Leisure activities among family & friends in Japan vs US
BY
Ai Matsunobu
A SHORT PAPER
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE OF
SUMMER STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM (US)
Kumamoto Gakuen University Foreign Language Department
English Course
1. Introduction
What does leisure mean to you? We generally think it is an activity to enjoy in Japan, for example, sports, BBQ, picnics and camps. However it is not the same in America. The Genius English dictionary says leisure is:“time when you are not the working or studying and can relax and do things you enjoy.” This paper will discuss the difference between US and Japan with respect to leisure.
2. In Japan
According to a questionnaire for 20 year olds living in Kumamoto, almost all Japanese think leisure is an activity event in Japan. The Japanese people have many kinds of leisure, for example, camping, driving, sports, swimming in the sea, touring, BBQs. It is once a year or twice a year that students do leisure activities with their families. Once a week or once a month, they do activities with friends. Two thirds of the students like outdoors, and one third like indoor activities in Japan. The most popular leisure activities are driving, camping and swimming in the sea.
3. In US
According to questionnaires given to 20~50 year olds living in America, almost all US people think leisure means no work or free time. The US people have a lot of kinds of leisure activities, for example, picnic, driving, walking, swimming in the lake, sports, ice skating, BBQs, cooking, playing with pets, movies, reading a book, shopping. Once a week or once a month, they spend leisure time with their family. Once a week or once a month, they spend leisure time with friends. People who like outdoor activities and people who like outdoor and indoor activities are about the same. The most popular leisure activities vary depending on the person. For example some people like to make scrapbooks, some people like to ride boats and some people like picnics.
4. Conclusion
This paper found many important points about leisure in Minnesota and Kumamoto. First, some meanings of leisure are different. Japanese people think leisure is an activity but US people think leisure is free time by oneself. It is daily for Japanese people to watch television and take a nap in a house, and these are some of their favorite leisure activities. Leisure is not a special thing for US people.
Second, I talk about the kind of leisure. As the meaning of leisure itself is different from Japan to US, Japanese people have few kinds of leisure in comparison with US people. In addition, the Japanese picnic is different from that in the US. Japanese people bring a sheet and lunch box for a picnic but US people bring bigger sheets or big tables and chairs. Lunch is often a buffet at a US picnic and sometimes caterers may come.
Barbecues in the US and Japan are also different. The Japanese BBQ style is to bake meat on a net and eat. However, almost all US families have barbecue grills and US people bake, hamburgers, sausages and steaks on them, and they eat them with bread.
[1] Barbecues are always done outside in the US, but often eaten inside.
Third, once or twice a year, they spend leisure time with their family in Japan. On the contrary, it is once a week or once a month that they spend leisure time with their family in US. However the difference of thought towards leisure is related to this. The American value of time for the family was easy to understand though this language training program. They find common hobbies and enjoy leisure with each other often. Some US families go walking and cycling together every week.
Fourth, two thirds of the students like outdoors, and one third like indoors in Japan. On the other hand, people who like outdoors and people who like both outdoors and indoors are about the same in the US. The data is not conclusive because these questionnaires were given to people different ages, but my impression is that US people enjoy many activities both indoors and outdoors regardless of age.
Finally, we can say though these things that there are some differences between English and Japanese English, and we need to change the way we understand some words like “leisure”. Second, there is a larger variety of activities in America and each family has more ways to enjoy holidays than I expected. Moreover, many families seem to put more emphasis on the value of families than families in Japan.
5. Bibliography
Konishi Tomoshichi, Minamide Kousei (2001-2004). “Leisure”, in Genius Electronic dictionary. Taishukan.
Hooge, Shannon (personal communication, August 2008)
Appendix: Questionnaire
1. What leisure mean to you?
2. What do you usually do for leisure?
3. How often do you do leisure activities with your family?
4. How often do you do leisure activities with your friends?
5. What kinds of leisure activities do you like the most?
6. Which do you like better, indoor or outdoor activities?
[1] As an example in my homestay, my father baked a steak on the grill outside and ate it with his family in a house.
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