View Larger Map

Shimokitazawa's spaghetti-like mess of streets and train lines evoke passion among some, frustration among others. The area has earned a name for itself as a breeding ground for creative young artists with its dozens of small theaters, art galleries and music venues. While eccentric characters like Rikimaru Toho fit perfectly into this urban environment, others see the maze of narrow streets as a dangerous fire hazard and a giant urban congestion knot in need of unwinding.

Planned route through Shimokitazawa (Subsidiary Route 54)

The entire area happens to lie in the path of a would-be thoroughfare running through Shimokitazawa to Shibuya, originally set forth in a “War damage revival plan” drafted all the way back in 1946. After several changes, that plan was brought back to life in 2003 and demolition and construction work has been slated to start in 2010. Should it be executed, the plan will split Shimokitazawa apart with a 26-meter wide expressway, Subsidiary Route 54 (補助54号線).

While the basic shape of those redevelopment plans had been known for some time, it was only a few weeks ago that the first glimpses of the new design finally emerged on the blog of Kuniyoshi Yoshida, a local landowner and head of the Shimokitazawa South [ja] shopowners' union. Comments which began to appear on the blog, blasting the new design for its failure to respect the Shimokitazawa atmosphere, were swiftly deleted, but hostility against the plans only grew.

New Shimokitazawa Station design

In a blog entry [ja] that drew a large response [ja], blogger and writer Hideaki Matsunaga [ja] explained why:

リリー・フランキー氏をはじめとして、下北沢の文化や町並を愛する人たちが、下北沢再開発に反対の意見を表明している。そこには、住人も、住人以外も含まれる。しかし、今、下北沢で何が起こっているのか、なぜこのデザインがこんなに反発を受けるのか、その経緯について簡単にまとめてみる。

The blog entry starts with a bit of history:

下北沢は「Ｘ」の交点に当たる。新宿から伸びる小田急線がその一つのラインであり、渋谷から吉祥寺に伸びる京王井の頭線がもう一つのラインである。新宿・渋谷・吉祥寺、そして小田急線で成城の東宝撮影所や祖師ヶ谷大蔵の円谷プロ旧本社などとつながる交点、それが下北沢である。

(Note: all photos of Shimokitazawa reproduced with permission from the blog of Hideaki Matsunaga.)

かつて農村地帯だった駅周辺は次第に郊外の宅地化していった。やがて、横光利一、東郷青児、宇野千代、萩原朔太郎、斎藤茂吉らが住み、「下北沢文士町」という要素も持つようになっていく。萩原朔太郎の『猫町』も下北沢地域を舞台としている。この街と切り離せない作家として、森茉莉らもいる。（→萩原朔太郎 猫町 散文詩風な小説）

戦後の闇市の時代を経て、下北沢は住宅地から繁華街へと発展していった。さらに本多劇場をはじめとする小劇場やライブハウスが次々と生まれ、演劇・音楽・サブカルの街、あるいは演劇や音楽を目指す若者たちが多く集まる街となる。

闇市の記憶を残す下北沢北口の駅前食品市場は、やがて衣料品「アメリカ屋」ブームを起こし、その記憶は下北沢に多く見られる古着やファッションの小さな店に引き継がれているといえよう。

迷路のような、とたとえられる下北沢。狭い路地が複雑に走るゴチャゴチャ感あふれる街は、徒歩によって回遊できる空間として親しまれてきた。

この下北沢の街が大きく変わろうとしている。そして、その変化は下北沢を「破壊」するものであると考える人が、下北沢住人にも、あるいは下北沢に来る人にも、非常に多い（一方で、その変化を歓迎する商店主もいる）。

In the next section, Matsunaga points out that there are actually two parts to the redevelopment plans for Shimokitazawa. The first part, which he does not personally oppose, is already underway and focuses on expanding the number of tracks on the Odakyu line and burying them to reduce the number of crosswalks.

The second set of redevelopment plans are of a different kind:

さて、この小田急線地下化工事はすでに始まっているが、一方でこれとセットのようにして進められているのが「都市計画道路補助54号線（以下、補助 54号線）」という26メートル幅道路の建設計画、ならびに下北沢駅前にバスロータリーを造るという計画（世田谷区画街路10号線）である。この道路・バスロータリーが、下北沢の街を根底から破壊するものとして反対されている。そして、小田急線地下化と道路事業がセットで行なわれることで世田谷区は補助金をせしめたと考える人たちもいる。

補助54号線は、下北沢演劇文化発祥の地ともいえる「スズナリ」を背後からたたきつぶし、北沢タウンホールの北側を抜けて本多スタジオを踏みつぶし、下北沢北口の街のど真ん中を貫いて、環七と同じ幅の自動車道で街を分断・破壊しようという計画である。そして、環七と都心を結ぶ道路となる。

また、この補助54号線から旧小田急線路跡地に沿って下北沢駅北口に伸びる道路は、駅前食品市場の雑然とした空間を取っ払って作られる駅前ロータリーにつながる。

In the next section of the blog entry, Matsunaga points out some implications of the redevelopment project:

駅前ロータリーができることで、高層ビルの高さ制限が大きく緩和される可能性も指摘されている。下北沢一帯の建物は低いものが多く、これも歩く街としての性質を生み出しているが、これが一転して高層ビルの町へと変貌する可能性もある。

And he explains:

もちろん、再開発については（今回の白髪爺さんを筆頭に）「地元」でも歓迎する声がある。今回の衆院選前に各陣営に確認したところ、自民党は再開発こそが地元の活性化につながると全面的に賛同していた。民主党は、本当に必要な道路か再調査して不要不急であれば計画見直し、という、どちらともとれる見解だった（一応、無駄を省くという趣旨ではあるのだが、八ツ場ダム中止のように明確な態度を示しているわけではない。ある民主党都議会議員は、「消防車が入れない狭い道は防災上問題」と、事実上再開発賛成を表明している）。みんなの党は、下北沢については詳しくないが、下町風情は残したい、という見解であった。それはさておくとしよう。

この再開発歓迎派は、要するに、今までのゴチャゴチャした下北沢が大嫌いなのである。闇市の記憶を受け継ぐような、北口食品市場が平成の今に至るまで残存していることが許せないのである。自動車が入ってこれないのが発展と進歩を阻害していると感じているのである。

Returning to the original topic of the design for the new Shimokitazawa station, Matsunaga writes:

下北沢という街の記号として存在するもの、たとえばそれはスズナリであり、駅前食品市場であり、車の入ってこない（タクシーさえもなかなか入って来たがらない）「徒歩空間」の路地であるが、そういうものが補助54号線と駅前ロータリー計画によって、文字通り「ブルドーザーでならされようとしている」。

そしてその後にやってくるものとして提案されたのが、よりによって今回の「下北沢駅駅舎整備イメージ案」なのだ。なぜこんなガラス張りの幾何学的な（つまり非人間的な）ものが「下北沢にふさわしい」のだ。「きれいさっぱりすっきりで直線的な、清潔で明るい駅舎」のどこが、ゴチャゴチャくねくねチマチマでジグザグの、雑然としているが活気のある下北沢の街にふさわしいのだ。

多くの下北沢フリークがこの案に対してほとんど反射的に反発を覚えたのは、決して偶然ではない。まさにそれは「今までの下北沢」のイメージ（あるいは下北沢を守ろうとする人たちの持つ下北沢のイメージ）と、「今までとは根本的に異なる下北沢」を作りたい人たちの願望するイメージが、まさに正反対、明らかに対極に位置するものであったことを意味する。

Reflecting on his own relation to Shimokitazawa, he continues:

別に下北沢に生まれ育ったわけではないが、その街の雰囲気を楽しみ、好きになってきた一人の人間として、そんな感傷やノスタルジーを感じている。そして、それを共有する地元の人たちと、そうではない地元の人たち、あるいは外部の人たちがいる。

下北沢再開発問題は、決して（八ツ場ダム問題のような）地元VS外部の闘いではない。街とは何か、街の発展とは何かについてのイメージの対立である。

(In response to many bookmark comments, Matsunaga wrote a follow-up post [ja] in which he clarified his position on a number of points. In particular, he emphasized that while he is personally against the Sub-Road 54 plans, he is not against the expansion/burying of Odakyu line tracks. He also responded to many comments claiming that the redevelopment is necessary for safety reasons.)

Update (Nov. 7)

Some more pictures of Shimokitazawa:

The Suzunari theater in Shimokitazawa (photo by mamacharikinoko)

Building in Shimokitazawa (photo by mamacharikinoko)

Cafe in Shimokitazawa (photo by mamacharikinoko)

Situation

Rina has been married for 8 years and has a daughter in the third grade. She is getting divorced and recounts an early episode in her marriage that has stuck in her mind since then.

When their daughter was a baby, Rina became very run down from sleep deprivation due to her night crying. She fell sick with a high fever and wasn't in a state to take care of their baby girl but her husband refused to take paid leave or come home earlier than usual. Rina was extremely disappointed that he didn't even call. It took two months for her condition to improve and she can't forget how her husband didn't help out at all.

Question

ここういう状態の場合、会社を休めないまでもせめて定時で帰ってきてほしいというのはわがままでしょうか。

みなさんのご家庭はどうですか？妻が病気の時、夫は会社を休んで子供の世話をしてくれますか？また、会社で「妻が病気だから」と言って休んでいる人をどう思いますか？

Responses

Right away, many veteran mothers righteously posted stories of the times that they were sick and still dragged themselves out of bed to take care of themselves and their children without any help from their husbands - not that they expected or wanted help from them.

‘Married with two children' said:

インフルエンザで寝込んでいるときも、４０度の熱が三日間下がらない時も、一週間３８度から熱が下がらずいた時も夫に休んで欲しいと思ったことはありませんでした。夫の職種が営業だったので客先と約束があれば休めないのも仕方がないし、客先と急に約束が入ったら帰れないのも仕方がないので。会社に勤めてお給料を頂いている以上会社に損害を与えるような休暇をとれないのは当たり前。
トピ主様のご主人の業種がわかりませんが当人の体調不良と家族の体調不良はまた別でしょう。夫の風邪を理由に仕事を休む妻というのもありえないと思いますがどう思いますか？

Miri says you must consider your husband's reputation.

旦那さんのお仕事の形態にもよると思いますが、急なお休みは周りにとても迷惑をかける事となります。それに自分(妻）の管理が出来ていない事で夫の会社に迷惑をかけるなぞ夫の評価を下げる事と思って居ます。
妻が病気(入院する様な病気以外）夫が会社休むは普通とは思えません。ヘルパーさん頼むとか考えます。

Teardrop recalls a similar experience. Her husband went off to drink with his work buddies when she was sick, resulting in a huge fight.

でももっとびっくりしたのはこの話をした時の女性達の反応！「そんなことで・・・。」という反応なんですよね。ウチなんてもっとひどいわよ～って。
妻たちはみんなこういう仕打ちに慣れてしまって、感覚がマヒしてしまっているんだなぁって、悲しく思ったことを覚えています。
でもあれから数年・・・完全に私もマヒしてます。

Kanon says her husband shows his love in a different way.

夫の会社の激務や夫の社内での立場を思えば「体調悪いから帰ってきて！」とは言えません。私の体調の悪い時に夕飯を外で済ませてきてくれる。駅の自販機でポカリを買ってきてくれる。私にはそれだけで十分に優しい夫です。

‘Kengyo-shufu' (Working housewife) said:

ちゃんと仕事をしたことないから言える言葉だと思います。
ご主人だって休みたいんだと思います。でも休めないんですよ。自分が体調悪くて休むのは周りに風邪をうつしてはいけないとかそういったことではないですか?
簡単に休めないという現在の多くの日本の企業が問題だと思いますが休めないのが現実です。

Some are sympathetic, like nabe.

リナさんの言うことは正しいです。全然わがままではありません。
　私はもちろん休んでいます。 […] 妻が病気になっても働く時代は終わってます。
二人で力を合わせて生活守って時代です

Pochi is surprised at how harsh everybody is, and sarcastically asks if they work 15-16 hours each day of the year.

家族がせっぱつまった状態のときに、仕事のほうがどうにか都合がつきそうだったら、少々遅刻して病院につれていくとか、コンビニで食料を調達するとか、残業はせずに急いで帰ってくるとかするのは社会人失格？頭から「休めるわけない！！」と決めつけるのは、ストイックな姿を会社の人に見せたいから？自分の楽しみのために有給をとることもあるでしょう。（有給をとって友人とゴルフにいく上司をなんども見てます）

Tokumei says it depends on how sick you are and goes on to say:

結婚生活を快適に過ごすこつは、お互いに相手に期待しないことではないかともうすぐ銀婚式の私は思っています。期待すると裏切られたと思うし、期待しなければ些細な優しさもありがたく感じられます。再婚の際の参考までに

This is Echika's advice:

うちの会社の場合、男性が家庭の事情で会社を休むと、上司はあまりよく言いません。なので、私も自分の体調不良と偽って休暇をとり、妻の看病をしました。

‘Usuaji' says that this would be impossible at his/her company.

でも、文句を言い続けて一生夫婦であり続けることよりも、離婚と言う手段を選んだトピ主さんの勇気は素晴らしいと思います。

Nya says it can be bothersome but men are not good at guessing what women want, unless it's spelled out.

妻が病気の時、「食事を作るのは難しいだろうから、外食して帰るよ」という夫さん、よくいますよ。高熱で起きられない妻の食事は??思いつきません。面倒だけど「作れないのでコレコレを買ってきて(何か買ってとまかせると、こってりしたコンビニ弁当とか買ってきてしまう)」

It must be noted that Hatsugen Komachi is very female oriented or even housewife oriented. An interesting tangent to this story is that reactions from Hatena, a much more male oriented community, was totally different (There is no job in the world that's more important than the health of myself or my family. 自分、もしくは家族の健康にも優先する仕事なんてこの世に一つもない。) as was the discussion on the professional SNS LinkedIn (login required: Japanese Businesspeople Even Sacrifice His & Her Families) but that's a story for another day.

By Flickr id: Ushio Shugo

In September, Makoto Yuasa, Secretary-general of Anti Poverty Network (反貧困 Han Hinkon) [ja], had already pointed to the problem explaining Japan's poverty issue in this way [en]:

Ever since the high economic growth of the 1960s, Japan has inhabited the myth that all Japanese people belong to the middle class. However, Japanese-style employment, which is at the heart of this myth, has been transformed by the increase in nonregular employment and other factors, and a growing number of Japanese live in poverty.

As many debate on their blogs, nowadays the income gap in Japan is far from being new. When the economic Bubble burst in the early 90s it revealed the weaknesses in the Japanese system and since then many experts say the country has never completely recovered from recession.
Ysaki suggests how this problem has always existed but have been regarded by most Japanese as a somebody else's problem.

この記事を最初に見た時に、私は部落問題に近いな、と感じたんです。それは、私たちの隣に確実にその問題があるのに、知らないふりをする。見ない振りをし、無関係を装ってきた。

Miyabi-tale considers that the issue has a long history and that responsibility must be traced back to political inertia.　

驚くべきは、この数字が今年ではなくて数年前のデータでさえすでに7人に1人いるという事実で、リーマンショック以降の世界恐慌の不景気のあとでは今現在では少なく見ても5人に1人はそれくらいの値になっていると考えられることである。自民政権下では、公式発表的に「日本に貧困はない」「一億総中流家庭」なんていうキャッチコピーもあったわけだが、現実はまったくそうでないということが改めて浮き彫りにされたわけである。

By Flickr id: caribb

There are those though who prefer to consider the other side of the coin.
Ukkii hopes that this black period in the Japanese social and economic history would bring a return of the strength of spirit for which the Japanese people are renowned.

し・か・し
国の景気が良くなるまでこのままでいいのだろうか
貧しかった戦後の日本国民は、みな必死で頑張ってここまでよくなってきています
あの時代のハングリー精神があればきっと国を変えれなくとも企業の生き残りは可能だと思います
私は一社員でありますが社長のような視点で物事を考えていくことを目標としています
視野を広げればいろんなことに発見や改善が見えてくるからです
ハングリー精神なんて言葉、現代では死語なのかもしれませんが
僕はこの言葉を提唱していきたいと思います

At a high level, there are national policy issues. The Child Welfare law has seen little change in post-war Japan, and modern concerns with agencies turning a substantial profit from organizing adoptions have been growing steadily. The law states that adoption agencies may only charge what they need to cover costs; costs are identified as falling into ten categories, such as transportation, consultation charges, and the like. Problems arise with the relatively ubiquitous “donation” system many of these agencies utilize. Naturally, a non-profit group is bound to seek donations to provide the capital needed to keep the organization financially stable, however this is a system easily abused.

An international adoption blogger notes a past case:

In one instance, a Tokyo adoption agency that featured “free adoption services” asked one of their clients–a Japanese couple living in the Netherlands–for a 5.5 million yen donation in advance. Believing the fee to be too high, the couple declined to pay. However, the agency then told them it would stop looking for candidate children, according to the ministry.

This is a cloudy area to monitor, as discerning legitimate donations from profit-seeking extortion can in many cases be a difficult judgment to make.

In the last three years, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare has attempted to encourage municipal and prefectural governments to tighten the local regulation of independent agencies. Many orphanages and foster care organizations are quite small and independent, making local authorities the necessary leader in stimulating change. That said, some challenge that the entire adoption process would benefit from being government-regulated; that agencies should require licensing and be made to adhere to federally-applied screenings. Reasons for seeking federal responsibility stem from concerns of the end result of international adoption, namely human rights violations and exploitation such as child pornography.

Hiroto Suzuki, a professor at Chuo University is quoted on this matter:

“The existing simple registration system should be replaced by a system under which adoption agencies are not allowed to operate without government screening or a license. The current framework is inadequate for bringing the real state of affairs to light.”

at the court of TMG (Tokyo Metropolitan Government) by Flickr user midorisyu

Turning the focus to adoptions entirely within Japan, there are a number of trends which are observable.

For very practical purposes, that is to say, not for emotional satisfaction, there are actually a very large number of people in Japan who want to adopt, though not necessarily young children. When elderly people are nearing death and are setting their final affairs in order, naturally the passage of their estate is among the more time-critical concerns. In order to avoid the taxes placed on direct parent-to-child inheritances, they adopt a grandchild, and will their estate to the adopted grandchild.

Beyond the tax-dodging, the continuation of family names is important to many people, and often, couples with no male heir will adopt an adult male, and will their possessions to him in exchange for the name change. Domestic statistics are not well-tracked, but it is likely that adult adoptions for the purpose of preserving the family name make up the lion's share of legal adoptions conducted in Japan.

This latter trend points us to one of the critical issues facing abandoned and orphaned children in Japan: the importance and strict nature of family records has established a mindset through which adopting a child is an option looked down upon by many. The family koseki (戸籍), official documentation recording family progression (marriage, birth, death, etc.)  over the years remains influential to this day, and while with many younger individuals it has no influence on forging new relationships, there are still cases in which business/employment opportunities, marriages, and other such situations are negatively impacted by an abnormality in the family records, which could include adoption. Furthermore, older relatives may vocally disapprove of the adoption of a child, creating a distinct point of tension.

To get a better look at the complexity and intra-familial issues that can arise along with or as a result of seeking an adoption, let's take a look at a case blogged about recently by sakaidesu45, relating his personal situation.

そんな曾祖父に、幼い頃から「ウチの会社の跡取りだ」と言われていました。（祖母の話によると、会社の会議でも言っていたそうです。）
曾祖父も亡くなり、跡取りの話も無くなったかと思っていたら、今度は祖母が「○○家(祖母の家）を継いで欲しい」と言われました。

言われた、理由は僕が考える限り２つあります。
１つ
祖母には弟（大叔父）がおり、大叔父は２人の子供もいます。
祖母は、大叔父の嫁とその２人の子供を憎んでおり、曾祖父が残してくれた遺産も墓も、渡さまいと、すでに大叔父に遺言も書かせています。

２つ
祖母は僕の父親も、嫌いなのです。（僕の本当の父親でもありません。（義父））
義父を祖母は、死んでも許しはしません。

ですので、遺産を大叔父達にも渡さず、僕の両親にも渡したくないので、僕を養子縁組する事で、曾祖父から受け継いだ全ての物を守ろうと考えているようです。

Since I was very young, I was told by my great-grandfather that I was the heir to the family business. (According to my grandmother's stories, he would even say this at company meetings). With my great-grandfather's passing, I thought the discussion of my inheriting anything was gone as well. That is, until my grandmother asked me to carry on her family name.
For this, there are two reasons which I can come up with.
1. My grandmother has a younger brother (my great uncle), and he has two children. My grandmother bears a great deal of ill will towards this younger brother's wife and kids, and has already made him write his will so that his wife and children cannot receive the family inheritance.
2. She also is resentful of my father, whom she will under no circumstances approve of (He is actually my step-father).
As a result of all this, my grandmother does not wish to pass the inheritance on to my parents, nor to my great-uncle, and by adopting me, it seems she feels that she can protect and safely pass on all the things she succeeded from her father.

There are presently a number of conflicting forces at play: a disapproval of adoption from those valuing past norms, yet many of these people are the ones adopting heirs into their family near the end of their lives. This negative viewpoint also clashes with the many younger families who are seeking to adopt, rejecting past ideals and placing the importance on their present family. Legally, progress has been slow. In the late 1980s, the law was changed to allow adopted children to remove their biological family name from their koseki, which makes concealing an adoption easier on their end… pragmatically, this is a useful change, but it reflects clearly the remaining national discomfort with such familial “abnormalities.”

On a support thread created by someone dealing with issues of realizing their adopted status later in life, user alice0614 relates her own experiences.

私も０歳で養子に出され、３年程前に戸籍謄本を出した際に気づきました。我が家では両親との仲がとても良かった為、打ち明けるかどうか１週間程悩みましたが知ってしまった事を隠し続ける事も辛くなり、正直に話しました。

両親も私が結婚する際に話そうと思っていたようなので、御両親様もいつかは話さなければと胸にひっかかるものを持ちながら過ごしておられるのでしょう。あなた様のほうから打ち明け、安心させてあげてはいかがですか？

I also was adopted when I was less than a year old, and I first learned this three years ago, when I received a copy of my family registry. Because I had a very close relationship with my parents, I spent a week or so worrying whether I should talk to them or not. Continuing to hide this knowledge became increasingly difficult however, and in the end I conversed with them honestly.
Apparently, my parents intended to speak with me about it when I was to get married. Perhaps your parents are also living with the knowledge that they must tell you the truth sooner or later. How do you feel about bringing this up to them and relieving them of this anxiety yourself?

The widespread assumption that children being raised by foster families are living unsatisfactory lives plays a large role in the laws governing child custody in Japan. The Japan Times explores the ways in which child foster care is conducted shines light on the practical implications of ideological issues.

Sakamoto explained that the “ie seido” traditional social system, which places family ties above children's individual rights, forms the basis for parental custody rights granting even abusive mothers and fathers powerful influence over the lives of their children.

When those children are moved into the protective care of the state, such traditional values, plus jealousy toward potential foster parents, often prompt biological parents to bar their children from foster care or yank them away from a foster family after the children have settled in.

It is the tension between traditional (some might say antiquated) and modern family values which is keeping the children living in state-run facilities from entering into adoptive families (be it permanently, or at all), and both sides lose as a result.

User ofukubird comments on the estimated length of his adoption experience:

自分たちの意志を確かめるため、まずある中絶防止団体に相談しました。
しかし、待っている夫婦がたくさんいるということだったので、“まあ１年後までに連絡があればラッキーだね〜”なんてゆったり構えていました。

We first consulted with an anti-abortion group in order to affirm our own volition. We learned that there are many couples waiting to adopt and prepared for a long wait, thinking “if we're contacted within a year, we'll consider ourselves lucky!”.

How do the attitudes in Japan influence opinion on adoptions made abroad, particularly those of high-profile individuals adopting out developing nations? User yakusoku-movie created a poll surveying opinions on the matter.

最近では、マドンナやアンジェリーナ・ジョリーで有名な養子縁組。貧しい国の子供を養子にすることをどう思う？(択一)

（結果）
ー良いと思う (10%)

ーどうかと思う (47%)

ー親が生きているから止めた方が良い (19%)

ー親が生きていても、仕方ない場合もある (24%)

Recently, there have been a number of high-profile adoptions by people such as Madonna and Angelina Jolie. How do you feel about adopting children from poor countries? (select one)
(Results)
- I think it is a good thing. (10%)
- Ambivalent (47%)
- Because [in case] the birth parents are still alive, this should not continue. (19%)
- Even if the birth parents are alive, there are situations in which it is the only viable option. (24%)

The strong presence of ambivalent opinions effectively reflects the conflicting cultural attitudes towards adoption, illustrating how such conflict can leave many people without a strong single opinion, which leads to stagnation and stalls the progress of change.

A writer for ABCDane's story regarding Jessica Simpson's adoption interests includes some personal commentary:

養子を受け入れてたシングルマザーとして有名なアンジェリーナ・ジョリーのことをジェシカは「アンジェリーナ・ジョリーはすばらしいことをしたと思う。彼女のおかげで国際的な養子の受け入れ率が飛躍的に伸びたのよ。すばらしいわ」と話していた。

離婚の理由のひとつに、ニックは自分の子どもが欲しかった…なんていう話もありますが、子どもに「シーチキン」はチキンだ、といったことを教えるようなママにはならないで頂きたいですが。

Regarding famous single mother Angelina Jolie's adoption, Jessica Simpson commented, “I think [she] really did something great. Thanks to her, the number of children adopted across borders has grown rapidly. It's wonderful.”
One of the speculated reasons for their divorce was that Nick [Lachey] wanted to have his own children rather than adopting, however, explaining to the children their mother's “Chicken of the Sea is chicken” comment leads me to wish that she does not become a mother!

The comical nature of some celebrity adoptions assuredly lightens up the issue a bit, but applied to Japan, reinforces that the current state of loosely-defined standards and regulations on adoptions need to be tightened up, to reconcile unfulfilled desires on the part of children and parents, but also to ensure that children in any culture are receiving a proper marine biology education!

The anime tells the story of Kenji, an awkward teenage math genius who finds himself involved in an epic battle in a virtual world where he must become a code breaker and battle avatars to win. His allies are the members of a traditional, old-style Japanese family.

Official trailer by KADOGAWA Anime

Summer Wars [en], created by the award winning director and screenwriter, was received very positively by the Japanese public and topped 1 million viewers in the first few days after its release this summer.

MoriGuru particularly appreciated the mix of different elements and the family values that the film conveys.

テーマ的には人と人のつながりは大切だよねという普遍的なものみたいですけど、大人数の親戚とか、今の時代ならではのネット上の仮想空間とかそういう要素の融合が独特の雰囲気を生み出していたと思います。
正直言うと、最初は「あれ…なんかイマイチかも？」と思って観てたんですが
徐々に勢いのある展開が続き、一気に盛り上がっていったので不安は吹き飛びました。
鑑賞後に心地よい気分で映画館を後にできる作品だったと思います。
大家族って騒がしそうだけどいいなあって思いました＾＾

Taka also praises the anime and describes elements that he recognized in his own life.

観ていて、僕自身といろいろと共通点もあって、思いのほか感情移入してしまいました。
例えば、こんな共通点が。
●僕の出身が長野県（サマーウォーズの舞台は上田、僕は伊那出身）
●毎年夏休みになると、長野の僕の実家に、東京から従兄弟たちが泊まりに来て、
　みんなで大騒ぎして遊んでいた
●高山家は女系家族
●僕の祖母が春に亡くなった
●サマーウォーズの栄おばあさんの誕生日（8月1日）が、僕の家族と同じ

The movie has received also some criticisms, however. The ‘teenager saves the world' scenario, in particular, has made some [ja] consider the story too light weight to claim a special place in the viewer`s heart.

Blogger at Kz Loghouse feels somehow unsatisfied at the sentimental scenes.

感動シーンが満載でとても心にグッとくるものがありました。
ありましたけど・・・何か足りないような・・。
例えて言うなら「涙は出るんだけど、鼻の奥からツーンとくる感じじゃない」って雰囲気。

Summer Wars was first released as a manga to test people`s reactions and kazahoshi ranks the written version.

< 対象>
中高生以上
< 五段階評価>
・面白さ　　 ★★★☆
・読み易さ　★★★★
・文章　　　 ★★★
・補完　　　 ★★★☆
・総合　　　 ★★★☆
部分的に違うところがちょくちょくあり、ラストに至っては全く別物でした。
結論を先に言えば、映画には到底敵わない。

Alternate Income

According to Associated Content:

With the extremely high cost of decent childcare in this country and the ongoing problem of women being unable to collect child support regularly, more and more single mothers are turning to prostitution in order to pay their bills and support themselves and their children.

The report states that the Internet has opened new doors for these ladies. “Holly”, aged 25, was quoted as saying:

My ex-husband was not paying child support for our four-year-old son, and I was getting desperate for money… I placed an ad on Yahoo looking for a sugar-daddy type of relationship and met a decent guy that was willing to help me out.

This has apparently become a trend in Japan. Japan Today reports:

There are 1.23 million single-mother households in Japan, Health and Labor Ministry statistics show. Their average annual income, government benefits included, is 2.11 million yen—40% of the overall household average. A revised welfare law shrank entitlements in 2002. The current recession is choking off employment opportunities. For the 28-year-old woman Suzuki calls “Ruriko Kumata,” prostitution seems her only means of survival.

Not only mothers, single women are turning to prostitution or “hostess” jobs in Japan. News from Ground Report states that more young women are turning to “club jobs”, while Nurse In Australia, a blog by a nurse in Australia, reports that nurses are leaving the profession and turning to prostitution.

In response to a report similar to these, Wandaphull World, a blog ‘is dedicated to all the “REAL” women of the world”, states:

Ladies I know time are hard and we can barely pay our rents but this is not going to last forever, so pray and have patients. These are trying times for everyone but we still have to hold strong as women and keep our hearts, homes and body intact for we will need it all following the recession. Women are so much stronger than people give us credit for and I’m pretty sure that the “real hardworking women” of today will be as disgusted by this story as I am, yet [I] feel bad for the women who feel this is [necessary.]

Thinking Twice About Motherhood

Another effect the recession has had on motherhood is that many women are reconsidering motherhood. Bester News reports from Reuters:

Worries about the economy have led many American women to think twice about having a baby, a survey released on Wednesday found, with nearly half of those surveyed saying they want to delay pregnancy or limit the number of children they have.

Leah, a blogger on Work It, Mom, writes:

New York Times Magazine, WebMd, and Work It, Mom have all featured stories about how economic recessions negatively affect birth rates and the numbers of children per household. Expanding a family–whether the old-fashioned way or through fertility treatments or adoption–is expensive no matter how you cut it, and in addition to the three major costs I was stressing about last fall–maternity leave, childcare, and health insurance–there are dozens of other financial factors that might influence a couple’s decision to have a child…or not

Erica commented to this blog post:

I’m almost 29 and had really hoped to have my 2 children by the time I was 30. But with this recession, its looking less likely to happen. I’m hoping maybe next year, maybe things will get better. My hubby is convinced we should just be happy with the child we have because he doesn’t think we’ll ever be able to afford another one.

A recent survey by the Guttmacher Institute echoes these sentiments, finding that “nearly two-thirds (64%) of US low- and middle-income women of childbearing age say they cannot afford to have a baby because of the current bad economy.”

What Birth Control?

The Guttmacher Institute also found that women are either forgoing birth control pills or else purchasing cheaper contraceptives to save on cash during this economic downturn. The Women’s Rights blog at Care2.com stated:

The problem is, affordable birth control is not yet regarded as a fundamental right in this country… This isn't just about getting access to the pill - it's about basic women's health needs like pap smears or pelvic exams. And when the government is considering how it can help Americans weather the recession, family planning and reproductive health need to be high priorities.

Café Kim, on the Healthy Living Buzz blog, wrote:

I found the results of this survey alarming because if these women can't afford birth control, how will they afford the cost of having a child? What can be done about this?

Octobersmom, in response to Café Kim, wrote:

[A] child is a hell of a lot more expensive than a baby! If you can't afford BC then, joy of joys, the rest of the country can pay for your baby because you couldn't keep your pants on.

Francine Huff on the Wallet Pop, struggling families are now considering giving away their babies because they cannot afford to bring the children up. In addition, Wallet Pop reports that adoption agencies claim there has been an increase in inquiries from women who are considering giving their babies up for adoption. With these as a few examples of how the recession has affected motherhood, perhaps more will be done on the way back to recovery.