Happiness and the good life in Japan

Contemporary Japan is in a state of transition, caused by the forces of globalization that are derailing its ailing economy, stalemating the political establishment and generating alternative lifestyles and possibilities of the self. Amongst this nascent change, Japanese society is confronted with new challenges to answer the fundamental question of how to live a good life of meaning, purpose and value. This book, based on extensive fieldwork and original research, considers how specific groups of Japanese people view and strive for the pursuit of happiness. It examines the importance of relationships, family, identity, community and self-fulfilment, amongst other factors. The book demonstrates how the act of balancing social norms and agency is at the root of the growing diversity of experiencing happiness in Japan today.

Part I: Introduction 1. Happiness in Japan through the anthropological lens Part II: Family, Intimacy and Friendship 2. More than just nakayoshi: Marital intimacy as a key to personal happiness 3. Intimate relationships: Friendships, marriage and gender in Japan 4. Happiness and unconventional life choices: Views of single women in Japan 5. Physical intimacy and happiness in Japanese families: Sexless marriages and parent-child co-sleeping 6. Japanese gays, the closet and the culture-dependent concept of happiness 7. Grandfathering in contemporary Japan: Altruistic and self-serving means to happiness Part III: Self and Community 8. Makers and doers: Using actor-network theory to explore happiness in Japan's invisible civil society 9. Dimensions of happiness for young political activists: A case study of "Greens Japan" members 10. Living and working for the moment: Motivations, aspirations and experiences of disaster volunteers in Tohoku 11. "A really warm place": Well-being, place, and the experiences of buraku youth 12. "My life is Taiyo Komuten": On the relationship between organized football fandom and happiness in Japan 13. The midnight community, or under-the-counter happiness Part IV: Conclusions 14. Happiness in neoliberal Japan 15. Happiness as balancing act between agency and social structure