- Japan has a population structure with an aging society and low birth rates due to the high cost of raising children. Family structures are changing with more nuclear families. - Japanese society values traditions but is gradually changing, with challenging social interactions like meeting strangers. Relationships involve social distance, politeness, and avoiding confrontation. - Japanese ways of thinking emphasize other-oriented values, status hierarchies, and human relations. This influences social behaviors and relationships that balance obligations and gifts.

1. Japanese People and Society
2015 update by Steve McCarty
Japan International Cooperation Agency
JICA Kansai

2. Fuji japan by Travelbusy.com, 2012, CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/da5BdG

3. Geography and Climate

4. Japanese People
Image and Reality

5. Japanese Society - 1
• Population structure
• Family structure
• Religions

6. Demographicshift, its reasons, and difficulty of solutions
“Six out of 10 respondents saidthe biggest reason for having fewer children than
they really want is that ‘it costs too much money to raise and educate children’.”
From:https://japanforum.nbr.org/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind1307&L=list&F=&S=&P=70494

7. 伊勢神宮外宮別宮月讀宮 - Tsukiyomino miya (Gekuof IseGrand Shrine) by Tamago Moffle, 2010,CC BY-SA2.0

8. NARA: 法隆寺 Horyuji temple by ume-y, 2013, CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/eSekCB

9. KYOTO spring:
Kiyomizu Temple
Summer:
Gion Festival

10. KYOTOfall

11. Japanese Society - 2
• Traditions & new attractions
• Gradually changing values
• The Lonely Crowd
• Difficult to meet strangers

12. OSAKA
Big Issue Stall – Osaka Station by GanMed64,
2011, CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/aGkhiz

13. SHIKOKUisland
DSCF0752.JPG by Kazu Letokyoite, 2007,
CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/LcWcC

14. HIROSHIMA: Peace Memorial by
Stripy T-Shirt, 2004, CC BY-SA 2.0
https://flic.kr/p/2fuzj
NORTHEAST JAPAN
earthquake/tsunami:
Volunteer at Kesencho,
Rikuzentakata by Hajime
Nakano, 2011, CC BY 2.0
https://flic.kr/p/aGC8ia

15. Japanese ways
of thinking
• Other-oriented values
• Individual and peer group
• Concept of time
• Environment and nature
• Status and hierarchy
• Male-female differences
• Importance of age
• Reasons for many suicides
• Human relations most important

16. Social behavior
& relationships
• Levels of social distance
• Intimate circle, face relations, strangers
• Politeness, indirectness, formality
• Avoiding confrontation
• Inside and Outside
• uchi & soto, honne & tatemae
• Private self (reserve) & public self (restraint)
• Many Obligations: gimu, on, giri
• Balancing give & take of gifts & favors
• Symbolism of gifts and objects

17. Lessons of a
Japanese family
• Putting others first
• Pressure to assimilate
• Being a professional foreigner
• Child-raising, bilingual issues
• Husband-wife relationship
• Employment and faithfulness
• Fitting in while sticking out

18. Kids in
the 1990s
With
wife’s
parents