This essay will compare the perspectives of A Place To Belong by Cynthia Kadohata and Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki. A Place to Belong is about Hanako’s young girl whose family is getting sent to Japan during World War II. Spirited Away is about a girl who must save her parents after they turn into pigs. The book and the movie both show that Japanese culture is impacted by tradition this can be seen in families, fashion, and age roles. 

In both, A Place to Belong and Spirited Away, family is seen as very important. In Spirited Away this is shown by the main character, Chihiro, doing many difficult tasks. In A Place to Belong the importance of family is shown not only by Hanako’s family always being there to help her, but also when her mother tells her that taking care of her younger brother and family is more important than taking care of anyone else. The movie, Spirited Away, and the book, A Place to Belong, show that family is very important in Japan.

Although in Spirited Away, marriage and big events are not talked about, many of the characters, including Chihiro, wear a kimono or clothing items that are similar. Kimonos are also mentioned in A Place to Belong multiple times. However, unlike in Spirited Away, kimonos are only talked about when being related to a special event such as a wedding. In Japan, it is a tradition to wear a kimono at special events such as weddings.

Age roles are shown in Spirited Away and A Place to Belong. In Spirited Away this is shown by Lin helping and being in charge of Chihiro throughout the movie, as well as, Yubaba being the head of the bathhouse and in charge of everyone else. In A Place to Belong, you can see how the age roles work because when Hanako goes back to Japan her parents are in charge of her and her brother; but, because her grandparents are older, they have more control over what she and all the family members younger than they do. It is common for older people in Japan to be more respected or to have more power.

Those were some of the ways both A Place to Belong and Spirited Away show Japanese culture. Even though the book and movie are about different subjects, they include Japanese traditions in families, fashion, and age roles. Hanako and Chihiro are both shown in places new to them, where they complete multiple difficult tasks to help their families. Age roles and kimonos are also present in the book, A Place to Belong, and the movie, Spirited Away. Age roles are not often talked about in either, however, they are shown multiple times; an example is Lin being Chihiro’s mentor in Spirited Away and the grandparents in A Place to Belong being able to change what the parents say.