Warm-Soup Proximity: The Spatiality of Eldercare in Hyper-Aged Japanese Society

Abstract

Why do some people choose to live close to their elderly parents and how do they make sense of it? In Japan, multigenerational co-residence, a cornerstone of eldercare, has been replaced by a residential typology called kinkyo, living nearby. The optimal distance between the homes of family members, defined by the ability to deliver a bowl of soup before it gets cold, is considered a strategy to tackle the population aging. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical assessment of the intergenerational proximity which points to the need for further investigation of the role geographical distancing plays in future city planning. The qualitative data derived from individual narratives of four married daughters in Tokyo were obtained via online and mobile instant messaging interviews, through which real-life kinkyo situations are illustrated.

Keywords:

• Japan
• population aging
• informal care
• kinkyo
• residential proximity
• city planning

Acknowledgements

This paper is dedicated to my late grandmother, Mrs. Jingrong Peng (1927–2010), who always encouraged me to read and led by example that people contribute to society regardless of their age. I would also like to thank Roskilde University and my supervisor Professor Jørgen Ole Bærenholdt for his continuous support and suggestions to this work. Finally, I would like to thank my husband Andrew and our beloved son Miles, who inspired me to finish this work.

Notes

1. This paper is based on Xiaobo Shen, “Meaningful Distance: Living within Warm-Soup Proximity in Hyper-Aged Japanese Society” (Master’s diss., Roskilde University, 2020).

2. Satomi, interview by author, June 4, 2020.

3. Statistics Bureau of Japan, “Jinkō Tōkē: 2020 Nen (Rēwa Ni Nen) 8 Gatsu Hō,” Statistics Bureau of Japan, https://www.stat.go.jp/data/jinsui/new.html (accessed August 24, 2020).

4. Statistics Bureau of Japan, “Kōreisha no Sumai,” Statistics Bureau of Japan https://www.stat.go.jp/data/topics/topi844.html (accessed April 29, 2020).

5. Yoshihiro Fukai et al., “Gifuken Kani-shi Sakuragaoka-Haitsu wo taishō toshita Kōgai Kodatejūtakudanchi ni okeru Kinkyo to Kazoku Ruikē ni kansuru Kenkyū: Raifusutēji wo Kōryo shita Kazoku Ruikē ni motozuku Bunseki wo tōshite” [A Study of Living Near Relatives and Family Type in Suburban Detached Housing Estates as the Target ‘Sakuragaoka-Haitsu’ in Kani City, Gifu Pref: Through Analysis Based on Family Type Considering Life Stage], Journal of Architecture and Planning 85, no. 770 (2020): 805.

6. UR Chintai Jūtaku, “Kinkyowari,” UR Chintai Jūtaku, https://www.ur-net.go.jp/chintai/whats/system/kinkyo/ (accessed July 24, 2020).

7. Kōbe-shi Jūtaku Sēsakuka “Kinkyo Dōkyo Shien no Torikumi,” [An Approach for Supporting Kinkyo and Co-residence.] in Kinkyo: Shōshikōreikashakai no sumai, chiikisaisē ni dou ikasuka, ed. Toshio Otsuki and Jusoken (Kyoto: Gakugei Shuppan-sha, 2014), 101–108.

 8. Izuru Shinmura, ed., “Kōkō,” [Filial Piety] in Kōjien. 6th ed. (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten Publishers, 2008).

 9. Xueqin Li, ed., Zì Yuán [Chinese Etymology] (Tianjin: Tianjin Ancient Books Publishing House, 2013), 742.

10. A traditional Japanese flooring material.

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12. Akiko Hashimoto, The Gift of Generations: Japanese and American Perspectives on Aging and the Social Contract (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996).

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18. Ibid., 150.

19. Peter Townsend, The Family Life of Old People (London: Penguin Books Ltd, 1957).

20. Ibid., 101.

21. Ibid., 227.

22. Ibid., 112.

23. Ibid., 214–215.

24. Leopold Rosenmayr, “Family Relations of the Elderly,” Journal of Marriage and Family, 30, no. 4 (1968): 672–680.

25. Katja Kaufmann and Corinna Peil, “The Mobile Instant Messaging Interview (MIMI): Using WhatsApp to Enhance Self-Reporting and Explore Media Usage In Situ,” Mobile Media and Communication 8, no. 2 (2019): 229–246.

26. Ibid., 13.

27. For more information see Shen, “Meaningful Distance” 33–37.

28. Ome City Website, “Rēwa Sannendo Nenrēbetsu Danjobetsu Jinkō,” Ome City, https://www.city.ome.tokyo.jp/soshiki/6/18733.html (accessed October 31, 2021).

29. Ome City Website, “Shi no Gaiyō,” Ome City, https://www.city.ome.tokyo.jp/site/ome-style/15844.html (accessed July 24, 2020).

30. Nenshūgaido, “Tokyo-to Shotoku (Nenshū) Rankingu,” Nenshūgaido, https://www.nenshuu.net/prefecture/shotoku/shotoku_pre.php?prefecture=%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD (accessed October 31, 2021).

31. Detached houses allowing two families living separately on different levels.

32. Meguro City, “Ku no Shōkai•Rekishi,” Meguro City, https://www.city.meguro.tokyo.jp/gyosei/shokai_rekishi/index.html (accessed October 31, 2021).

33. Meguro City, “Nenrēbetsu Jinkōhyō (Sōkē) Rēwa Sannendo (2021),” Meguro City, https://www.city.meguro.tokyo.jp/smph/gyosei/tokei/tokei/jinko/nenbetsu_sokei/nenreibetsu2021.html (accessed October 31, 2021).

34. Nenshūgaido, “Tokyo-to Shotoku(Nenshū) Rankingu.”

35. Keiko, interview by author, May 16, 2020.

36. Yui, interview by author, June 2, 2020.

37. Naoko, interview by author, May 23, 2020.

38. Ibid.

39. Naoko, interview by author, May 27, 2020.

40. Anthony Giddens, Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age (Chicester: Polity Press, 1991).

41. Petter Næss, “Sustainable Mobility,” in Handbook of Urban Mobilities, eds. O. B. Jensen, et al., (Milton: Taylor and Francis, 2020), 398–408.

42. The State of Victoria, Plan Melbourne 2017-2050: A Global City of Opportunity and Choice. Available online: https://planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/377206/Plan_Melbourne_2017-2050_Strategy_.pdf (accessed August 24, 2020).

43. Paris, “Paris ville du quart d’heure, ou le pari de la proximité.” https://www.paris.fr/dossiers/paris-ville-du-quart-d-heure-ou-le-pari-de-la-proximite-37 (accessed October 31, 2021).

44. David Sim, Soft City: Building Density for Everyday Life (Washington: Island Press, 2019).

45. Cody Hochstenbach, “The Age Dimensions of Urban Socio-Spatial Change,” Population, Space and Place, 25, no. 2 (2019), e2220.

46. Patrick Rérat, “Residential Mobility,” in Handbook of Urban Mobilities, eds. O. B. Jensen et al. (Milton: Taylor and Francis, 2020), 224–233.

47. Gunhild O. Hagestad and Peter Uhlenberg, “The Social Separation of Old and Young: A Root of Ageism,” Journal of Social Issues 61, no, 2 (2005): 343–360.

48. Ibid., 347.

49. Ibid., 351.

50. Keiko, interview by author, May 30, 2020.

51. Sēkatsu Enjo (Assisted Living).

52. Yui, interview by author, June 2, 2020.

53. Ibid.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Xiaobo Shen

Xiaobo Shen, born in Beijing (China) and raised in Tokyo (Japan). Xiaobo holds a Bachelor of Literature in Environmental Art Design from Capital Normal University in Beijing, and a Master of Science in Social Sciences/Spatial Designs and Society from Roskilde University. With her design background and firm appreciation of Nordic sensibility, her research focus is within spatial design and its impact on society. She will continue her PhD research project “Third place as a welfare solution: New socio-spatial platforms for health promotion among the youth” with CORNELIUS VÖGE – Atelier for Architecture and Roskilde University.