A typical Japanese meal is a combination of miso soup, white rice, and side dishes. Rice is eaten after eating some miso soup and before eating one of the side dishes. Based on this Japanese-style diet, we evaluated the perceived intensity of and preference for salty taste at the start and end of eating miso soup in combinations with white rice and various dishes.

  There were combinations whereby the salty taste of miso soup was weaker at the end than at the start of eating. Various dishes had different influences, even when the salt concentration was the same. The salty taste preference did not differ significantly between the start and end of eating miso soup in combination with rice and side dishes. The salty taste of the side dishes compensated for the weak salty taste of miso soup, and maintained the taste of miso soup. When the same dish was combined with miso soup, the salty taste preference did not significantly differ between soups containing 0.6% and 0.8% salt.

  These results suggest that “a delicious meal with a light salty taste” can be achieved with miso soup with a salt content of 0.6%.

  The purpose of this study was to summarize research trends regarding problem-solving cooking practice that nurtures consumer-citizens in order to obtain basic data for teachers to design lessons to foster the dietary habits of consumer-citizens.

  The research methods consisted of a selection of keywords related to “consumer-citizens” in an analytical framework that utilized the “classification of concepts of consumer education” and an exploratory review of literature on problem-solving cooking practice that addressed this issue.

  The results confirmed the effectiveness of consumer education with a curriculum that utilized problem-solving cooking practice in order to improve skills such as “decision making”, “resource management”, and “citizen participation”. However, because this is a relatively new study, issues regarding the measurement of educational effects require further research.

  Brassieres are one of the essential necessities for most women, but many previous researches have highlighted the difficulties encountered by adolescent girls in wearing bras and the need for guidance. The purpose of this study is to investigate through questionnaires both mothers' and daughters' knowledge and behavior in wearing bras in response to physical changes of puberty, to analyze the correlation between mothers and daughters, and to reveal the implications for underwear education. The results showed that both mothers and daughters lacked knowledge, and did not choose the most suitable bras. Moreover, there was no correlation between mothers' and daughters' knowledge/ understanding and interest/desire to learn, but it did show that the mothers' behavior influenced that of their daughters. With their lack of knowledge with respect to brassieres, mothers were not confident about educating their daughters, and expected schools to undertake this task. Therefore, it may be concluded that both mothers and daughters need underwear guidance and a platform to enable both parties to communicate better.

  We conducted a survey of municipalities to clarify the current status of after-school places for children with disabilities (“CWD”). Many CWD use “After-School Day Care” and “Daytime Temporary Support Service” after school. These services are provided in private homes and social welfare facilities which are operated by private organizations. Although a lack of staff and care workers has become an issue, waiting lists and insufficient regional interaction are also problematic. “After-School Children's Plan” is another common facility for CWD. Although “After-School Children's Club” promotes accepting CWD, the lack of staff and care workers is an issue. In addition, “After-School Children's Classrooms” are not used very much and there is a shortage of professional staff.

  “Children's Centers” are not operated by many municipalities and the shortage of professional staff and insufficiency of facilities are major issues.