Essay Assignment 4

The Role of Children in the Today’s Japanese Family

Although it is true that the rates of children born to women of reproductive age have been pretty low, children are wanted, both in an extended family and a nuclear family. As is said “Kodomo tachi no tameni”, or for the sake of the children, children play an important role in the Japanese family. However, problems related to children are occurring one after another, as TVs and newspapers are heatedly dealing with. People are no longer surprised at the news, such as a son killed his mother, or a seemingly normal high school student was proved to be a murder. Why are they crazy? “For the sake of the children” can be an excuse used by adults; they may be ignoring what their children are trying to convey both in an extended family and a nuclear family.
First of all, especially in an extended family, the elder often use the phrase “for the sake of the children” as an excuse. It is the elder who control over the family as White says in her book. Usually, they are conservative; they do not want a wife of their son to work, ask her to look after them, and expect her to take care of her children at home. In fact, they think it is embarrassing if the neighborhood knows a wife works full time, and children and the elders are left. Today, however, more and more women want to work. In response to the attitude of the elder, there may emerge quarrels and antagonism between the elder and a wife, explicitly or implicitly. What is worse, children can feel this disharmony within the house, and feel depressed.
Second of all, in a nuclear family, children are focused more than in an extended family. Especially if a mother does not work, or works part time, she takes care of her children very carefully, sometimes namely “kahogo”, overprotection; children take lessons in various arts and mother knows well what their children do for the sake of the children. Because of such overprotection, children sometimes feel oppressed. On the other hand, children whose parents work are usually allowed to manage time by themselves. Parents rarely know what their children do every day, and families seldom eat together. Parents just give their children some money to spent, or let them work part time. They think this way of raising children can be an advantage for them in their future although some children feel that they are alone. There may be families between those two types.
In conclusion, children are wanted and special for their parents and families. Both in an extended family and a nuclear family, adults are like “for the sake of the children.” Some are overprotective, and others do not care very much. Although it is unclear whether their various ways of rearing children are effective and good for their children, it is also doubtful whether adults know how their children think about it. Unless they know it, their ways of raising children for the sake of the children are not for the sake of the children, and can be excuses of adults; the elder may want to avoid neighbor’s criticisms, an overprotective mother may get their children to do what she wants them to do, and working parents may do not want to bother to care their children.

Family Relationships in Japan

In this essay, I am going to talk about the family relationships in Japan from the perspective of my father. From his experience, it can be said that the family relationships in Japan have been changed greatly so far, and more and more men began to do housework these days.
Both of my parents work. While my mother works at the office, my father works at home as an architect. As a result, since I was a little girl, my father has done almost all the housework while working. He goes to the supermarket, makes food for us, look after me, or pick me up at the station; my grandmother who lives nearby sometimes helps him, though.
Considering that this was in the 90’s, our family style might be quite different from those of other Japanese people. Indeed, my father told me much later that he seldom saw men who were doing shopping at the supermarket like him in those days. To me, too, this family style was sort of embarrassing because I somehow knew that we were different, compared with those of my friends who sometimes asked me “Why isn’t your mom at home?”, “Why is your dad at home?” This indicates that usually in those days, women did housework while men worked.
As I got older, however, my father told me that he saw much more men at the supermarket gradually than before. This surely indicates that more and more men began to do housework for their wives. Indeed, I got to know that there were various kinds of family relationships other than mine, and all of them could be considered as normal. I got to know some women who decided not to marry, some married couples who decided not to have a child, and some men who decided to do housework.
In conclusion, as the comments of my father indicate, more and more men began to do housework more. This change may be influenced by the situations in that more and more women began to work. More and more women now think that it is quite normal for both women and men to work, earn, and live their lives equally.

Essay assignment 2

Dating in Japan

It is clear that dating is one of the most significant issues of student lives in Japan. However, as students grow both mentally and physically, what dating indicates gradually changes from becoming boyfriend and girlfriend to becoming partners with each other.
At first, dating means becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Students go out with someone from a group which has almost the same status as their own group. Pretty girls go out only with cool boys, and vice versa. Boys who look uncool cannot go out with those pretty girls even if they want to, or those pretty girls do not even care about uncool boys. However, as they become older, some begin to go out with someone from a different group than their own group. A girl who always wears fancy clothes, for example, may start dating with a boy who has never thought about clothes and is always occupied with his hobbies. Moreover, students love their girlfriend or boyfriend more than they do when they are younger.
The reason why the way students date changes might lie in the maturity in them. When students are younger, they care how they look. Therefore, even dating can be one of the ways to look cool or establish their status. As they mature, however, they begin to want more than status from dating. They go out with someone who has similar way of thinking or values, and inspire each other in a positive way. They also want to rely on each other and even discuss their future. In a word, students gradually begin to look at the reality and think about their future, and look for someone who can be their partner in their lives.
(286)

Essay assingment 1

Peer Groups in Japan

Peer groups are everywhere, and high school students hang around within their peer groups. Such peer groups exist in both American and Japanese high schools. However, they are different in terms of the existence of hierarchy and territories.
According to Murray, American peer groups form a certain hierarchy, struggling to put down the status of the other groups. Each group has a territory where they hang around, and outsiders are not welcome to be there. In Japan, on the other hand, students are almost unconscious about the hierarchy even if any. Though students usually hang around within their peer groups, some get along well with students from other groups through club activities or privately. Japanese peer groups also do not have their own territory. Moreover, when it comes to school festivals or athletic meets, students dissolve groups to some extent temporarily, and cooperate with each other, aiming for their class glory.
The reason why American and Japanese peer groups are different in terms of things above mentioned might lie in the styles of school where students have spent so far since they were elementary school students. American schools do not have classrooms where students spend all day. Hence, each student takes classes and spends their free time somehow individually. In Japan, on the other hand, every student is divided into a classroom where they spend all day with the same members; they follow same schedule, have breaks, and have lunch together at the same time. Since they spend all day together, they have to cooperate and get along well with each other. This gives Japanese students a sense of unity as a class as well as peer groups, and it might make them different from those of America.
(293)

Self-Introduction

はじめまして☆
早稲田大学国際教養学部１年の小石亜弓です。
出身は滋賀県で、やっぱり関西大好きです★いまだに関西弁が抜けません(笑)
趣味はカフェ巡り！！そしてコーヒーが大好きです☆☆
大好きすぎて、スタバでバイトはじめてしまいました☆☆
・・・カフェイン中毒なんじゃないかと心配している最近です（苦笑）

Hello! My name is Ayumi Koishi.
I'm a freshman of SILS at Waseda University. Nice to meet you all.
I'm from Shiga prefecture, which is located in Kansai area in Japan.
I love Kansai and still speak Kansaiben.
I love cafes, and am hooked on coffee!!!!
I started to work for starbucks as a part time job this summer.
Now I guess I'm addicted to caffeine...