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...