Yobai

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/yobai

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the etymological meaning?Yobai translates from Japanese as 'night crawling'
2. What is the geographic scope?Historically prevalent across Japan, with particular persistence in rural regions
3. Why did people practice Yobai?Yobai gave young people a chance to meet and see if they liked each other before deciding to marry. It helped them choose a partner who matched them emotionally and personally, instead of only following arranged marriages.
4. How did a Yobai visit happen?The young man would come to the woman's home at night and try to enter her room quietly. If she welcomed him, they would talk and spend time together. If she said no, the visit would end.

Premarital Custom: A traditional practice related to relationships and courtship before marriage.
Meiji Restoration: A period of significant political and social change in Japan from 1868 onwards.
Agency: The capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own free choices.