In the Japanese bow, the bower expresses appreciation and respect to the person being bowed to by bending at the waist. This is a gesture widely used in tandem with greetings like ohayo gozaimasu (good morning) and konnichi wa (hello, good afternoon) as well as words of gratitude or apology. Bows can generally be classified into three types depending on the…
Featuring full-color photographs and illustrations throughout, this text is a comprehensive guide to Japanese culture. The richness of Japan s history is renowned worldwide. The heritage of culture that its society has produced and passed on to future generations is one of Japan s greatest accomplishments. In Introduction to Japanese Culture , you ll read an…
Manners and customs are an important part of many facets of Japanese life. Japanese people grow up picking up the subtleties of this unique culture as they go through life, respecting the invisible and varied societal rules. There are many aspects of this seemingly complicated culture that as a foreign visitor you will not be expected to know, but there are some…
Lisa Malloy/Provided Yiding Ma 16, left, hands over a barrel of rice porridge in the manner prescribed in monastic dining. Although Jane-Marie Law had done extensive planning of her class’ study trip to Japan, there were surprises: a valley pathway lit by lanterns, a private concert by a Japanese musician. “Every single day, there was something magical, ” said…
About three quarters of the land of Japan is made of forests and mountains. This is the reason why Japan features a very high population density and huge metropolises, most of which are situated on the coasts. The archipelago is located on a large volcanic zone – it has more than a hundred active volcanoes. Cities Japan’s population is mostly urban and there…
The typical Japanese meal consists of a bowl of rice (gohan), a bowl of miso soup (miso shiru), pickled vegetables (tsukemono) and fish or meat. While rice is the staple food, several kinds of noodles (udon, soba and ramen ) are cheap and very popular for light meals. As an island nation, the Japanese take great pride in their seafood. A wide variety of fish…
Japan is known for its unique culture and heritage, which has been preserved by the Japanese people since ancient times. The age-old Japanese traditions and customs which give a unique character to the lifestyle of the Japanese people have to be experienced to be truly appreciated. Some of the unique aspects of Japanese life are mentioned here as an introduction…
Some Japanese tea cermonies use traditional garden houses for the services. (Photo: Art Wolfe/Digital Vision/Getty Images ) Related Articles The customs and traditions of the Japanese people come from the rich cultural and social history from the Nara, Heian and Kamakura Periods dating from 710 to 1. Many of the modern traditions, including trends in the arts…
The cultural values of a country influence its national psychology and identity. Citizens’ values and public opinions are conveyed to state leaders through the media and other information channels, both directly and indirectly influencing decisions on foreign policy. The traditional cultural values that influence the psyche of the Chinese people are harmony…
W e Americans — at least those of us who are not Donald Trump — pride ourselves on being from a nation of immigrants. We consider the influx of talented, energetic strivers key to economic success. But across the world lies a country that thinks exactly the opposite. Japan rose from the ashes of World War II to become the world’s second — and now third — largest…
Japanese is the sixth most spoken language in the world and is used by almost 100 percent of the country s population. Most people speak a standard form of Japanese based on Tokyo language, although some dialects still exist in smaller communities. Actions Speak Louder than Words Verbal communication is less important in Japan than nonverbal, because the spoken…
Hiroshi Fujiwara s grey hair is a moppy bob and he s wearing what I can only assume are hard-to-find Nikes. My cousin asks why he showed up in sneakers, but what she really means is, How dare you show up to a formal family event in casualwear? Right now, Fujiwara is serenading my sister and her now-husband as they have their first dance as a married couple…
The term ‘omiyage’ is often translated as ‘souvenir’ in English, but omiyage are much more than that. Unlike souvenirs, which people often buy for themselves, omiyage are something people bring back for their friends, family and co-workers after a trip. Omiyage are typically speciality foods from different regions, which are packaged in beautiful brightly colored…
In an Aloha shirt and khakis, Ken Yamada doesn t exactly look like a Buddhist minister. But put the boyish 47-year-old reverend of Berkeley s Higashi Honganji in a roomful of folk-dancing parishioners, and he fits right into the sights and sounds of Obon, a Japanese tradition steeped in deep religious meaning and cultural celebration. There s more coming,he…
1 GEOGRAPHIC SETTING AND ENVIRONMENT Japan is an archipelago (chain of islands) made up of about 3, islands. About twothirds of the land is too mountainous for development, so almost all the people live in cities, most of which were built on the country s flat land (plains area). The country sometimes experiences natural disasters, such as typhoons (huge storms…
Japan is a nation known for its fantastic festivals and annual celebrations , but perhaps none is more famous than the festivities that accompany the arrival of the cherry blossoms each spring. From late March through early May, cherry blossoms bloom across Japan, welcoming spring with a burst of color unlike any other. For those teaching English in Japan, the…
During the New Year’s holidays, many Japanese eat osechi ryōri, a collection of traditional foods developed during the Heian Period (794-1185). It originally consisted of fish or vegetables simmered in soy sauce and sweet mirin but, as the years passed, other foods were incorporated into the compendium of dishes, including those that had symbolic significance…