You go out every two or three days after school for dinner and drinks with juniors and seniors who belong to the same student clubs. Social life, not academics, dominates the life of many a Japanese college student. Consequently, you have to be extremely self-motivated to be a high academic achiever in college. A photo caption in the JJ article made another point about Smith women I found interesting because it applies the Japanese point of view and assumes it is unusual for a woman to desire physical fitness. Although the reporters are supposedly quoting Smith students, I don't think this kind of comment would ever be made by an American woman.
Physical strength is something anyone can have.
Perhaps the Japanese writers found this quest for fitness and love of competition among Smith women surprising because in Japan this is not valued by college women. Finally, although the reporters traveled far from Japan to come to the United States and observe Smith and the lives of its students, their report was disappointing because it did not go beyond the superficial scope of most Japanese fashion magazines, which often misrepresent many facts of American life. But I do take it seriously, because it is yet another example of poor journalism. It leaves me cynical and concerned about the vast role the media can play in forming public opinion.