There have been developed into 10 gathering places for senior citizens in Suwa-Nagayama, Tama New Town, in the west of Tokyo, of which Fukushitei, an NPO found by the local people, is the most characteristic. The utilization of Fukushitei has been discussed in the former study. This research studies the significance of both the existence and usefulness of Fukushitei for its users, who are senior citizens of Tama New Town, and the neighborhood by analyzing life styles of the users there.
Through the hearing approach, 48 regular users of Fukushitei are studied. All 48 people live in their own houses and are able to manage their daily lives by themselves. Most of them go out everyday, among them are few need assistance from their family members, relatives, or helpers.
All kinds of life styles are discovered from the 48 people: Some people go out only to Fukushitei; apart from where they go no where and do nothing fun with either their friends or neighbors. Others are so active that they go to different places making different friends, and are engaged in amusements or voluntary work. Their activities are analyzed, classified and discussed.
