2001 Volume 52 Issue 5 Pages 391-400
A questionnaire survey was conducted in the large cities of Osaka and Kobe per se and their surrounding areas in western Japan in 1996 as well as in the Mustang district of Nepal in 1995. The survey was designed to clarify the difference between the residents (23-84 years of age, 329 males and 457 females) in the above-mentioned area in Japan and the residents (10-81 years of age, 146 males and 139 females) in Nepal.
In response to “pleasure in daily life, ” about half of the Japanese replied “ratio, TV or movies, ” while the response was “chatting” in Nepal (both sexes). When questioned how they viewed “work, ” in Japan, younger people answered that they worked in order to earn money while older people, mostly males, regarded work something like natural obligation. In Nepal, most respondents worked for their family; they did not consider work as natural obligation. A significant number of Nepalese replied they would follow seniors' advice in order to solve problems. A high proportion of respondents both in Japan and Nepal stated that they found their living condition comfortable. The majority of the respondents both in countries stated that they would extend assistance to those in trouble. The Nepalese were more concerned about local community, family and others as regards ceremonies such as marriage. Most Nepalese considered traditions as a key to support their lives.
The findings show that the Nepalese have greater consciousness of being more a member of the local community than an individual, and that traditional activities support their living sense. On the other hand, the Japanese daily living consciousness and value sense on life seem to be strongly affected by the changing life styles; their sense of values as well as consciousness of daily life are bccoming diversified and the individuals concept seems to be weighed more than before.
