大阪女学院大学 Running Head: LIVING ALONE AT OJC Living Alone at OJC by Sachi Yukawa A graduation thesis submitted to the International Communication Course, Department of English & International Interdisciplinary Studies, Osaka Jogakuin College, in partial fulfillment for degree requirements. Advisor: Prof. S. R. Johnston January 26, 2009
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大阪女学院大学
Running Head: LIVING ALONE AT OJC
Living Alone at OJC
by
Sachi Yukawa
A graduation thesis submitted to the International Communication Course,
Department of English & International Interdisciplinary Studies,
Osaka Jogakuin College,
in partial fulfillment for degree requirements.
Advisor: Prof. S. R. Johnston
January 26, 2009
Living Alone at OJC 1
Abstract
In Osaka Jogakuin College, 91 students of 940 do not live with their parents, and 69
students of 91 live alone at Osaka. They have coped with school life and house work, and they
have experienced many troubles and culture shock during this college. In this paper, I researched
about their experiences. The methods were questionnaire and interview. The questionnaire was
givein to OJC students: six students who live alone, two students who do not live alone but live
with relatives, and eight students who live with their parents. I asked them about living alone, for
instance positive and negative points, or what kind of culture shock they had and how they over
came the problems. They say there are both positive and negative points of living alone.
Moreover, they had culture shock between Osaka and their hometown. For example, they had
culture shock about the difference rules or manners in public place, direction or rough words, and
fusions between city and countryside. However, all six students feel they could grow up since
live alone, and they all also recommend other students to live alone if they have opportunity. In
conclusion, they have experienced many troubles and culture shock, but they have enjoyed living
alone and they look at bright side of the experience.
抄録
現在、大阪女学院大学・大阪女学院短期大学に在籍する940名の学生の内91名の学生は親元を離れて
おり、さらに内69名は一人暮らしをしながら勉学と家事を両立させている。故郷を離れ大阪での暮して
いる彼女たちの中には、新しい環境での新しい文化に触れカルチャーショックを体験している学生もいる。
この調査では本学に在籍する学生がどのような問題を抱え向き合っているのかを調べた。親元を離れてい
る学生と実家に暮している学生各8名に対してのアンケートをもとに、一人暮らしに対する印象や実際体
験した問題やカルチャーショックについて調査をした。調査の結果、一人暮らしをしている彼女たちは何
らかのトラブルやカルチャーショックを体験していた。例えば、ゴミの分別方法の違いや公共の場所での
マナーやルールが地元と違い、戸惑いを感じたことがある学生がいた。言葉使いにも違いがあり、自分の
話す方言が相手に伝わらなかった経験や、相手の話と言葉に対して誤った解釈をしてしまった経験もある
ようだ。また地方出身であることにコンプレックスを抱き、都会生活に早くなじもうと無理をしてしまっ
た学生もいた。しかし、彼女たちはそれらの問題に向き合い、自分なりの解決方法を身につけているよう
だ。それに加え、「学生の一人暮らし」に対しても善い面も悪い面も持っているが、自身の一人暮らしの
経験で変化したことは何かという質問に対して全員が「自立できた」「自分の考えを持つようになった」
など、プラスの回答をした。また「機会があれば一人暮らしをするべきである」という質問に全員が同意
する結果となった。彼女たちは一人暮らしの中でいろんな問題に直面をしているが、充実ひた一人暮らし
を送っている。
Living Alone at OJC 2
Living Alone at OJC
Introduction
In Japan, there are many students who live alone and they try had to cope with both their
schoolwork and it. However, it is not so easy to live alone in new environment by leaving their
hometown, especially at the beginning. I also came from a small town in Wakayama prefecture
and I lived alone near school for four years. I enjoyed living in big city, but I sometimes felt
some culture shock in my daily life such as language, values and life style and so on. When I
realized different point of culture, I was surprised and confused. I think other students who live
alone in same situation like me also feel some culture shock. Especially, the students who came
from Kyusyu, Kanto or Hokuriku region seem to have many gaps between new region and their
own hometown in every respect. Thus, I researched about their culture shock while gathering
much data, and I analyzed about their culture shock and how to overcome those problems.
Literature Review
First of all, we need to understand what culture shock is. There is much literature written
about the definition of “culture shock”. In the literature, Culture Shock written by Dr. Carmen in
San Diego State University (1998) says “we can describe „culture shock‟ as the physical and
emotional discomfort one suffers when coming to live in another country or a place different
from the place on origin” (p1). For example, the way that we lived before is not accepted as or
considered as normal in the new place. In short, culture shock occurred not only abroad but also
in domestic country.
Moreover, culture shock has many stages and each stage can be ongoing or appear only at
certain times. According to Carmen (1998), it has five stages, and these stages are present at
different times and each person has their own way of reacting in the stages of culture shock. The
first stage is that all of the new things encountered are exciting for them and they feel only
euphoric about that. The second stage is to encounter some difficult times and crises in daily life,
for instance, communication difficulties may occur such as not being understood. In this stage,
Living Alone at OJC 3
people feel discontent, dissatisfaction, anger, sadness, and incompetence in many things. In some
cases, people also feel home sick in this stage. Then, the third stage is characterized by gaining
some understanding of the new culture. People become able to feel pleasure and sense humor to
new culture. Afterwards, in the fourth stage, the person realized that the new culture has good
and bad things to offer, and they start to define themselves and establish goals for living.
Moreover, the last stage is the stage that is called “re-entry shock”. This occurs when returning
home. For example, some new customs in new environment can not be accepted in old culture. In
all of that, culture shock has five stages, everything encountered is new and exciting stage,
negative feeling stage, gaining acceptance new culture stage, realize good and bad point of new
culture and establish goals for living stage, and re-entry shock stage.
In the culture of university students who live alone in Japan, there is little literature about
“culture shock”. If we say “different culture”, we tend to image that country- by- country like
Japanese culture, Western culture or something like that. There is much literature about the
differences of food, religion, education, language, race and so on the country as a unit. However,
we cannot find easily literature about culture shock in domestic, especially limited college
students who live alone.
We can find many books about manual of living alone. For example, these manuals say
about how to live safely at apartment, bolstering disaster- prevention countermeasure, or coping
with illegal business practice or door- to door sales. In examining literature on students who live
alone in Japan, most of that it has to do with safety and food. Little has to do with the shock of
living by one self. In the pamphlet Anzen ・anshinnahitorikurashi manyual [The manual on
safety and living comfortable for people living alone] written by Toshikazu (2005), it also
emphasizes safety concerns.
Moreover, some professors studied about Japanese university students, and they have
insisted there are differences between students who live at home with their family and those who
live alone. For example, many university students work their way through school today, and
Living Alone at OJC 4
students who live alone have a more expenses than students who live at home
(Zennkokudaigakuseikatsukannkumiaiunngoukai, 2003). On the other hand, there are very little
of data about „culture shock‟ of students who live alone. In short, very little of the literature
actually seemed to ask students what they think and what concerns they have living alone during
college. This research examines how some students at OJC think about living alone, especially
concerning “culture shock.
Research Questions
It seems that students have felt confused, anxious or something by the time they could be
gaining acceptance in a new culture in Osaka while studying at OJC. I predicted that each
student‟s experience will have specific problems or culture shock, and the symptoms will also be
different for each student so I researched about their culture shock, and how they dealt with it.
I have three major questions about culture shock of OJC students who live alone.
First of all, what kind of culture shock or problems do they have? Many students came
from all over the country, and they seem to have their specific troubles or distress in daily life
especially at the beginning of start of new life.
The second research question is how to overcome when they experienced some culture
shock.
My third research question is how does OJC support the students who live alone. For
example, have OJC staff ever discussed with students who live alone about their personal
troubles?
Methods
As for answering the three major questions, I gave questionnaire to eight students who do
not live with their family. Six of them live alone, and they came from Hiroshima, Kochi,
Shizuoka, Hyogo, Okayama, and Fukui. Two of them live with relatives, and one came from
Wakayama and she is fourth age, the other came from Chiba and she is second grade. In addition,
I gave questionnaire to eight students who live with their family and they all are fourth grade.
Living Alone at OJC 5
After that, I interviewed with one student who lives alone because I interested to hear her
thinking more detail by interviewing. She is fourth grade, and she came from Fukui prefecture
and she lives alone for four years. Then, next I interviewed with OJC support students staff to
research about students who live alone at OJC.
In the questionnaire, I asked about basic information such as their age, location,
commuting time to school as so on. In addition, I asked them the advantages or disadvantages of
living alone. These basic questions are not connected with „culture shock‟ directly, but it may be
of some help to prove an association between them and OJC students‟ culture shock. Moreover, I
want to know the different impression to “living alone” between OJC students living alone and
students living at home.
Students‟ Living Situations at OJC
At OJC, while most students live with their families, there are also a lot of students who
live along. This section describes the living situations of students at OJC by gathered basic
information.
Osaka Jogakuin College
First, we need to know about Osaka Jogakuin College. OJC was founded in 1884, and it is
an educational community based on Christianity. “Our aim is to raise up persons who search for
truth, respect themselves and others, have the power of insight supported by accurate knowledge
and rich sensitivity, and participate actively in society” (Osaka Jogakuin College, 2009). The
college has no dormitories, but is standing in the City of Osaka, so it has a good location to
access. According to the data of OJC in first December 2008, the number of four-year college
students is 609, and the number of junior college students is 331, and the total number of them is
940.
Living Alone at OJC 6
OJC is women‟s college which includes both four- year college and two-year college. The
four-year college has specializations in international management, international communication
and international collaboration in English.
Students Living Alone at OJC
First of all, Table 1 shows the number of students at OJC who do not live with their parents.
For the year 2008-2009 I gathered basic information of students living alone at OJC. There were
59 students in the four-year college and 32 students in the junior college, for a total of 91 students
not living with their families.
Table 1 The Number of Students not Living with Family
Four- Year College Junior College
1st grade 10 17
2nd
grade 13 11
3rd
grade 18
4th
grade 15
Other (admission or repeater
students)
3 4
Total 59 32 9
1
The Prefectures from which Students Come
Next, I researched about where students come from. Table 2 shows the prefectures from
which students come. The date shows not only the number of students living alone, but also the
number of students leaving their hometown and living their relatives or someone.
Living Alone at OJC 7
Table 2 The Prefectures from which Students Come
Wakayama
21
Tottori
4
Gifu
1
Hyogo
12
Chiba
2
Fukui
1
Nara
7
Osaka
2
Toyama
1
Hiroshima
6
Shizuoka
2
Niigata
1
Mie
5
Tokushima
2
Aomori
1
Okayama
5
Kagawa
2
Hokkaido
1
Kochi
4
Shimane
1
Shiga
4
Yamanashi
1
Most of the students come from Wakayama, which is next to Osaka. There are 21 students
from Wakayama. The next highest number of students is 12 from Hyogo Prefecture, which is
also next to Osaka. The third highest number of students is seven from Nara Prefecture, which is
also next to Osaka. Thus, more than 40% students come from close to Osaka City.
In addition, five students came from Mie and four students came form Shiga which both are
Kinki area. The next highest are is Chugoku and Shikoku area. For example, five students came
from Okayama, four students came from Kochi and Tottori, two students came from Tokushima
and Kagawa, and a student came from Shimane. In the area of Chubu, two students came from
Shizuoka, and one student came from Yamanashi and Gifu. Moreover, some students came from
Hokuriku, Kanto, Tohoku, and Hokkaido area.
As Table 2 shows most of OJC students who leave their hometown came from Kinki area
especially from Wakayama, Hyogo and Nara. However, other students came from many different
areas like Tohoku Shikoku Hokuriku. In short, 91 OJC students came from all over the country.
Living Alone at OJC 8
The Type of Property to Live in
Table 3 shows the type of property of 91 OJC students who do not live their family. They
live in a variety of situations.
Table 3 The Type of Property to Live in
Four- Year College Two-Year College Total
Efficiency apartment (one- room)
35
22
57
Other types of apartment
9
3
12
Live with Relatives
7
5
12
Boarding
3
1
4
Under investigation
5
1
6
Sharing with friends
0
0
0
Total
59
32
91
The total of students who live in efficiency apartment (one-room) is 57, includes both four-
year college students and two-year college students. In addition, 12 of 91 OJC students live in
other type of apartment by themselves which is not one-room but there are some rooms. In short,
more than 70% of the 91 students who do not live with their parents live alone at one-room
apartment or other type of apartment.
In addition, of the 91, 12 students live with relatives in the Osaka area. For example, they
do not live with their parents, but live with sister, brother, or other relatives. Moreover, some
students live with acquaintance. Four students of 91 students board at acquaintance.
On the other hand, nobody lives with friends. For example, many people live their friends
in apartment and share it in America. However, in general, sharing room with friends is not
common in Japan. Thus, since OJC has 940 students, about 10% of the students do not live with
Living Alone at OJC 9
their parents and live in a variety of situations, and 16% of 940 students live alone at efficiency
apartment or other type of apartment.
Impressions of Living Alone at OJC
As I mentioned, I gave questionnaire survey to 16 students including both who live with their
parents and who do not live with parents. This section describes the impression of living alone
with a focus on understanding the culture shock of those who live alone and have come from
outside the area, and the different impression of living alone between students who live with their
parents and those who do not live with parents.
How Have you Changed since Living Alone?
I asked six students who live alone “how have you change since living alone?” Living
alone has some opportunity to grow up. For example, changing impression about living alone,
became independent, or became good at cooking. I researched how the six students changed
themselves compared with before and after starting living alone. Table 4 shows how have they
changed since living alone. The question is open question, so they had many answers.
Table 4 How Have You Changed since Living Alone
Acknowledged of the importance of parents 3 Became independent 2 Inspired by meeting a whole variety of
people
2 Changed attitude 2
Can control how to spend money 1 Have gotten good at cooking 1
The most common answer, the number of three of six is “Acknowledged of the importance
of parents.” Before starting living alone students depended on parents in all aspects. However,
they become to be able to do anything by themselves like cooking, cleaning, or something like
that. Especially, they feel thankful to their mother. When they live with their parents, mother did
Living Alone at OJC 10
all house working, so they realize it is so hard work and they became to respect mother compared
with before. Then, the experience teaches one a renewed recognition of the importance of family.
The next highest answer is “Became independent”, “Inspired by meeting a whole variety of
people” and “Changed attitude”. Since leaving their hometown and starting a new life in new
environment, the six students who live alone met a variety of people both at OJC and outside the
college and inspired by them.
After that, two of six answered they changed their attitude. They say they have own
thinking and opinion. The reason is that they feel they have become independent. By having self-
reliance, a student said she could control how to spend money, for instance, she keeps accounts
and she grasp the monthly budget like food costs or social expenses or sundry expenses. In
addition, another student had gotten good at cooking. In short, six students answered positively
about the question “How have you changed since living alone?”
What are Positive and Negative Points of Living Alone?
Then, I asked the six students who live alone two questions “what are positive and
negative points of living alone?” The questions are also open question. Table 5 shows positive
and negative points of their impression of living alone.
Table 5 What are Positive and Negative Points of Living Alone?
Positive points Negative points
Be not restricted by time 3 Hard to cope with school life and
housework
3
Can do as one pleases 3 Cannot wake up in the morning 2
Can be strong 1 Become to be lazy 2
Can be independent 1 Sometime feel lonely 2
Became to thank parents 1 Increase the number of times of eating
out
1
Can have opportunity to face myself 1 No conversations 1
Can get good at cooking 1 Be late to go back to apartment 1
Tranquility 1 Tend to be late or absent school 1
Living Alone at OJC 11
They have many positive and negative points of living alone. The highest positive point of
living alone is “Be not restricted by time” and “Can do as ones pleases”. They like to be able to
do anything they want whenever they want, for example eating, going back home, taking a
shower. They are not told by their parents what they should do, and they are in the selective
situation during living alone. For example, they can select eat dinner at home or eat out, or select
what time they back home. Moreover, they can invite their friends every time without parents‟
permission. Thus, they do not follow parents‟ advice in comparison with students who live with
parents. Instead of that, they have to do all by themselves, and it means that they have
opportunity to be able to be independent.
On the other hand, they also say there are negative points of living alone as many as
positive points. The most common answer is “Hard to cope with studying and house work, and
how to take care of themselves without help from their family. Therefore, some of them tend to
be lazy, for instance, cannot wake up in the morning and increase time to go out and eat.
Moreover, a student feels living alone brings no conversations and sometimes feels lonely in the
apartment. In the situation of living alone, we spend alone for a long time at home. As a certain
student mentioned she can have opportunity to face herself, but on the other hand, we do not have
much times conversation or discussion with family. For example, we cannot ask parents‟ advice
soon about school, job- hunting, or distress which like cannot ask others but family. Therefore
they sometimes have stress, and they feel lonely and home sick.
Comparing positive and negative points, they have both opinions about living alone.
However, I interpreted they have different mentalities. For example, they can spend their own
time and do anything they please while living alone and some of them think it is positive points
of living alone. On the other hand, other students feel negative in regard to that, For instance, to
be late to go back home, and cannot wake up in the morning. Similarly, some students feel living
alone is tranquility or can have opportunity to face themselves and theses is positive point, and
Living Alone at OJC 12
others think living alone means no conversation and sometimes feel lonely. In short, theses
specific matters which students who live alone have can construe both positive and negative. It
depends on how the student looks at its. In short, students‟ living alone is a very line between
positive and negative line.
Problems Living Alone and Overcoming the Problems
I asked them “Have you ever had some problems or shock since you live alone at OJC?”,
and five of six students answered “yes”. Table 6 shows their kinds of problems or shock they had
and how they overcame those problems. The question is also open question.
Table 6 Problems Living Alone and Overcoming the Problems
Kinds of problems or shock How to overcome
1 Sometimes feel lonely and homesick Calling old friends or family
2 Cooking Go eating out with friends
3 Give up friendship because of difference of
values
Have a talk with close friends or just try to
get used to it
4 Had to go back home when I am busy Do something
5 Difference how to separate trash
Bad manners (Smoking, spit, bicycle, traffic
light)
High sense of Osaka (Osaka is the best)
Gaiety
Word intonations
Using escalator
Adjust to the environment through the time
There are a variety problems and shock they have, and they have original methods of
overcoming the problems. As Table 6 shows, some students have experienced not culture shock
but just personal problems. However, other students experienced many problems connected to
culture shock. For example, student 1 sometime feels lonely in Osaka and misses old friends and
her family. In short, they do not have some “culture shock” in Osaka, but they did experience
some specific troubles and it is kind of occurring to people who live alone.
Living Alone at OJC 13
One Student’s Culture Shock
In addition, Table 6 shows student 5 feels many culture shocks in daily life. I was
interested in her answers, so I interviewed her about that and she told me more detail about
problems and culture shock which she experienced. First of all, I describe about her. She came
from Fukui Prefecture, and this is her fourth year since she moved to Osaka. She lives in one-
room apartment, called a mansion in Japanese. It takes her about 30 minutes to OJC. First, she
felt culture shock about the rules between Osaka and her local area. For example, how to separate
trash is different. In case of her local area, separating refuses is very strict. She has to carefully
separate trash and put name on each designated trash bag. However, the rule of separating trash is
less strict than her local in case of Osaka. She says “I lived in countryside, so I had impression
that cities like Osaka have more strict rules against separating trash compare with my local area.”
In addition, the rule of using escalator is also different between Osaka and her hometown.
When using escalator in Osaka, all the standing people stay to the right side and left is for going.
However, she did not have such a rule in her hometown. I also never had such kind of rule in my
local are, because my hometown is very countryside which is less heavily populated area, so I do
no need to stand in a queue on the escalator like Osaka. She also does not need to do that in her
local area.
Moreover, she had culture shock about manners at Osaka. She felt people in Osaka have
bad manners in public. For example, many people are smoking while walking through the crowd.
In addition, she thought people in Osaka often spit saliva in public place, so there are many rests
of spiting saliva in the road. In addition, she felt that there are many bicycles which are on the
walk, not parked in the bicycle parking lot. Other thing which she had culture shock about
manners is people in Osaka often ignore a traffic light while driving cars. She also feels people in
Osaka often drive on the horn.
Living Alone at OJC 14
Moreover, she had strong culture shock at beginning of living alone at Osaka about the
way of speaking of people in Osaka. People in Osaka speak in Kansai accent, and it sometimes
makes people who come from other prefecture surprised. For example, people in Osaka often say
“Anta” in Japan, which means “You” in English, to close friends. In generally, the word “Anta”
is rough word and we usually do not use the word, but people in Osaka use the word very often in
daily life. Moreover, they also often use the rough word “Aho”, which means like “Fool” in
English, but it is not so negative in Kansai accent and it is used in friendly manner and has humor.
However, she says “When I heard such kinds of rough words from people in Osaka at the first
time , I was really shocked. But I realized they usually use such kind of word in daily life and it
does not mean much.”
Other culture shock is about sense of person in Osaka. Osaka is famous for “Owarai”,
which means “Comedy”, and Osaka is the biggest city in Kansai area and prosper. She says:
People in Osaka feel they have strong sense of pride. I think they have never lived
outside from Osaka, but they think Osaka is the best prefecture than others. In case of
me, I came from Shizuoka Prefecture which is very countryside, and since I started
living alone in Osaka, which is a big city, I found there are positive and negative points
about living in city. At the same time, I also found positive and negative point about
living in countryside. I think only those who live in both city and countryside can realize
these points. However, people who are born and raised in Osaka tend to think Osaka is
the best prefecture in Japan. I sometimes hear such kind of opinion from them, so I had
culture shock about their thinking.
Moreover, she also had culture shock about fashion of Osaka. According to her, she was
surprised about fusion of girls living in Osaka, more fissionable than her hometown and she had
impression people in Osaka wear much make up. At the beginning when she came to OJC, she
thought everyone wears glitzy dress, but it was not true.
Living Alone at OJC 15
Through the interview with her, she told me more detail her episode which she experienced
since she started live alone in Osaka. After that, I asked her how to overcome these culture
shocks. She does not have specific methods of overcoming that, but she naturally adapted new
hobbies or rules through the times.
Views of Students Living Alone: Comparing Two types
I asked both students who live alone and live with parents same four questions to research
how they have impression about “student‟s living alone” in general. I researched whether there
are some different impressions about students living alone. These four questions are an interval
response format, called Likert, and I asked them to circle a number which is their specific