Mine & my friends' experiences might shed some light. keep in mind it's a mix of Japanese, Chinese, & Korean American experiences, we're mostly americanized but are parents are traditional so things like that may affect how relationships go.

The general, bare-bones rule is that you can depend on family but no one else, even friends. so it's expected you will be super close to your family while "friends" are just another medium to have fun (since it is boring to be by yourself).

Most of our parents (who are from their respective countries) don't understand why we value our friends so highly. They just think if they don't like it, you had a fight with one, etc then just forget about them & find a new friend that is more agreeable. It's mainly a issue of family will protect/help you in your time of need while friends may betray/abandon you in the same situation so best not discuss intimate stuff w/ them.

In fact the true reason for this relationship dynamic may have been lost. I think confucius & other dead old geezers wrote something down & everyone just lived life like they instructed & it is how it is today.

Now ABC/J/Ks have a special problem & that's we aren't 100% close w/ family either since the rule of the house is "my way or the highway." If my mom doesn't like my music, I can't like my music. So my music life is actually a secret. One Japanese friend even has to hide his visual kei stuff cuz it will not go well w/ his parents. I noticed that on both sides of the pacific you either have VERY rebellious or VERY obedient kids & there is rarely a middle ground for anything!

This isn't true for everybody, there are plenty of modernized families & close friends but those aren't part of the "Asian Tradition." Also, being traditional (wherever from asia one is from) isn't that bad-i just discussed the bad.

Sorry for the long post & terribly sorry for the ranting (& that it's barely relevant to Japanese relationships).