1. Discuss the various customs that are part of Jiro's world but not ours, such as the customs involved in the offering and declining of food in chapter 2. Customs develop to serve certain social needs. What needs do the customs and social conventions of Jiro's world serve?

2. Yoshida says, "Ah—manners—they can be taught, but spirit—that is a gift of the gods." How is the balance between spiritedness and subservience to "manners" different in Jiro's world and ours?

Are we better off as a result of the relative absence of manners and ceremonies in our lives? Or do we have just as many manners and ceremonies in our lives as do the Japanese of Jiro's world?

3. What do Jiro's parents think about the events of the story? How do they feel about one another? How would the story have been...