[ericmo]

I'm a Sansei in Brazil, which essentially means most people think I'm Japanese while the Japanese think I'm not, so I've peeked both sides and I can tell you this: yes, childhood in Japan can be amazing, but certainly Japanese culture in general isn't about independence, it's actually quite the opposite, it's about order and individuals adhering to his/her role in this order. "Do as your parents said, get into college, respect your boss." It's even kind of bittersweet that childhood in Japan is so good, because you'll grow up knowing what you've lost. On the other hand, it's also not all smell of flowers, because children being independent also means that if mom isn't home, you have to be the responsible sibling, it could be a form to shorten childhood.