JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

Last night I read an article in an English language Japanese newspaper that discussed the Japanese female view of youthfulness and adulthood. The article raised some interesting thoughts. Somehow the article seemed to hit a note in my observations of the local society. In Japan is youthfulness viewed merely as a state of physical appearance and outward childish behavior? Is being an adult viewed as a status where females substitute the direction of consumerism from inexpensive bobbles to “prove” their maturity by displaying expensive trinkets? Or, on the other hand, is youthfulness a state of mind where a person retains the inquisitiveness of a child constantly seeking a better understanding of the world that they live in? And maturity merely a progression of the mental state where a person has learned to apply past experiences to their and society’s advantage when facing the challenges of life?