The Japanese Family As An Indicator Of Social Change In The Postwar Era

THE JAPANESE FAMILY AS AN INDICATOR OF SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE POSTWAR ERA According to Imamura on page 76 of “Family Culture,” “few [societies] are as consciously aware of family systems” as Japan’s. The postwar family continues to be shaped by the prewar ie system in regards to its organization, ideological underpinnings, and relationships between members. However, economically-driven developments and a growing acceptance of alternative lifestyles are changing the Japanese family in unique ways while reflecting changes in Japanese society itself. The Japanese ie (household unit), codified in the Meiji period, forms the basis for the modern family system. Traditionally, a male head managed household finances and members while his shufu...

Sources Of Stability And Decline In Tokugawa Japan

SOURCES OF STABILITY AND DECLINE IN TOKUGAWA JAPAN The Tokugawa period (1600-1868) in Japan was marked by unprecedented peace following decades of nearly continuous warfare during the Sengoku period (1467-1573) (Gordon 11). The Tokugawa bakufu quickly moved to bolster social order by implementing harsh restrictions, including limits on provincial daimyo, unequal social class mobility, and interactions with foreigners, which would eventually serve as significant sources of its decline. The main internal cause of the breakdown of the Tokugawa regime, according to “The Meiji Revolution,” “was its unmoving order... amidst a shifting socioeconomic foundation.” Peace in Tokugawa Japan was made possible in part by a forcible weakening of provincial...

Balancing “Native” And “Foreign” Elements In Ancient Japan

BALANCING "NATIVE" AND "FOREIGN" ELEMENTS IN ANCIENT JAPAN Even with Japan’s geographical isolation, a significant amount of beliefs, ideas, and culture from China and Korea have become crucial components of Japanese civilization. However, as noted by Varley on page 57, “[Japan] did not slavishly copy Chinese [and Korean] civilization; some important institutions... were considerably remodeled.” The Japanese have selectively reshaped cultural borrowings to produce uniquely native traditions, as shown by the integration of written language, religion, and bureaucratic institutions from the Asian mainland. When Korean scholars introduced the Chinese writing system to the Japanese at the beginning of the fifth century, Japanese civilization...

Oh My Goodness, They Going Ham

Well, it's official. After spending all summer delaying the inevitable, I've finally moved into my home for the next year. I am now a resident of Room 190 in Park House on the Washington University in St. Louis campus. Right now, my feels are all over the place. I am at once incredibly sad about leaving behind my friends in Minnesnowta, especially coming fresh off of the nostalgia-packed last days which follow any significant experience. Who would've thought that I would have the chance to go stargazing with my friends, something I've wanted to do for years especially after witnessing its application in anime, just a few days before I left. Honestly, that was an unforgettable night and Lo really missed out. #hammerwithajetpack I know in the back of my mind that this isn't the end; I will...

Welcome To America (Day 2)

And so, we woke up. I am surprised we managed to wake up so early. After quickly checking out with my boy Marcus, we headed across the street to catch the Emery Go-Round to the nearest BART station to head into San Francisco and meet up with Evan. Suppressing the urge to go and eat from the nearest restaurant, we headed to the extraction point. On the way, we got a taste of San Francisco, taking in all of the beautiful buildings. There was only one problem. One our way to the extraction point, we were followed by the loudest construction machine on the planet whose driver chose to go 5 mph while pounding into the road. It was somewhat devastating. However, seeing Evan smile and run across the street was well worth it. With everyone...

P-Heights Crew

Man I suck at blogging. Leave it to me to wait until the very last day of SSBBR before writing a single post. Well, for house keeping purposes, here's a list of what I missed out on blogging about: 1) college decision circle jerk 2) SSBBR @ WashU 3) prom shenanigans 4) anime & sexuality 5) becoming a college student 6) camping @ BWCA 7) graduation party hopping 8) Eureka seveN AO fail 9) Minnesnowta pride 10) Legend of Korra Well, I guess I'll try to do my best to recall all of the fantastic memories from the past six weeks. At first I was a bit anxious, leaving my high school friends for six weeks to spend my time with a bunch of students who willingly gave up a summer of circle jerking in order to pursue research. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded, and I had the honor of hanging...

Welcome To America (Day 1)

This post is way overdue. Nearly a month ago, I had the pleasure of visiting San Francisco with my buddy Oliver. He mentioned visiting UC-Berkeley a couple of times in passing, and one night I just kind of decided to accompany him. Thankfully, my parents are awesome and entertained my request to snag a ticket to San Francisco with my mom's overflowing surplus of miles. Everything was functionally set. All we needed to do was book a room after I came back from New York. With the help of Hotwire, we could only cross our fingers and gamble on the chances that the 4-star hotel mentioned was the DoubleTree, located right on a marina at the edge of Berkeley. Unfortunately, we only turned up a Sheraton Four Points. However, looking...

A-Music Week 10

This week I wanted to focus on one of my favorite Japanese bands, Asian Kung-Fu Generation. The first time I heard AKFG was back in middle school when I first began watching subbed anime online, specifically to watch  Naruto episodes which had yet to be dubbed and released in America. The song in question, "Haruka Kanata" was simply lumped together with a bunch of catchy OP and ED songs which I really enjoyed but never downloaded because I was inept at using LimeWire. Man, Naruto, even for its faults, had some great OPs and EDs. Anyway, AKFG doesn't have to rely on gimmicks like a lot of Japanese bands and for me represents a lot of what is right with Japanese music. AKFG not only produces fantastic music, but...