The book contextualises the shift from the hegemonic post-war image of standard family life, to the nuclear family and to a situation now where Japanese homes are more likely to include unmarried singles; childless couples; divorcees; unmarried adult children and elderly relatives either living alone or in nursing homes. It discusses how these new patterns are both reinforcing and challenging typical understandings of Japanese family life.
Richard Ronald is a Lecturer in Urban Studies at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is the co-editor of Housing and Social Transition in Japan, also published by Routledge.
Allison Alexy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Lafayette College, USA.