The changing “Ie” in Japanese society:How changing community life in Modern Japan has lead to a change in Japanese values with relation to hospitality in housing

摘要

Homes are traditionally a place to house family activities and to host visitors. This double role has been a part of housing since antiquity. The findings of the Omotenashi Survey(see 2.1) implied that young Japanese felt more Omotenashi ( Japanese: hospitality) in spaces that were closed than open. This preference for closed space seems to correlate with the phenomenon in modern Japan in which homes have become increasingly closed to the exterior. (1) The causation of this phenomenon can be placed in the changing structure of the Japanese household, the Ie, and its connection to the local community.