You talk about the best things in your courses :D From my limited range of experience with Japan, I feel as if they actually pass down a lot more to their kids than we do here, although that might be my bias talking--I've only ever lived in one town in the countryside in Japan. Still, from what I've seen of the school system (which is fairly standardized) and the media, there's a real connection to the past that we lack here...if not necessarily LOCAL knowledge of the past. For example, I was watching this program on Akihabara, and they covered this fluffy-looking idol cafe performance...but I realized that some of the moves they were doing were taken directly from tea ceremony (kneeling on the ground and serenely rotating their microphones, rather than teacups). You see lots of echoes like that in Japanese pop culture. On the other hand, how many of those idols moved away from their parents to pursue their careers in Tokyo?

I am kind of glad that around here it's becoming more acceptable for young adults to live with their parents again, just because housing is so stupidly expensive. The things I learn from living with my own parents are pretty amazing.

I only wrote 6000 words of a short story, and part of that was already written before the month started, so I guess we both lost. X_X Although maybe I lost a little less? (I hit "random icon" too and I got something pretty appropriate.) My short story is at least getting toward the end...but it's probably going to take me forever to finish the rest of it, since the ending requires something clever to happen that I haven't quite worked out yet.