In recent years Japan has been emerging from a long feudal period in its history. Under feudalism, the layers of society were strictly held in check by authority. It is no exaggeration that among the passing generation of Japanese men, some would sit cross-legged like a samurai warrior before his peasant retainer, barking out harsh commands to their wives: "Tea! Tobacco!" In Japan today, many young women don't like the idea of waiting hand-and-foot on a tyrant, preferring not to get married rather than to suffer such oppression.
