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First Generation Aging, Second Generation on the Move: the process of generation transition in two suburban neighborhoods in the Tokyo metropolitan area

2008; The Human Geographical Society of Japan; Volume: 60; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4200/jjhg.60.2_144

1883-4086

Takashi Nakazawa, Hideto Sato, Taro Kawaguti,

Korean Urban and Social Studies

This paper examines the process of generational transition in two suburban neighborhoods in the Tokyo metropolitan area, focusing on the inter-generational reproduction of social status in their residents. One neighborhood is the Kamariya District located in the southwestern sector of the Tokyo metropolitan area. The other is the Yotsukaido District in the eastern sector. Both neighborhoods were developed in the 1970s as residential districts for commuters to the downtown, and are situated 40 kilometers away from Tokyo Station, the center of the Tokyo metropolitan area. The two neighborhoods are similar in the ages, educational attainments, and occupational class of the first generation residents: Husbands who are now in their 60s or 70s were typically white collar workers employed by major companies or the public sector and once commuted to the central business district by train and bus in relay, while wives stayed at home devoting most of their time to housekeeping and childrearing. The first generation residents of both neighborhoods think it ideal to keep independent of, but in close relationships with, their adult children.