@whoamiagain I am not certain about Japan, but I am dating a Vietnamese woman who doesn't really know how to cook. A lot of Asian cultures still place a heavy emphasis on traditional gender roles. The thing is, a lot of younger women in those cultures grew up with a more westernized mindset so many never learned how to cook. My girlfriend was very concerned that she would not be able to cook for me lol. In reality, I love cooking, baking and recently I have gotten into fermenting veggies. I had planned all along to do most of the cooking lol. (If you ever want to impress an Asian girlfriend, cook up some great meals)
I think that these tropes come from the desire to still be a homemaker added to the idea that they are struggling to do something they dont know how to do for the person they love.