Not entirely random questions

[thuviaptarth]

I swear I did try to google it, but I couldn't find the right search terms. Four not entirely unrelated questions:

1. Do people have birthday parties with their friends in Japan, a la Western tradition (drinking, presents, etc.), or is it just the more formal dressing up and visiting shrines thing?
   
2. Are birthdays determined by the Japanese or Western calendar?
   
3. How would you take care of academics for a kid with theater/music job? I.e., in the U.S. child actors with regular jobs usually end up with private tutors and take standardized exams; is there a Japanese equivalent? Or do kids just drop high school if they're over 14, since it's optional?
   
4. Where would one post Gravitation fic?
   

Comments

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

7-5-3 (shichi-go-san) is celebrated in the fall, when parents take their five-year-old boys and seven and three-year-old girls to shrines, dressed in adorable fancy kimonos. It's still celebrated, but it's definitely a kiddie thing. (If you want to see photos, I'll bring my album to NYC.)

Sorry, I don't have answers for your other questions.

[thuviaptarth.livejournal.com]

That is very helpful, though. (This *wasn't* the story for which I was asking earlier research help, btw, which is original sf and proceeding slowly.)