Question

Discuss how daily life was transformed as Japan developed?

Answer 1

The Meiji Restoration of 1868 proved to a boon for Japan, as it introduced a phase of progress and modernisation. It also transformed the daily life of the people in the following ways.

1) Large ancestral families with a patriarch at its head gave way to nuclear families with the husband as breadwinner, the wife as homemaker.

2) As families started building new households, demand for both houses and goods increased. Large ancestral homes were replaced by houses provided by builders. These were easily accessible at a down payment of 200 yens and 12 yens per month for 10 years. Domestic goods like rice-cookers flooded the market.

3) Gender equality and cosmopolitan culture came into play. ‘Moga', an abbreviation started to be used for modern girls in Japan. It was representative of the coming together the ideas of cosmopolitan culture and gender equality. Women started taking up new jobs and enjoyed a new respect in the society. A brilliant example is Matsui Sumako, who became famous as a national star in Japan.

4) Several changes took place in the field of entertainment too. The first radio station in Japan opened in 1925. Movies began to be made in 1899 and soon several companies began making more than hundred films each with a motive of entertainment.

5) Public transports became a part of the daily Japanese life. Electric trams and other means of public transport began to expand from 1878. This expansion resulted in the building up of departmental stores at places which these trams connected.