Faces of aging : the lived experiences of the elderly in Japan

The indisputable fact of Japan's rapidly aging population has been known for some time. But beyond statistics and implications for the future, we do not know much about the actual aging process. Senior citizens and their varied experiences have, for the most part, been obscured by stereotypes. This fascinating new collection of research on the elderly works to put a human face on aging by considering multiple dimensions of the aging experience in Japan. __Faces of Aging__ foregrounds a spectrum of elder-centered issues—social activity, caregiving, generational bias, suicide, sexuality, and communication with medical professionals, to name a few—from the perspective of those who are living them. The volume's diverse contributors represent the fields of sociology, anthropology, medicine, nursing, gerontology, psychology, film studies, gender studies, communication, and linguistics, offering a diverse selection of qualitative studies of aging to researchers across the social sciences. Successful Aging Through Participation In Social Activities Among Senior Citizens : Becoming Photographers / Keiko Takahashi, M. Tokoro, And G. Hatano -- The New Elder Citizen Movement In Japan / Nobutaka Doba And Shigeaki Hinohara In Association With Haruo Yanai ... [et Al.] -- Tension, Dependency, And Sacrifice In The Relationship Of An Elderly Couple / Susan Orpett Long -- Generations Apart : Burdens, Bad Families, And Elder Suicide In Rural Japan / John W. Traphagan -- Aging, Gender, And Sexuality In Japanese Popular Cultural Discourse : Pornographer Sachi Hamano And Her Rebellious Film Lily Festival (yurisai) / Hikari Hori -- The Value Of Talk : Critical Perspectives On Studying The Speech Practices Of Elderly People In The United States With Implications For Japan / Anne R. Bower -- Kimochi : Capturing Elderly Japanese Dialysis Patients' Experiences / Natsumi Morita -- Beyond Stereotypes Of Old Age : Discourse Of Elderly Japanese Women / Yoshiko Matsumoto -- Family Conversation As Narrative : Co-constructing Past, Present, And Future / Toshiko Hamaguchi -- A Good Story Is Not Enough : Unmasking And Accommodating The Social Meanings Of Aging In Japan / Hiroshi Ota And H. Giles -- Afterword : Successful Aging And Communication Wellness : A Process Of Transition And Continuity / Jon F. Nussbaum And Carla L. Fisher. Edited By Yoshiko Matsumoto. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Content: Successful aging through participation in social activities among senior citizens : becoming photographers / Keiko Takahashi, M. Tokoro, and G. Hatano -- The new elder citizen movement in Japan / Nobutaka Doba and Shigeaki Hinohara in association with Haruo Yanai [and others] -- Tension, dependency, and sacrifice in the relationship of an elderly couple / Susan Orpett Long -- Generations apart : burdens, bad families, and elder suicide in rural Japan / John W. Traphagan -- Aging, gender, and sexuality in Japanese popular cultural discourse : pornographer Sachi Hamano and her rebellious film Lily festival (Yurisai) / Hikari Hori -- The value of talk : critical perspectives on studying the speech practices of elderly people in the United States with implications for Japan / Anne R. Bower -- Kimochi : capturing elderly Japanese dialysis patients' experiences / Natsumi Morita -- Beyond stereotypes of old age : discourse of elderly Japanese women / Yoshiko Matsumoto -- Family conversation as narrative : co-constructing past, present, and future / Toshiko Hamaguchi -- A good story is not enough : unmasking and accommodating the social meanings of aging in Japan / Hiroshi Ota and H. Giles -- Afterword : successful aging and communication wellness : a process of transition and continuity / Jon F. Nussbaum and Carla L. Fisher. Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 16 Part I. Varied Lives and Experiences of the Elderly 30 1. Successful Aging through Participation in Social Activities among Senior Citizens: Becoming Photographers 32 2. The New Elder Citizen Movement in Japan 51 3. Tension, Dependency, and Sacrifice in the Relationship of an Elderly Couple 75 4. Generations Apart: Burdens, Bad Families, and Elder Suicide in Rural Japan 102 5. Aging, Gender, and Sexuality in Japanese Popular Cultural Discourse: Pornographer Sachi Hamano and Her Rebellious Film Lily Festival (Yurisai) 124 Part II. Understanding and Misunderstanding the Verbal Behavior of the Elderly 150 6. The Value of Talk: Critical Perspectives on Studying the Speech Practices of Elderly People in the United States with Implications for Japan 152 7. Kimochi: Capturing Elderly Japanese Dialysis Patients’ Experiences 185 8. Beyond Stereotypes of Old Age: The Discourse of Elderly Japanese Women 209 9. Family Conversation as Narrative: Co-constructing the Past, Present, and Future 236 10. A Good Story Is Not Enough: Unmasking and Accommodating the Social Meanings of Aging in Japan 253 Afterword - Successful Aging and Communication Wellness: A Process of Transition and Continuity 278 List of Contributors 288 Index 294 Annotation This collection of research on the elderly works to put a human face on aging by considering multiple dimensions of the aging experience in Japan. It foregrounds a spectrum of elder-centred issues from the perspective of those who are living them The chapters in this volume put a human face on aging issues, and consider multiple dimensions of the aging experience with a focus on Japan.