Well, yes and no. Economically, the division is maintaned. While gender differences appear to be gaining (no small measure) a curious footnote to your discovery would be that of Sayako--formerly Princess Nori--and Yoshiki Kuroda. Though 152 million yen isn't to be sneezed at, she in no longer royalty!

Here's the link to a short story in Daily Yomiuri:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20051117TDY02001.htm

Aki Hirota talked yesterday about how the early traditions and literature of Japan still impact the Japanese today. I have seen evidence of this in contemporary Japanese American literature, for example, in a novel I've already mentioned, Stewart David Ikeda's What the Scarecrow Said. If you recall from my other posting, the novel explores one family's struggle through the WWII Japanese American internment camps. (Speaking of which, I'm excited to share the diaries mentioned in Professor Sam Yamashita's talk yesterday--I just ordered it on Amazon--it will be a nice supplement to my teaching of Scarecrow). Anyway, within Scarecrow, the protagonist, William Fujita, thinks about Momotaro, the peach boy, story and tries to apply it to his current situation in the camps. In the original story, the peach boy becomes a hero in the story by fighting in a battle; he returns home as a hero. William warps the story to fit his own situation: his son, Tony, has just decided to fight for America in WWII rather than become a No-No Boy; William wants more than anything to prevent his son from going to war. So he changes the Momotaro story, so that it fits his desires--Momotaro never leaves home. Earlier in the story, William thinks that he can never live up to Momotaro--he could never be that much of a hero. In another contemporary piece, Ruth Ozeki's My Year of Meats, Ozeki recounts her year as a "documentary" maker working for an American meat company: her job is to film All-American families making dinners with meat, and then airing these films in Japan with the purpose of increasing meat sales in Japan. (By the way, this text is not recommended for students--too intense). The story alternates between the Japanese American documentarian and a Japanese wife who is watching these shows--so it is an interesting cross-cultural piece. At the beginning of each chapter is an excerpt from Pillow Book--the excerpts either reinforce the plot of the chapter, or, in some cases, they serve as an ironic twist on the contents of the chapter. Either way, the author, who is a Japanese American living in the 21st century, is still influenced by this early Japanese text. Studying these texts really puts the contemporary texts in a new light. One final note: I traveled to Japan a couple of summers ago--my host family gave me a frame with a beautiful Japanese illustration on it. I discovered yesterday that the scene on this frame (sitting on my mantel) is a scene from the Tale of Gengi--I guess this shows that the tale still has significance (even on a pop culture level) in modern Japan! [Edit by="tsprague on Nov 19, 9:16:03 AM"][/Edit]
[Edit by="tsprague on Nov 19, 9:16:43 AM"][/Edit]

Slightly off topic, but I thought that my comments would best fit into this thread. Yesterday I went to the LA convention center for a Japan Expo. It was very interesting. There I saw several points made in Friday's lectures confirmed.

The Japanese tea, ceremony must be the most regimented, ritualized eating on earth. I have to think this speaks volumes regarding Japanese culture and society.

Also Toto, to toilet maker, had their own booth and they had two models of their toilet/bidet on display and what appeared to be several potential customers.

and let's be clear...it is not a bidet!

btw, there is an optional music maker on the washlet to make pleasant sounds if you are making unpleasant ones

The "ThirstyTraveler" was in Japan on a recent show. The official name of Sake is: Seishu (sp?). There are over 16,000 different types of Sake! Kingo Shu (sp? Sorry I LISTENED to the program--no visuals on the terms...)is higher end. He went to visit a family that's been making sake since the Edo period--13 generations of sake brewers. First, the rice is polished, then steamed--fermented--brewed. Premium sake is brewed for 40 days. Different types of sake pair w/ different foods, but it goes especially well w/ miso based dishes. It is so popular that there is even Sake Icecream!

I do not watch much TV except for the news and "60 Minutes". For those of you who missed it tonight, there was a great presentation on the new CEO of Sony, a British gentleman, and the difficulties he was facing, taking over the helm of Sony. If there is a way to retrieve it, do. It is worth the viewing.

Wow ... 2:38 am now that's dedication to get the postings done . I have nothing to contribute but do find it interesting to read about Sony and its restructuring issues. IPod seems to still be the word of the day in the gaget world; surprising that Apple continues to have such a hold on this market. It is almost reverse with the auto industry. On the news tonight the reporter was broadcasting from the Detriot auto show and the headline was that for the first time, Toyota has outsold all other car manufactures in the US market. But perhaps the most newsworthy news is that China's first car was exhibited and will be available for purchase in the US starting this fall. The electronic world has until recently belonged exclusively to Asia ... appears that cars are next.[Edit by="rterry on Jan 9, 7:45:01 PM"][/Edit]