On maturity

The Tokyo Study Center is a group of three very kind individuals who met us at the airport, helped us find our hotel, settle into our apartments, and guided us through our first three days in Japan. They manage all UC education abroad programs in Japan. They returned to their offices in Tokyo after those first few days; however, in one of their opening orientations, they gave us two definitions of maturity. In the United States, to be mature, they proposed is to be able to act independently and to be responsible for one's own actions and decisions. In Japan, a mature person is someone who is able to cooperate and get along well with others as well as someone who suppresses one's own desires for the sake of the group. "Otonashi" describes a mature person. Its definition means both "adult-like" as well as "gentle" and "submissive." Omoshiroi desu ne!