Cooking, knitting and flower arranging are, traditionally, areas where women dominate. But lately, a bunch of charismatic men has been bucking the trend. Take Shogo Kariyazaki, 46, for example. Today, he is one of Japan's most popular flower arrangers. He claims to have had green fingers since childhood, and began learning flower arranging in the traditional Sogetsu School, in Tokyo, in his mid-20s.
His dynamic-yet-sensitive style and unique sense of colour co-ordination quickly began to attract attention. He took on challenging assignments - like arranging displays for VIP visits, including the one by then US president Bill Clinton in 1996 - and was a big success. Today, the long-haired - sometimes blond - and very talkative Shogo is undoubtedly a national celebrity. His flower classes are packed with hundreds of women, and all his books are selling well.
Then there is Mitsuharu Hirose, 50, dubbed the prince of knitting. He has won a similarly enthusiastic following for his elegant and sophisticated creations. He began learning his art at night school at a young age, when working at a marine product company. Soon after, he joined a publisher specialising in knitting magazines, where he rose to become an editor. When he made his debut on a national TV handicraft show in 1993, he caused a sensation.
Tall and handsome, and wearing a hint of make-up, on each episode he was clad in a different piece of his own elaborate knitwear, from a lacy-pink, silk sweater with fake pearls, to a gorgeous cape complete with hundreds of delicate motifs - items that no other Japanese men would be seen in, especially on TV. His glamorous appearance, coupled with his calm and polite teaching manner, ensured that he shot to stardom.
Norio Itai, meanwhile, is a 'food stylist' who preaches that home cooking can be fun. In a career spanning 20 years, he surprises and entertains his pupils with adventurous recipes for 'simple, economical, delicious and fun' cooking. The food may not be much different from that which others offer, but his presentation - including naming the dishes and table co-ordination, for example, set him apart.
With more than a dozen recipe books, regular columns in magazines and newspapers, as well as frequent TV appearances, he has become a culinary guru.