ABSTRACT
This chapter presents chronological portraits of eight of the women that I have followed over the period 1989-2001. It has been a difficult task to decide which of the 21 women to include, since each of them charted trajectories to adulthood that were unique and intriguing. The selection reflects my intention to show the diversity of the women’s experiences and their interpretations of them, and in so doing begins to explore the research questions of this book. The first four women, Miyuki, Kanako, Yayoi and Satoko, attended Imai Technical High school in the 1989-90 academic year and were known to one another. The remaining four women, Noshie, Sekie, Tomoe and Hatsumi, were final-year students at Sasaki High School during the same period. Some of their friends also appear and are referred to in the following portraits.
