First date means two people who have love relation or the relationship is being toward to love go outside and sharing　time.  


 
   In America, people start dating from junior high school in generally. 
Some couples in America are dating as a group date first because parents
don’t allow to do solo date.  The parents decide the age that children can do solo date.  Someone Erika knows in high school dated with another couples about 6 months because her parents didn’t allow to do solo date. In the case of solo date, couples go to dinner and watch movie in the first date in generally.




    When they do first date, they think about what they want to do in the first date.  For example, men may think about they should be a gentleman during first date. I think this is going to be a myth because it is a social thinks what you should do during first date.  The word “date” is a symbol of the first date. In America, date means the step to be a pair of lovers.  But in Japan, they use this word not only to be a pair of lovers but also for lovers. Therefore, the difference behind the word “Date” can be a symbol. 


    I think the first date is a rite of passage for parents and it is also ritualization.  For parents, the first date of their children is much important. They may ask children about their partner and sometimes they try to protect them from a danger.   At the same time, they can feel children’s grows.  I think it is a ritualization because the first date doesn’t have a strict order and it is more flexibility.  I will put it into transition stage because it is not restricted that couples who are dating are going to get married.



    The first date is a ritualization and it has a symbol and myth. And it is a rite of passage for parents.




Source



Erika


ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/デート


 

First dates may not be a ritual or even a ritualization, but they are part of the process of growing up and becoming an adult. First dates are part of the process of a rite of passage for both the people going on the dates and their parents. The young adults are trying to find future partners and the only way they can find these are by going on dates. The parents have to accept that their child is forging a new type of relationship. The romantic type. Something they didn’t have before they started being attracted to people in a physical way. As such this is a very early part of the coming of age rite of passage, so I put it into separation. They separate from being only interested in friendships to now being interested in trying a romantic partnership.   

Dating in Japan usually starts in groups. Yume’s friend had her first date as part of four couples. Either the group is already made up of couples or it’s all made of unattached people who are trying to find future dates. If unattached then you bring friends of the same sex otherwise a confusing message is sent. Being part of a larger group can make a date less intimate and also less risky. Solo dates are more dangerous, so it makes sense.  If you don’t end up liking your date you at least you have other people to hang out with. There is strength in numbers.

“Kokuhaku” is an important symbol of dating in Japan. It basically translates to “I love you”, but it has much more meaning than that. This word can be expressed in person, over text, or over phone. It represents a desire to be together, as well as a declaration of love and is asking for commitment from the other person. This can occur before a first date as it did with Yume’s friend or may occur after a few group dates when someone decides one person they want to try dating. Usually this is done by the man. In addition, men will usually play for the meal on the date.

A myth I discovered is that people shouldn’t go to Tokyo Disneyland for a first date. This is because at Disneyland much of the time is spent waiting in line, so there would be a lot of awkward silences. This makes sense as this isn’t somebody you know very well yet. You could say Tokyo Disneyland is a sort of symbol for older couples. It also represents something you can’t rush into.  It’s an ideal place for later on just not a first date. It’s special and worth waiting for.

I cannot find enough evidence to call this a ritual or even a ritualization, but I don’t think this is something we can overlook so easily. Nothing is very standardized or for sure, a first date can be anything a lot of people might do dinner and/or a movie, but that’s not close to set in stone. I mean “kokuhaku” is too short to be anything more than a symbol.  

Sources:
http://www.ehow.com/about_6500509_etiquette-dating-japan.html

http://backtojapan.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/japanese-dating-culture/

http://howtojapan.blogspot.com/2005/10/how-does-dating-work-in-japan.html
Yume