Wanope

Short for ワンオペレーション (wan-operēshon, 'one-man operation'), meaning doing a workload meant for multiple people all by yourself. The term first gained attention when understaffed chain restaurants — especially late-night beef bowl shops — made headlines for forcing a single employee to run the entire operation. It then crossed over into parenting: ワンオペ育児 (wan-ope ikuji, 'solo parenting') became a buzzword for the exhausting reality of raising kids alone while a partner is away on business or simply absent. The word carries a strong undercurrent of frustration and exhaustion.