sts are invited to participate in games, skits and karaoke. As for the decor, red and white are considered to be an auspicious combination and so are abundantly used in a Japanese wedding. The colors will be reflected in the bride's kimono and even the soup and ice cream may have ingredients in those colors.
It is traditional to distribute wedding mementoes called Hikidemono, which traditionally include dried bonito or sugar, which signifies happiness in Japan. Other gifts may include beautifully wrapped traditional Japanese candies, to more «valuable» gifts like silverware, a clock, or sake to modern novelty items. Recently, the western rituals of cutting the cake, lighting candles, tossing the bouquet and honeymoons have also been incorporated. At the very end of the party, the couple will speech to all the guests and thank everybody.
Traditionally the bridal couple receives two gifts from each guest. Friends and relatives will send a wedding gift to the couple before or after, but never on, the wedding day. It is considered their personal gift to the new couple. Guests attending a traditional wedding reception in Japan are also expected to bring cash for a gift. The amount depends on their degree of closeness to the couple and the family. In traditional Japanese invitations, that relationship will be indicated on the invitation card. The average cash gift is 30,000 yen ($ 250) for a close friend s wedding, but gifts can run from $ 30 to $ 200. The money is placed into a special envelope, or Shugibukuro, and the guest s name is written on the front of the envelope. Envelopes, called iwaibukuro, can be purchased at Japanese supermarkets or grocery shops. The envelope is given to the greeter at the reception desk and is earmarked to help the new couple pay for wedding and reception costs. In recent years, bridal registries have become more commonplace in Japan, so guests may purchase merchandise from the bride and groom's registry list. At the end of the evening, the couple thanks all the guest for attending.
The average Japanese reception in Japan can run to several million yen ($ 20,000- $ 30,000), to as high as $ 100,000. The number of guest ranges from 50 to 200 people, on average. The scale of reception has begun to decline in Japan and couples are beginning to favor more simple weddings.
Today, only a third of couples in Japan marry in traditional Shinto style. Most blend the rituals of a Japanese wedding with modern Western culture. By melding the two, couples create a wedding that takes the best of both and creates their own unique day. That melding is also practiced successfully by couples in this country. [# justify gt; Gender roles
In 1920s and 1930s, the rise in Japanese nationalism created the need for young soldiers, thereby giving rise to the imperial slogan of «UMEYO! FUYASEYO! »Or« give birth and multiply! »The government applauded the role of the women as the mother and encouraged them to increase the progeny. In the meantime, Japanese women had also been campaigning for more rights, and the society had begun to accept a more autonomous existence for them, although the male bastion was far from penetrated as yet.
In the post war Japan, the occupation forces imposed a new constitution in 1947 which provided for equal rights for men and women regarding ownership or inheritance of property and participating in electoral process. The women were also given the right to divorce and retain custody of their children, rights that they have been deprived of till then. This process was carried further in 1 986 by the Equal employment opportunity law. However, as the words of Kumiko Hashimoto suggest, in practice, equality is still a distant proposition.
In post war era, the Japanese woman was expected to be a SENGYO SHUFU or professional housewife raquo ;, and KYOIKU MAMA or education mother raquo ;, who works as well as takes care of children and their education needs. Thus, in spite of participation in workplace, the Japanese women still holds the responsibility of the household. A large proportion of women leave their job after marriage, for the sake of rearing children and most of them rejoin the work-force only after their youngest child have started going to school. As a result, there is a tendency to treat them more like part-time workers - a factor that has been a big obstacle in their career development and wage-equality with their male counterparts.
7. Gender Roles in Contemporary Japan
language religious tradition cultural
In today s Japan, most males are permanent employees, while women form three fourth of the part time or irregular workforce. Less than 1 0% of senior mana...
