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Kawakamis interviews and reporting take us into a world where fortune tellers serve as counselors, where a female executive who turns tricks by night is seen as a heroine and where the hot blood of newlyweds quickly grows cold Goodbye Madame Butterfly offers a modern twist on the tradition in Japanese literature to revel in tales of sexual exploits. Kawakamis nonfiction update on this theme offers strands of hope for women struggling to liberate themselves from joyless, sexless relationships. Inside this book, youll meet: Chami, a bartender in Tokyos red-light district; Ai, a single mom having an affair with her boss; Shoko, the wife of a Shinto priest; Hideo, a sex volunteer who helps women achieve orgasms; Reiko, a lovelorn woman who turns to a Yin Yang Master for help; and many more real Japanese women and men talking about sex, love, marriage and relationships.--BOOK JACKET. [Kawakamis essays are] brilliantly written, and a perfect example of how similar bad marriages are, regardless of their setting.--Bookslut.com Whos to blame for Japans shrinking birthrate? Too often, politicians and the media pin the blame on young women, whom they call parasite singles for living with their parents. Japanese females need to return to their roles as good wives and wise mothers, the argument goes. Sumie Kawakami destroys this line of thinking through intimate portraits of women, all in their own way struggling under the countrys contorted views of female sexuality. Women deal with meddling mothers-in-law, coddled mommas-boy husbands, and a society that did not officially outlaw sexual discrimination until 1999. The result is often sexual dysfunction and physical and emotional abuse behind closed doors. Kawakami shines a light on these troubled relationships and finds a surprising amount of inspiration as women talk of their struggles to find equilibrium and their hopes for a brighter future. More info at: http: //goodbyemadamebutterfly.com Sumie Kawakami is a Japanese journalist and single mother who has written extensively on marriage and sex, including a 2004 book titled Tsuma no Koi (Wives in Love) with Astra, Inc., and three essays in Kuhaku And Other Accounts from Japan (Chin Music Press, 2005).