Enho-kosai in Japan

In Japan, we often hear bad news about killing people who met on an online dating site. And, victims are sometimes young girls. In “Elemental Families”, it’s written about enjo-kosai which is sexual dating for money. I’m talking about enjo-kosai in Japan.
First, what kings of girls do enjo-kosai. In Japan, there is little difference between the wealth and the poor. So, girls from ordinary families do enjo-kosai. I was surprised that a girl at the same high school did enjo-kosai. She was just as a normal girl as other girls in school. She was not poor or rich, but she did enjo-kosai to get money. She spent those money for Nomikai(drinking party with friends), buying brand goods and so on. We can’t realize who does enjo-kosai by their appearances.
Second, how they meet men and why they do enjo-kosai. Girls who do enjo-kosai meet middle age men on an online dating site. After they meet on the site, they agree on a time and place. Until several years ago, high-school girls are likely to be pleased by middle age men. Why high-school girls do enjo-kosai is that they love brand bags, accessories, purses and etc., so they need money to buy those stuff. On the other hand, middle age men are tired of routine work and cool relationship at home, and they tend to want fresh things like young girl and enjo-kosai. They also have more money than they need. Therefore, they relieve stress by using money for girls and enjo-kosai. I think the demand (men) and supply (girls) are matched, so the number of enjo-kosai has been increasing in Japan.
However, there occurs a little change in these days. It’s more likely to be pleased younger girls, such as 10-14 years old, by middle age men. I’m not sure why younger girls are more pleased, but I think that middle age men think younger girls are purer. Even pornogratic video’s actress has become younger and younger. I’ve heard that 16-year old girl is too old and 10 or less year old girl is most pleasant to middle age men.
In America, is enjo-kosai popular among elementary or junior-high school students? How things are different from Japanese case?

My family relationship

In Japan, it seems that a composition of typical family is like a father, mother and two children. We can often see four-member family in drama. My family is also four-member family.
In my family, both father and mother have a job. Therefore, I’ve been a latchkey child since I was 6-year-old. After all members of family came back home from work or school, we ate dinner together. We spent together until we slept. However, as children (me and my sister) grew up, time which all family member spend together had become lessened.
In these days, I eat dinner outside with my friends and go home after my parents went to bed, and in the morning, I wake up after they left for a job. So we don’t meet or talk so much. In my family, we don’t have much relationship.
My mother didn’t care about my school works, such as homework, examination and so on. She has a noninterference policy which is good for me. I don’t talk so much about school works with my father. Moreover, my sister haven’t come back home for more than half a year.
I’m not sure that this is a typical Japanese family or not, but many university students in Japan don’t often go home. How about American university students? Do they communicate with their family often?

Dating in Japan

In Japan, we start dating out from about 14 years old. We don’t care about status and age so much. (well…we don’t have status thing in Japanese school) Also, what I think is different from American students is that we can’t have a driver’s license until 18 years old, so Japanese students don’t go for a drive, or use a car for dating. What we do in Japan is that we go Karaoke, shopping and so on, or we go to a restaurant and talk on and on.
From this dating style, Japanese students usually don’t go to boy/girlfriend’s house. The reason is that we don’t introduce our boy/girlfriend to parents. Most Japanese students think that they don’t want their parents to know about their dating things. Compared to dating style in America, I think Japanese students are little bit shy. When we introduce our partner to parents is getting marriage. We take seriously to introduce him/her to parents. I think Japanese students think friends, boy/girlfriend, and family separately.
Moreover, there are not so many people who are being with their boy/girlfriend in school. Japanese students tend to spend with their friends at school, and they spend with their boy/girlfriend after school. Famous places which couple usually goes are McDonald, KFC, or some other first food shop.
Finally, the biggest difference between American and Japanese students dating is that how they spend their special day. I have an image that American people spend their birthday and Christmas day with their family. However, in Japan, we usually go date on special day.

Thank you for reading!

日本とアメリカの高校の違い

　　　これまで私たちはアメリカの高校のグループなどについて読んだり、ディスカッションをしたりしてきましたが、日本の高校のグループとは大きな違いがあると感じました。私の通っていた高校は日本の高校の中でも平和だったほうがと思うので、あまり参考にはならないとは思いますがここでは、私の通っていた高校とアメリカの高校の違いと同じところを比較してみたいと思います。
まず、一番の違いは日本にはホームルームクラスがあるということです。アメリカの高校と違って、日本の高校は毎日決まった一つのクラスで授業を受けます。日本の高校生は、自分の所属しているクラスでほとんどの時間を過ごします。なので、自然と同じクラスの中で仲の良い子が集まってグループを作ります。グループと言っても、日本の高校生の場合はそんなに高い団結意識がなく、休み時間やお昼時間などの時間に一緒に集まって話をしたり、遊んだりするぐらいで、違うグループの子と一緒に休み時間を過ごすときもあります。お互いのグループを敵対して、誹謗中傷するようなことはめったにありません。また、お昼もこのホームルームクラスの教室で食べることが多く、どこにどのグループが座るというようなルールは特にありません。その日その日のよって座る場所はばらばらで、時には違うグループの子と一緒に食べることもあります。また、文化祭や体育祭などの学校行事ではクラスが一丸となって優勝をめざしたりします。一つまた一つと行事を乗り越えていく度に、クラスでの団結心が強くなりより仲の良い関係になります。
　　　二つ目に、日本では、いじめがひどい場合があります。時に、いじめられている人を自殺にまで追い込むこともあります。日本のいじめでは、他の人と違う少し変わった人や目立つ人がいじめの対象になることがあり、誰かをいじめる場合、いじめられる人対クラスメイトのように１対何十人という規模で反抗ができないことが多々あります。これは誰もがいじめられることを恐れて、いじめる側に回りそれがじょじょに大きくなっていくからです。本を読んだ限りアメリカの高校ではいじめのようなものは無さそうでしたが、みなさんが行っていた高校ではどうでしたか？
　　　最後に、日本の高校とアメリカの高校において似ているところですが、うわさや悪口があるところは似ていると思います。時に悪いうわさが流れることもあれば良いうわさも流れることがありますが、私が通っていた高校を思い出すと、それほどうわさや悪口というものはありませんでした。このようなものは高校よりも中学時代のときのほうがひどかったと思います。また、うわさによって人を判断したりすることはあまりなかったと思います。これは関係ないですが、日本では「人のうわさも７５日」という表現があります。この文章は、うわさというものは長く続くものではなく、しばらくすれば忘れるという意味です。アメリカにはこのようなうわさに関する表現はありますか？

self-introduction

Hello, my name is Sayoko Yanagitani.
I'm a freshman at SILS. I'm taking vicky's class this semester.
I was born in Osaka and grow up in Tokyo, so I can't speak Osaka diarect.
I like playing sports, especially volleyball and basketball.
When I was 15 years old, I've experienced studying abroad for a year in Oregon.
I joined choir there, and sang a christian songs.
Now, I'm belong to advertisement club, and make commercial.
thank you.



はじめまして！柳谷紗代子です。
今年の春から国際教養学部の1年生になりました。
大阪生まれの東京育ちなので大阪弁は喋れません。。
私はバレーボールとバスケットボールが好きです。今でも地元の友達と時々公園でバスケをしています。
15歳のときには、オレゴンに一年留学をしに行きました。でもあまり英語は得意じゃないので、流暢に話せれるよう頑張ってます。
大学では広告研究会というサークルに入ってＣＭを作ったりしています。

どうぞよろしくお願いします。