Since I started this book a while back, it feels like forever since I’ve read it, but I’m excited to discuss this with everyone! I know there’s quite a few of you who are just starting a book for the first time, so this might feel a bit overwhelming but please hang in there!
Definitely use the book to help improve your kanji and vocab studies regardless of your level, but I also believe thinking about the big picture of the story and understanding the underlying issues, themes, character development, etc. will help level up your understanding of Japanese. So with that in mind, I’ll include a few discussion questions to help guide the reading for those who want to participate. (Even if you don’t have the time to type up your thoughts, just thinking about some of the questions while reading might be helpful too.)
Discussion Questions
Safe to read before reading the chapter:
- What do you think of Hanabi? Do you like her as a character so far? Do you sympathize with her? Are you frustrated with her? Why?
- From what we learn about Hanabi’s school life and home life, what do you think will happen in the coming chapters? Why? If you’re reading ahead, what did you think was going to happen after reading chapter one? Did it line up with what you originally thought? (Try to avoid writing too much detail about the content in future chapters so we don’t spoil anyone who isn’t reading ahead.)
Thoughts
On page 7, when Hanabi describes the bullying she had to endure by Yayako and her followers, I remember the first time I read it, I interpreted the Sports Festival backstory as Hanabi being late or making mistakes, and that’s why Yayako decided to target her. But now having reread it, I realize that Yayako purposely made Hanabi late to events and did things to make her make mistakes. Hanabi did nothing wrong at all except appear lesser than Yayako, in her opinion, and that kind of just makes me dislike Yayako even more than I did before.
Unfortunately bullies tend to target others who appear weaker (and Hanabi lacking the self-confidence to think better of herself makes her even more of an easy pick for Yayako). Seeing this kind of thing happen in schools in Japan quite often made this scene even more painful to read, personally.
And just for some cultural context to anyone interested
In regards to the last couple pages of the chapter, the traditional expectation of a woman’s place in the home (cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids and making sure the husband is comfortable at home, etc.) is another one of those very real issues in Japan which I’m glad is being taken up as a point in the book because older elementary school and junior high school kids are reading this, and they should be aware of these issues.
Some younger generation families are lucky in that men are more understanding and accepting of women taking on careers, making it basically a requirement for men to help out around the house and also help support the children so women don’t get overworked as well. But those families are still not the norm especially with many men waiting until they’re 40 waiting to settle down and start families (as this is when their jobs and income are stable).
Unfortunately, those men are usually brought up in very traditional households, and unless they’re influenced by outside forces, tend to follow the pattern. If you hang around enough older women in Japan, you’ll hear them describe these men as the 昭和男, derived from the Showa era in which they grew up in.
Just from what my husband told me, some of the expectations his father had from his mother: she was the first to wake up early in the morning to get the laundry done so it could be hung outside to dry for the day, then she would start cooking meals (rice, meat (fish), miso soup, tsukemono typically for breakfast, leftovers packed in bento for lunch, and early prep for dinner - always a balanced meal to make sure the family ate healthy, no exceptions), wash dishes before eating with family, get the kids ready for school depending on age, clean the house when everyone left, finish prep for dinner, and if the food didn’t taste good and her husband was in a bad mood because of work, he had every “right” to shout at her and even flip the table (where do you think this game came from?) because he earned his comfort in the home. Of course alcohol usually played a factor as well, but that’s also another one of many of Japan’s societal issues.
So if you grew up in a home thinking this was normal, you’ll probably expect the same from your family. This sounds like an extreme case, but this is actually more common than anyone really wants to believe. This might not seem like a big point now, but it will help explain some of the content that come up in future chapters.