Dilemmas of ADULTHOOD Japanese Women and the Nuances of Long-Term Resistance NANCY ROSENBERGER Dilemmas of Adulthood Dilemmas of Adulthood Japanese Women and the Nuances of Long-Term Resistance NANCY ROSENBERGER University of Hawai‘i Press Honolulu © 2013 University of Hawai‘i Press Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rosenberger, Nancy Ross, author. Dilemmas of adulthood : Japanese women and the nuances of long-term resistance / Nancy Rosenberger. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8248-3696-2 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-8248-3887-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Women—Japan—Longitudinal studies. 2. Self-perception in women—Japan— Longitudinal studies. I. Title. HQ1762.R677 2014 305.40952—dc23 2013012436 Designed by Publishers’ Design and Production Services, Inc. An electronic version of this book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched. 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To my parents, Betsey and Russell Rosenberger Contents Acknowledgments ix Major Characters x Chapter one What Is Long-Term Resistance? 1 Chapter two Ambivalence and Tension: Data Meets Theory 28 Chapter three Living within the Dilemma of Choice: Singles 54 Chapter four No Children despite Running the Gauntlet of Choice 80 Chapter five Planning and Cocooning: Mothers at Home 100 Chapter six Working and Raising Moral Children 129 Chapter seven The Nuances of Long-Term Resistance 157 Epilogue 177 Appendix 185 Notes 187 References 195 Index 205 vii Acknowledgments Inexpressible thanks go to the Japanese women who have continued to open their hearts and minds to me and have made this book possible. I am also very grateful to the people in Japan who support me beyond the call of duty in my work there; I value their friendships and insights: Ogawaguchi Teruyo, Takagi Mizue, Ota Sachiko, and Sarukawa Shinichi. I extend my appreciation to the Japan Foundation, the Northeast Asia Council of the Association of Asian Studies, and Oregon State University’s Humanities Center, Department of Anthropology, and School of Language, Culture, and Society for supplying the money and time to accomplish this endeavor. Thanks to my colleagues in anthropology for their support and to my editor at the University of Hawai‘i Press, Pat Crosby, whose flexibility and patience I appreciate. I am grateful to my children, Elise, Ted, and Laura, who always give me ideas to chew on and helped me with the title for this book. Perhaps they real- ize that because of my experience with these Japanese women I understand the paths of my children as emerging adults a bit better. Last, I am forever indebted to my husband, Clint Morrison, for his affection over forty years and his good-humored endurance and support of my academic pursuits. ix Major Characters Occupation Living with Chapter Single/ Childhood Singlehood Residency in Father’s Marriage Age at first Number of Husband’s parents or number Age in 1993 Age in 1994 Education Married residency residency 2004 occupation age child children occupation in-laws CHAPTER 2 Ito-san 29 40 4-yr. Translation Regions Regions Tokyo Salaryman Single in university agency 2004 Kawai-san 26 37 HS graduate Retirement Morioka Morioka Morioka Construction Single in home 2004 CHAPTER 3 Successful Singles Baba-san 34 45 4-yr. Translator/ Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo Salaryman Single in university interpreter 2004 Sato-san 37 48 4-yr. Advertising Morioka Morioka Morioka Doctor Single in Lives with university agent/busi- (deceased) 2004 mother ness owner part-time Struggling Singles Nishikawa- 31 42 4-yr. Teacher Morioka Morioka Morioka Salaryman Single in san teaching 2004 university Shimizu-san 31 42 4-yr. Teacher Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo Salaryman Single in Living with teaching 2004 parents university Struggling, Crashing Singles Shiga-san 32 43 Masters Nurse Regional city Tokyo Salaryman Single in 2004 Nakajima-san 31 42 4-yr. Medical Morioka Morioka Morioka Doctor Single in Lives with university technician (deceased) 2004 mother Negishi-san 31 42 Jr. college Actress/ Regional city Tokyo Regional city Government Single in Secretary/ worker 2004 Kindergarten teacher Hasegawa- 32 43 Jr. college Piano Village Village Village Farmer Single in Lives with san teacher 2004 parents Horikawa- 33 44 Nursing Nurse (quit) Village Morioka Morioka Poet Single in san school 2004 CHAPTER 4 Spoiled Husbands Yamamura- 32 43 Jr. college Single Tokyo Tokyo Osaka Salaryman 35 No kids Salesman san secretary/ married housewife Kato-san 25 36 Jr. college Single dorm Regional city Morioka Tokyo Salaryman 35 No kids Government mother, worker print techni- cian/Married part-time acctg. Major Characters, continued Occupation Living with Chapter Single/ Childhood Singlehood Residency in Father’s Marriage Age at first Number of Husband’s parents or number Age in 1993 Age in 1994 Education Married residency residency 2004 occupation age child children occupation in-laws Kojima-san 32 43 HS graduate Telephone Morioka Morioka Tokyo Salaryman 35 No kids Government operator worker Romantics Morioka Salaryman 33 No kids Salesman Sugimura- 32 43 4-yr. Pharmacist Village Morioka san pharmacy university Kurokawa- 32 43 HS graduate Telephone Morioka Village Shop owner 37 No kids Shop worker san operator Lives in Construction village with DINKS Village worker 41 Salesman parents Yanagi-san 24 35 Masters Think-tank Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo Salaryman 31 No kids Salaryman researcher CHAPTER 5 Planners Minami-san 33 44 4-yr. Translator Regional city Tokyo Regional city Salaryman 35 36 1 son Professor university coordinator Akai-san 31 42 Jr. college Secretary Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo Salaryman 33 34 1 daughter Banker Lives with in-laws Cocooners Sasaki-san 29 40 Jr. college Single Morioka Tokyo Teacher 33 34 1 son Government librarian/ worker Married doesn’t work Oyama-san 29 40 4-yr Single travel Morioka Tokyo/ Sendai Salaryman 31 32 2 sons Judge teaching agent, Morioka university teacher/ married not working Mori-san 35 46 HS graduate Single resort Village Village Sendai Farmer 37 38 1 son Sushi chef manager/ married not working Caretakers Ishii-san 29 40 2-year Jr. Single Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo Salaryman 31 32 1 son Policeman Living with college/ assistant 1 daughter parents since Vocational apparel dept 1997 training in private school/ Married not working Inoue-san 31 42 Jr. college Single Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo Salaryman 33 34 1 daughter Banker secretary/ Married not working Major Characters, continued Occupation Living with Chapter Single/ Childhood Singlehood Residency in Father’s Marriage Age at first Number of Husband’s parents or number Age in 1993 Age in 1994 Education Married residency residency 2004 occupation age child children occupation in-laws CHAPTER 6 Full-Time Working Mothers: Tokyo & Morioka Matsui-san 34 45 Jr. college Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo Salaryman 37 40 1 son Banker Yamada-san 31 42 4-yr Teacher Village Morioka Morioka Farmer 38 39 1 daughter Computer teaching Salesman university Kawahara- 34 45 4-yr Teacher Regional city Regional city Village Salaryman 38 42 1 son Teacher san university Full-Time Working Mothers: The Village Shimura-san 20 31 HS graduate Local Village Village Village Government 22 27 1 son Local government wkr/ government worker Mother worked worker Kawaguchi- 30 41 HS graduate Retirement Village Village Village Farmer 31 32 2 sons Local san home government worker Takahashi- 26 37 4-yr welfare Retirement Village Village Village Farmer 27 (divorced/ 27 2 sons Farmer san university home remarried) Part-Timers: Family Workers Hashimoto- 25 36 Family Salaryman 25 3 children Farmer/ fac- san business tory worker Uchimura- 22 33 HS graduate Family Morioka Morioka Tokyo Family Business Late 20s 30 1 son Family san business business Nakamura- 28 39 4-yr Single Morioka Morioka Regional Doctor 34 36 2 daughters Dentist san university museum city (deceased) guide/ mar- ried Family business Part-Timers: Artists Murai-san 25 36 Corre- Single wed- Morioka Morioka Morioka Musician/ 26 31 1 daughter Government spondence ding plan- mother musician worker university ner/married Pianist Takagi-san 29 40 4-yr Piano Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo Salaryman 31 33 1 daughter Salaryman university teacher Nakata-san 24 35 4-yr Dance Morioka Tokyo Morioka Salaryman 28 31 1 daughter Banker university teacher Organic Farmer Tsuchiya-san 26 37 4-yr Organic Regions Morioka Village Christian 28 29 2 daughters Organic university Farmer minister 1 son Farmer CHAPTER ONE What Is Long-Term Resistance? cultural anthropologist like me talks with many people, A in this case over many years. Her main aim is to give voice to these people’s stories and experiences through a process of listening closely and thinking about them in relation to almost everything else she reads and does. The final result is her tale of these stories, for in their retelling the anthropolo- gist also recounts a tale of herself, of her encounter with these people, and of the meaning that she understands in these encounters. This is truer than ever in this globalized age when these Japanese women and I are influenced by similar ideas and goods. Yet the tale is precarious in the telling. Simultane- ously, we all still live in our local histories, knowledge, and behaviors.