Looking Beyond the Mask: When American Women Marry Japanese MenLooking Beyond the Mask focuses on the personal stories of the growing number of American women who despite vast cultural differences, and sometimes because of them are married to Japanese men. Although the problems encountered in such marriages are similar to those found in any union, there are cultural implications that can exacerbate almost any of them. Potential areas of conflict are examined, such as in-laws, customs and manners, values, living conditions, religion, communication, sex and gender, and raising children. The book deals with meeting such challenges and attempting to look beyond the cultural masks to see the real people behind them. The women in question stress the importance of commitment, a flexible attitude, a strong sense of identity, a support network, a sense of perspective, and a sense of humor. They also reveal the benefits of these marriages, including a greater appreciation for Japanese ways and the opportunity to continually grow and learn. Based on extensive research, the book provides a new look at Japan from the unique perspective of those American women most intimately involved with its culture. |
Contents
Love Stories | 7 |
InLaws | 25 |
Customs and Manners | 45 |
Values | 61 |
Living Conditions | 75 |
Medical Matters | 89 |
Religion | 99 |
Communication | 113 |
Being Different | 155 |
What It Takes | 171 |
Can You Go Home Again? | 185 |
The Gains | 193 |
Looking Ahead | 199 |
Conclusion | 203 |
Notes | 211 |
| 217 | |
Other editions - View all
Looking Beyond the Mask: When American Women Marry Japanese Men Nancy Brown Diggs Limited preview - 2016 |
Looking Beyond the Mask: When American Women Marry Japanese Men Nancy Brown Diggs Limited preview - 2001 |
Looking Beyond the Mask: When American Women Marry Japanese Men Nancy Brown Diggs No preview available - 2001 |
Common terms and phrases
Alice Sasaki American women Amy Nakamura Anne Kitahara baby Barbara Tanigaki Bob Newhart show Buddhist child Christian Confucianism couple daughter Emily Kamogawa English everything father feel foreign wives futons gaijin guess hard husband husband's family Ichiro Ozawa intercultural Jane Kawamura Japanese culture Japanese friends Japanese language Japanese person Japanese values Japanese women Jennifer Megumi John Gottman Judy Sakamoto Karen Hill Kathleen Sakata Katie Abe kids kind knew language laugh Laura Yamaguchi Lisa Endo living in Japan look Margaret Iwasaki Marilyn Inoue marriage marry a Japanese Mary Kishi Melissa Irie mother mother-in-law never nice night Norma Kawai parents person problem relationship religion remembers Ruth Benedict salarymen Sally Miyoshi Sarah Ota Shinto someone sometimes talk tell there's things thought Tokyo understand Westby what's wife woman wonderful Yoshi