topic, especially the English-language media, it completely changes the way it is perceived in Japan," she said. "If the European media" continue to be interested in these issues, then "the situation could perhaps change a little."
Yomiuri Shimbun
08-06-2025
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Inarizushi Rice-Stuffed Fried Tofu Sushi Ideal to Bring Along on Summer Picnics
The Yomiuri Shimbun Inarizushi on a plate The pleasant early summer weather makes one feel like going on a picnic. Culinary specialist Ryuta Kijima says the best food to bring along is inarizushi, or aburaage thin fried tofu stuffed with rice. The dashi stock used to cook aburaage adds a nicely mild taste to it. Kijima's grandmother, culinary specialist Akiko Murakami who died in 2004, loved going to hanami cherry blossom viewing parties. Whenever she attended such occasions with her editor and business associates, she always made inarizushi, a vital part of the events. As a child, Kijima would cool the freshly cooked rice with an uchiwa fan. Soon, he was also given the job of stuffing the rice in aburaage. 'I was a granny's boy, so I would follow my grandmother wherever she went, and she happened to be always in the kitchen,' Kijima said. The inarizushi made by Murakami was a little on the saltier side, but this recipe has a taste Kijima arranged to his liking. The use of coarse sugar and other ingredients adds a little sweetness and richness, and he makes the inarizushi when inviting guests to his home. The most important step in making inarizushi is removing the excess oil from the aburaage. 'My grandmother would cook [aburaage] thoroughly in hot water and then wash the pieces with water. Doing so makes it easier to absorb the dashi stock well,' Kijima said. To cook aburaage, arrange the cut aburaage pieces in the pan in the shape of a doughnut. By doing so, the boiling stock can mixture move evenly in the pan and be easily absorbed by the fried tofu. 'After cooking aburaage pieces, it would work even better to place them in a refrigerator overnight to let the dashi flavor firmly soak in them,' Kijima said. Fried tofu pieces cooked in this way can be used as a topping for soup noodles and other dishes, so they are suited to meal prepping. Add sushi vinegar to freshly cooked hot rice, and stir it like cutting the rice with a shamoji rice paddle while fanning with an uchiwa fan. This helps remove excess water from the rice, which prevents it from being watery. Lastly, stuff the vinegared rice inside the aburaage using your hands, and the inarizushi is done. 'I am reminded of my grandmother's wisdom of wetting your hands with the stock mixture, which guarantees that the flavor [of inarizushi] won't get diluted,' Kijima said. Biting into the inarizushi, you can taste the cooked juice seeping from the aburaage. It should make you want to eat more and more. Young ginger pieces pickled in sweet vinegar serve as a fresh palate cleanser. Busy yourself on a weekend making a lot of inarizushi, after which you'll be able to rest and relax. Inarizushi Ingredients (for 16 inarizushi):
AllAfrica
31-01-2025
- AllAfrica
Real murders behind hit novel Butter exposed Japan's media misogyny
Japan, 2009. It is a morning in August. In a parking lot in Saitama, a prefectural capital about 30kms north of Tokyo, a rental car is spotted with a man lying in the back seat. His name is Yoshiyuki Oide. It turns out that he's not having a quick nap – he's dead. The cause is carbon monoxide poisoning and his death is initially thought to be a case of suicide. But the police are not convinced, so they knock on the door of the woman Oide had been dating, 35-year-old Kanae Kijima. This marks the beginning of the investigation into what would become known in the media as the 'Konkatsu killer' case. The name derives from konkatsu , meaning marriage hunting. The investigation uncovered evidence that suggested Kijima had killed three men she met on dating sites. The three deaths were initially considered suicides but were all deemed to have been staged. The court agreed and Kijima – who has always maintained her innocence – was found guilty in 2012, based largely on what was widely held to be circumstantial evidence. She was sentenced to death. The decision was upheld in subsequent appeals, and she is now on death row awaiting execution. Kijima's case was similar to that of Chisako Kakehi, who died in prison on December 26, 2024, while under sentence of death. She had been found guilty of murder and fraud and given the death penalty after a court found she had entrapped and swindled money from three men (including her husband) before killing them using cyanide. But there was also a distinct aspect to Kijima's case. From the start many media outlets focused on the defendant's appearance rather than the heinous nature of the crime. Popular forums, newspapers and magazines buzzed with variations on the same question: How could a woman described as 'ugly and fat' manage to attract these men? There was speculation that her success lay in her 'homely' qualities – the stereotype of chubby women being that they are cheerful, nurturing – and excellent cooks. It was suggested that men might prefer such a woman's warmth and hospitality over a stylish woman's 'air of superiority.' In Japan, somebody sentenced to death tends to disappear from the public eye. But Kijima maintained a blog where she detailed her life and relationships – and continued to post entries there during and after the trial, probably through her lawyers. She still publishes on various issues: from the kind of cookies available in the detention house to the conditions on death row, from dietary advice to reflection on the lay judge experiment in Japanese criminal procedure. The media eagerly mined her posts to reinforce stereotypes about gender roles and appearance, but Kijima pushed back. She has sharply criticised the focus on her looks and gender over the legal evidence, using her reflections to spotlight these biases. The fictionalised account of the case challenges steretypes about Japanes women. google/books Novelist Asako Yuzuki took inspiration from Kijima's case to create a fictional narrative for her novel Butter. It's a story in which a journalist covering the story of a woman murderer is sucked into her swirling obsession with butter and indulgent food, exposing fat-phobia and sexism in Japanese society. Kijima, who has published a memoir and a novel of her own, posted on her blog to express her deep discontent with the publication of the novel: 'What Yuzuki and the publisher are doing is nothing short of theft. If they interfere with external communication rights, they are not just thieves but complicit in murder. They continue to use my name without permission … I truly think it's a vulgar book.' But, when I interviewed her, author Yuzuki insisted that, more than the details of the crime, she was interested in the implications of Kijima's case, in how the Japanese media often sensationalize stories. Japanese media … often reflect the perspective of powerful men.… This realization was a turning point for me. Until then, I hadn't really questioned much or paid close attention to politics or media bias. But when it came to something I love – cooking – it struck a nerve. In her book, Yuzuki questions some deep-seated Japanese stereotypes – particularly around women and cooking. She says that the concept of 'marriage hunting' is still popular in Japan, and women who love cooking are often labelled as 'domestic' or 'obedient.' But, in her experience, someone passionate about cooking is far from submissive. On the contrary, cooking is powerful, and a woman skilled in the kitchen could just as easily harm someone as she could nourish them. 'There's a fine line between nurturing and dangerous precision,' she told me. Social media have become a powerful tool for activists and writers like Yuzuki to connect with others and amplify their voices. She has joined other authors in advocating for marginalised groups, including sexual minorities, highlighting the intersectionality of issues such as gender, class, and criminal justice. The Kijima case – through the facts, through Kijima's blog posts from prison and through the work of writers including Yuzuki – invites a deep reflection on the weight of societal expectations regarding gender and appearance. Beyond the question of guilt or innocence, it illustrates how female criminals are judged not only for their actions but for defying norms of femininity. This dual scrutiny aligns with historical biases in Japan, where women who challenge societal norms are often framed as dangerous outliers. Kijima's portrayal as an unconventional femme fatale evokes the 19th-century trope of 'poison women' – dofuku . This casts women as destructive forces who upend the lives of those around them. The severity of Kijima's punishment — the death penalty was used not at all in 2023 and only once in 2022 — seems designed to deliver exemplary justice. In the minds of many Japanese people she was guilty not only of murder but of manipulating societal expectations of femininity while failing to conform to conventional standards of beauty and behavior. The case has reinforced the narrative that her transgressions extended beyond the courtroom and into the realm of societal betrayal. Martina Baradel is a Marie Curie postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
