10. "Stop wasting so much money on things you don't need!"

 

In many Japanese households, the husband turns his paycheck over to his wife, who manages the family finances. She in turn gives him an allowance to spend, but as with any limit, there's sometimes going to be pressure to stay well under it.

 

9. "Stop being such a lazy fatso!"

 

It's not unusual for people to put on a few pounds as they get older, and all the beers at those company drinking sessions aren't exactly low-calorie beverages¹. Still, such a harsh indictment² of weight-gain is going overboard in the eyes of some respondents, including one who called it "cold-hearted."

 

8. "I don't want to share a grave with you!"

 

Rather than having individual final resting places, Japanese families share a monument where their ashes are entombed. The family distinction is done by marriage, not birth, and since the traditional attitude is that the wife marries into the husband's family, her remains³ will be placed in the same grave as his when the time comes, to be together for all eternity⁴. Finding out your wife isn't interested in being along for that ride would, therefore, be a pretty big shock.

 

7. "At least take care of the dishes after we eat dinner!"

 

Assuming that your wife made said dinner, then yeah, it would be pretty embarrassing to have her call you out for limiting your involvement in the meal to strictly⁵ the "eating" part. Can't say she doesn't have a point, though.

 

6. "Take care of the cooking once in a while!"

 

"I wouldn't be able to understand her thinking, since she knows I can't cook," offered one participant by way of excuse. Honestly though, dude, it's not that hard to boil some pasta and open a jar of premade spaghetti sauce.

 

5. "Show more appreciation⁶ for the things I do!"

 

At first this seems like a surprisingly high ranking for a situation that sounds like it should be more hurtful for the wife, but the men who selected this response predicated it on the fact that they do, in fact, feel a deep gratitude⁷ towards their better halves. "It would hurt to know those feelings aren't coming across," explained one man.

 

4. "If we didn't have kids, I'd totally have divorced you by now!"

 

"That would have me thinking we should split up," said one respondent. Another was slightly less calm, asserting "There are some things you're just not supposed to say!"

 

3. "I made a huge mistake marrying you!"

 

Yep, that would sting. "I don't think I'd be able to say anything at all in response," one participant imagined.

 

2. "You stink⁸!"

 

And no, this isn't to say that the husband is poor at some task or skill set, but that he just plain smells bad. Thankfully, this complaint can usually be avoided by applying soap, shampoo, and deodorant⁹ before it becomes an issue. For those with a health issue-caused body odor, though, or who work in an industry or environment where they can't avoid coming home with an unpleasant scent¹⁰ stuck to their hair and skin, this has to be tough to hear.

 

1. "Earn more money!"

 

Even though more Japanese women are working now than in previous generations, there's still a societal expectation for a married man to be the breadwinner, and often once children enter the picture, the wife will quit her job to take care of them full-time¹¹. As such, it's not entirely¹² unreasonable¹³ for Japanese wives to be concerned about the income their husband brings into the household. But since Japan is already a notoriously hard-working society, being told that you're still not doing enough to get ahead can hit a guy right where it hurts.

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