Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface to the fourth edition
- Map of Japan
- 1 The Japan Phenomenon and the Social Sciences
- 2 Class and Stratification: An Overview
- 3 Geographical and Generational Variations
- 4 Forms of Work in Cultural Capitalism
- 5 Diversity and Unity in Education
- 6 Gender Stratification and the Family System
- 7 ‘Japaneseness’, Ethnicity, and Minority Groups
- 8 Collusion and Competition in the Establishment
- 9 Popular Culture and Everyday Life
- 10 Civil Society and Friendly Authoritarianism
- References
- Index
3 - Geographical and Generational Variations
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface to the fourth edition
- Map of Japan
- 1 The Japan Phenomenon and the Social Sciences
- 2 Class and Stratification: An Overview
- 3 Geographical and Generational Variations
- 4 Forms of Work in Cultural Capitalism
- 5 Diversity and Unity in Education
- 6 Gender Stratification and the Family System
- 7 ‘Japaneseness’, Ethnicity, and Minority Groups
- 8 Collusion and Competition in the Establishment
- 9 Popular Culture and Everyday Life
- 10 Civil Society and Friendly Authoritarianism
- References
- Index
Summary
The Japanese have different lifestyles depending on their place of residence and their age or generation. Their eating habits, type of housing, language, style of thinking, and many other aspects of their everyday life hinge upon where they live and how old they are. This chapter examines both geographical and generational variations in Japanese society with a view to assessing the ways in which these demographic characteristics condition the options and preferences of various Japanese persons.
Japan as a Conglomerate of Sub-nations
A total of about 127 million people live in the 378 thousand square kilometer Japanese archipelago. In terms of territorial size, Japan is larger than Great Britain, similar in size to Germany, and considerably smaller than France and Italy. But being mountainous, with only about one-third of its land habitable, Japan is more densely populated than any of those countries. Not surprisingly, the strain of population density affects the lifestyles of the Japanese. In a crowded environment, urban dwellers in Japan learn early in life how to cope with the pressure of many people living in limited space. On station platforms in urban centers, passengers line up in two or three rows in an orderly manner. During rush hours, Tokyo subways and railways use ‘pushers’ to push workers into over-packed trains. Most city dwellers live in small houses, tiny condominiums, and meager flats, a situation that is the source of widespread dissatisfaction among urban residents. Although the housing and furnishing qualities have greatly improved and are generally better than those in other Asian countries, many city inhabitants justifiably feel that their houses are not commensurate with the nation’s status as an economic superpower. In the narrow streets of Japanese cities, drivers and pedestrians struggle to make their way through.
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- An Introduction to Japanese Society , pp. 64 - 90Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014
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