Good morning everyone!! Now 8:00 am my boys just left for school and the house is now very quite also can dedicate an hour to my dear blog. This afternoon I will be shooting for NHK magazine about beauty and style. Tomorrow I will be shooting all day with NHK television for a program about the benefits of extra virgin olive oil, it will be broadcasted Wednesday 3rd of February morning show. Check it out!

I am happy to read your comments always, thank you so much!

INDEPENDANT WOMEN versus HOUSEWIFES

# Takako Says: January 18th, 2010 at 8:38 am e

Hello Ines,

This is the first time to write to you. I don’t know whether you read or not, but I also want to tell you like Yuri that you changed my life. I am a designer and I took my Master degree in Europe. I came back here when I was 30 years old. Everybody treated me like a looser because I am not married and no kids. I lost all my confidence and just took shitty job in depression.

Now I am 32 and found your book at the book store recently. Just love you after that. You have beautiful mind and true kindness in your heart. I still don’t have that guts to fight against this Japanese social pressure, but I started running at least, and will try to get better job this year. You gave me wonderful influence and I am sure you will keep doing this to so many Japanese girls! You are great! Thanks, thanks so much, Ines!!

Dear Takako, what is best? Being married and having no brain, or being single, free, smart and successful? I married when i was still in school at 18 years old and I felt at staying married because 3 years later I was divorced. I waited 8 years before getting married again. I was asked twice in between by great men but I knew in my heart that I had to wait, that I would meet the love-at-first-sight, the-one-for-me. Also I kept ignoring people comments or insinuation that I should be married again. I was actually totally fine being alone. I had great friends, my loving family by my side. I was at peace with myself. And I had a lovely son in my life.

My advise is wait to find your partner, and if you don’t so what is the big deal?! You can always have a baby by adopting one when you feel it is time for you, in your life. There are so many children in this world who need desperately a loving mother. You can be one for them.

between you and me…. I wish I will be reincarnated in a woman who adopts many children of different cultures and lives on a farm with many animals, and if there is a man in my life great, but if there is none, so my focus will be 100% on my children.

Beautiful Takako, listen to your heart, love yourself even more if you have no partner to love. Hum, actually, this is indeed a great concept!! Be selfish, treat yourself, do all you want and when people look at you with reproach, feel sorry for them because they are just plain ignorant.

Again Japanese society should be less uniformed and more individualistic. But you know what we are getting there…. and there are Japanese young icons who show that example right now like the singer Ai. Better being alone than not well accompanied in life. You will be remembered as a pioneer which is great!

Gambate and again concentrate in loving yourself!

Ines

日本語の翻訳