Living on your own in Japan Colin Y.

Living on one's own is a big transition from living at home for years. In my opinion, living on one's own could mean either just moving away from one's parents but receiving money or completely being independent from them. This transition in Japan is fairly similar to that of the U.S., though it differs in a few aspects.

At Tokyo International University, along with many other Japanese colleges, only about half of the students live away from home in apartments, while the other half live at home with their parents. Dormitories are very rare at Japanese colleges, so if a person lives far from school, they will rent an apartment if they can afford do so. Surprisingly, sharing an apartment with a roommate is uncommon, so costs are never split. Apartments around TIU are roughly 66,000 yen per month, which is about 660 dollars! It is also common for students who live in apartments to receive rent money from their parents.

Those who live at home do so mostly for economic reasons, though it is common amongst college students to want to leave home. Parents typically want their kids to stay  at home because they are worried and would be sad if they left, though they may not always say these things to them. If, however, they do let them leave, the parents will help pay for housing materials and will help their child move in. For many ASP students, living in America has been their first time living on their own. Many think living away from home has been a great experience as it has been more fun and makes them more responsible, though it does come with the price of feeling homesick from time to time.

After college is when most Japanese people transition to living completely independently. Many students go on to get full time jobs and can afford to pay for apartments themselves. Symbols for living on ones own could be their apartment key, as it represents their own place which requires their own responsibilities. It is believed that living on one's own will make him or her grow up and become more adult like. If a young adult doesn't leave home, they become what is known in Japan as parasite singles. These people may not be or employed or can be fully employed but still live with their parents well into their 20's. Majority of them do not help with housework or living expenses and do not leave until they get married. This creates the belief that they will not become adults until they marry, which, simultaneously, is when they will move out. These beliefs may certainly influence people whether to move away from home or not. 

I would classify moving away as a ritual as there is a lot of meaning in the process. Though everybody does it at a different time and there is no particular order to the transition, this can be seen as "performing" the "text" in different ways. I believe it takes place in the separation stage as moving away from home means leaving a familiar life behind.


References:

Takuya Koizumi
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Japan&city=Tokyo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_in_Japan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite_singles