ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLE CHOICES : JAPANESE SNOWBOARDERS IN NEW ZEALAND

There is a debate in Japan which focuses on the lifestyle choices of young Japanese. The elder generation think youth are being selfish and not making a sufficient contribution to society in that they are not conforming to traditional societal expectations. However, it is not so easy to contribute to society when youth have been hit particularly hard by unemployment, changing recruitment practices and an increasing number of lifestyle choices being made available to them. Are Japanese youth being selfish or they being blamed unfairly? This thesis considers those young Japanese who choose to spend several months of the year snowboarding in New Zealand, looking into why they make this particular choice. I examine those Japanese who defer entry to the career track in order to pursue their interests, considering how this may be changing Japanese society, with particular reference to changing employment opportunities and gendered differences. Snowboarding has led to a form of individualism, but this may not necessarily be a dangerous thing for Japanese society. I propose that Japanese snowboarders can be a real source of hope for 21st Century Japanese Societ