Both the term “katei,” a translation of “home,” and the term “engei,” a translation of “horticulture,” began to be used in the Meiji era. Then, a newly created term “katei-engei” gained popularity to describe a happy family activity. In this paper, the author has made a research of the process of formation of this term by delving in literature related to horticulture in this country as well as Jogakuzasshi, a women's magazine of the time. As a result, it became clear that the term gradually became popular in the following way: 1) Iwamoto Yoshiharu advocated in Jogakuzasshi an ideal of “home” and “the happy circle within a family.” 2) For having a happy time, the housekeeping elements of cleanliness and decoration began to be included in a female role. 3) Household management began to be taken up in the magazine. 4) Gardening and horticulture were included in the household management. 5) Then, “katei-engei,” as a happy circle within a family, was given birth in the domain of horticulture. In other words, the movement upholding the importance of home and happy family activities, which are believed to be a modern family's origin, helped to clarify the female role within a family as to the household management, and brought “engei” into the home domain.

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The effects of soaking and soaking-freezing treatments on the water absorption and cooking time to soften soy beans, kidney beans and peas were studied. The soaking treatment effectively increased the water absorption and decreased the hardness of each sample during cooking. The samples cooked at 99.5°C had greater water absorption and underwent more softening after being soaked at 20°C for 20 h than the non-treated samples. A similar result was observed with the samples which had been subjected to the soaking-freezing treatment. The difference in water absorption and softening between the soaking-treated and soaking-freezing-treated samples was less than that between the non-treated and soaking-treated samples. The cooking time for the soaking- and soaking-freezing-treated samples to obtain the optimum hardness was 30-50% of that for the non-treated samples. The effect of freezing on shortening the cooking time for soy beans was more obvious than for the other samples.

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To help the elderly and physically disabled put on and take off clothes unaided, it is important to consider the way clothes are made. A test was conducted to determine whether or not healthy subjects could put on and take off experimental clothing (EC) in a seated position by pushing and pulling their arms through the sleeves, and the time it took them to do so was measured. When the elderly performed those movements, the body sway was also measured. The EC were designed by adjusting the arm-hole line (AH) in relation to the bust line (BL) using the length from the BL to the AH as a base for two pre-determined under arm sizes and three degrees of looseness. Eighty-three young women and 29 elderly women wore 6 versions of the EC at random. The minimum degree of BL looseness required for the successful completion of the push⁄pull test was found to be 28 cm for the elderly and 19 cm for the young. Therefore, it was learned that 36 cm and 23 cm of BL play were required for the elderly and the young, respectively, depending on the subject's build, regard for pull-over upper wear and comfort. Principal component analysis was applied to 18 items related to body measurements and the minimum degree of BL looseness required for the push⁄pull test. Four components were extracted. They explain the relationship between a subject's upper body and the pattern of upper wear.

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This study examined the “lifestyle (26 lifestyle items),” “proper etiquette on public transportation,” and “satisfaction in life” of male and female Korean high school students in Seoul, and clarified their characteristics and gender-related differences. A December 2004 questionnaire survey received 841 valid responses from male and female students in Seoul. Its major findings were as follows: (1) Among the 26 questions on lifestyles, both genders responded affirmatively about “getting into a prestigious university and company” and “doing things that attract people's attention,” reflecting social emphasis on self-fulfillment and upward mobility. (2) Factor analysis of the 26 questions extracted 8 factors (gender difference findings are in parentheses): self-realization orientation (boys≒girls), trend orientation, prestige orientation, introversion (boys>girls), gender equality awareness (girls>boys), dependency, family harmony, and leisure orientation. (3) Awareness about proper etiquette on public transportation is lower in girls than in boys, with more girls using cell phones on the subway or bus than boys. (4) Satisfaction in life: Gender-related differences (p<0.001) were detected in “satisfaction in school,” with girls particularly more satisfied than boys. Both boys and girls were highly satisfied with their family and friend relationships, with no significant gender-related differences.

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