Contrast Japanese Families with US Essay Example for Free

Contrast Japanese Families with US Essay Japanese and U. S. families have many dissimilarity one of this the family concerns, role of the family towards raising and education and wedding ceremony practiced in Japan and American people. These can be read in the next paragraph. Family Concern The Japanese family is concern with their children and their aging grandparents. Greenfield Cocking, (1994) point out the practice of â€Å"collectivism† as also reveal by Naito Gielen, this volume. The children obey their parents and they are dependent on their parents. The children must not only obey the parents and grandparents, but must observe among themselves the domestic law of seniority: thus the younger brother should obey the elder brother, and the younger sister the elder sister. At the same time, Japanese parents have a strong expectation that the oldest son will take care of them when they get old. (Kagitcibasi, 1996) This is why the Japanese parents don’t encourage children to be independent as much as American parents do. The grand parents share their experiences and wisdom with grandchildren and provide unconditioned love. In return the children respected, and appreciated learning from them. While the U. S. families the individualism is develop. (Naito Gielen, p. 10) Children are encouraged to be independent and individual. During teenage years, children tend to emphasize â€Å"self† too much, and ignore â€Å"others† as emphasized by Naito and Gielen. American teenagers’ rebel against rules to gain freedom is independent and individual to them. The author further added that the parents need to fight through against â€Å"freedom without rules and responsibilities† that children insist on holding â€Å"Individual right protected under the Law†. (American Family Tradition 2006). The children allowed going to the party alone although the parent sets the time but they cannot force their children’s to go home early. The early freedom they give from their children’s is a preparation for their being responsible. Roles in the family In Japanese raising children, supervising their educations, do some household chores and other home accounting are a sole responsibility of the mothers’. The father will provide a monthly income needed for the family. They have their grandparents living with them. The grandparents still support the married children. In contrast the American families raise their children with a shared responsibility of a mother and father. Both parents participate in their children’s school activities when they need their presence. The household works are shared by both parents. Fathers often take the financial matters however the mothers also shared some depending on their agreement. Wedding Ceremony Excerpted in the Mothra Online Organization in Japan â€Å"The Japanese wedding ceremony they called it Shinto wedding and is performed before a Shinto sanctuary, set up for the occasion unless the wedding takes place in a Shinto shrine. It is preside by a Shinto priest who first holds the purification service of all present. After a ritual by the priest, reporting to olds on the marriage and requesting their lasting favors on the newly-weds it is now customary for the bridegroom to read an oath to keep faithful and obedient to each other in the married life. The oath may be given by the go-between in behalf of the new couple. The San-San-Kudo or ceremony of the Three-Times-Three Exchange of nuptial cups is then performed by the bridegroom and bride. The bridegroom and bride proceed to the sanctuary to offer twigs of Sakaki sacred tree in worship to gods to end the main part of the wedding ceremony. Drinks of Sake are then exchanged between members and close relatives of the both families to signify their union through the wedding†. According to Shizuko Mishima, Non-family members dont usually attend the marriage ceremony itself; rather they go to the wedding reception, called Kekkon Hiroen in Japanese. This very different in American wedding, the Wedding Ceremony is most often performed as part of a religious ceremony each with its own specific customs and traditions. On the day of the wedding the Groom does not see the Bride until the actual ceremony. As Custom would have it from Victorian Times: the Bride wears Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Sixpence in her shoe. Finally, a ring is exchanged to mark the permanent commitment of the new spouses to each other. (American Family Tradition 2006). It was perform by a priest or a pastor depending on the religious belief agreed by the groom and bride. Conclusion As read and figured by the different author that there are lots of differences that American and Japanese exhibit. They have different upbringing when it comes to children for the Japanese practice collectivism still supporting the children even if they have graduated college. With the contrasting American, that practice individualism preparing their children for early independence. All the disciplines on how to deal different family practices are sacrifice on the part of the parents. But the culture has great influence on all this issue.