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Language
Japan's only official language is Japanese. Japan has a population of over 120 million, and linguistically, it is a nearly homogenous nation, with more than 99% of the population using the same language. This means that the Japanese language is one of the top ten most spoken languages in the world.
Related sites:
Japan Fact Sheet
Kids Web Japan "Say it in Japanese"
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Religion
The history of religion in Japan is a long process of mutual influence between religious traditions. In contrast to Europe, where Christianity overwhelmed local pagan traditions, the indigenous religion Shinto has continued as a part of the lives of the people from the earliest days of an organised Japanese state up to modern times. When Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the sixth century, Shinto and Buddhist beliefs began to interact. This is the defining characteristic of Japanese religion.
Related site: Japan Fact Sheet |
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Festivals and Annual Events
Japanese people's hearts leap in anticipation of the festivals that take place each year in towns and villages throughout the country. Japan was traditionally an agrarian society centered on the cultivation of rice and other crops. People lived by the rhythm of the seasons, and the harvest was a major landmark in farm life. Village festivals gave farming families the chance to take time out from work and enjoy themselves for a while. At some temples and shrines, festivals go back several hundred years. They are relaxing occasions that make people feel the weight of history and give them a sense of the sacred - sensations that are all too often forgotten in the pace of everyday modern life. Climatically Japan is a country with four distinct seasons, and many annual events are associated with the changing of the seasons.
Related sites:
Japan Atlas
Japan Fact Sheet
JNTO Illustrated "Look into Japan" |
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Traditional Culture
- Tea ceremony and Ikebana
Both these art forms share a search for truth through profound principles while mastering rules of propriety and formality. Tea ceremony stresses the spirit of wabi, a desire to be materially simple and spiritually free and full. Both the host and guests cherish the moment of serving and receiving a cup of tea as if they would never again have such an encounter in their lives. In Ikebana, seasonal flowers are arranged to create an aesthetic balance of flower, vase and the surrounding space.
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- Performing Arts
Noh and kyogen are two of Japan's four forms of classical theater, the other two being kabuki and bunraku. Noh, which in its broadest sense includes the comic theater kyogen, developed as a distinctive theatrical form in the fourteenth century, making it the oldest extant professional theatre in the world. Although noh and kyogen developed together and are inseparable, they are in many ways exact opposites. Noh is fundamentally a symbolic theater with primary importance attached to ritual and suggestion in a rarefied aesthetic atmosphere. In kyogen, on the other hand, primary importance is attached to making people laugh. Kabuki is one of the major traditional theatrical arts of Japan which originated from a 16th century folk play. All roles in a performance are played by males with gaudy make-up in magnificent costumes on an elaborate stage. Bunraku puppet theatre features puppets manipulated on stage by three puppeteers who are accompanied by a joruri chanter and a shamisen one man orchestra.
Related sites:
Japan Fact Sheet
Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts
Kids Web Japan - Young Masters of the Arts
JNTO Illustrated "Look into Japan"
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Modern Culture - Pop Culture
J-Pop, or Japanese pop music, and enka, popular Japanese ballads are the most popular genre of Japanese music. Karaoke, a backing for amateur singers, has now spread throughout the world. Japanese comics and animations are also familiar to the younger generation in the world. Among popular works are Astro Boy, Doraemon, Pokemon and Spirited Away.
Related sites:Japan Fact Sheet |
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Art
Diverse factors have contributed to the development of Japanese art. Both technologically and aesthetically, it has for many centuries been influenced by Chinese styles and cultural developments, some of which came via Korea. More recently, Western techniques and artistic values have also added their impact. However, what emerged from this history of assimilated ideas and know-how from other cultures is an indigenous expression of taste that is uniquely Japanese.
Related sites:
Japan Fact Sheet
Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts |
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Literature
The written literature of Japan forms one of the richest of Oriental traditions. It has received foreign influences since its beginning in the eighth century. Before the middle of the nineteenth century the source of influence was the culture of China. After the middle of the nineteenth century the impact of modern Western culture became predominant. There are two Japanese Nobel prize laureates in literature: Yasunari Kawabata and Kenzaburo Oe. The works of young artists such as Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto have been translated into many languages and enjoy a worldwide readership.
Related site: Japan Fact Sheet |
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Architecture
A notable feature of Japanese architecture is the coexistence of everything from traditional styles that have been handed down from generation to generation to modern structures employing the most advanced engineering techniques.
Related sites:
Japan Fact Sheet
Japan Atlas
JNTO Illustrated "Look into Japan" |
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Sports
Japanese of all ages enjoy sports activities, both as participants and as spectators. In Japan, sports are regarded as a healthy pastime that develops good discipline, builds character, encourages fair play, and instills sportsmanship.
Traditional Japanese martial arts (budo) have been handed down from generation to generation. Judo and karate have come to be international sports. Sumo with its history of around 2,000 years, is said to be Japan's national sport. After the Meiji Restoration (1868), various kinds of Western sports were introduced into Japan. Nowadays sports such as surfing enjoy popularity in the summertime and skiing and snowboarding are popular in the winter. In addition, professional baseball, soccer and other common spectator sports have a strong following.
Related site: Japan Fact Sheet
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Food and Drink
Fresh ingredients are an important characteristic of Japanese cuisine and a lot of emphasis is placed on seasonal awareness. The main ingredients in Japanese cooking are seafood, vegetables and rice. As an island nation, Japanese people enjoy the abundance of foods supplied by the seas. The influence of Buddhism, which was against the killing of animals, means that traditional Japanese cooking hardly contained animal flesh, dairy products, oils or fat. The main Japanese seasoning ingredients are fermented products of soybeans, for example soy sauce and miso (soybean paste), or rice, such as sake, vinegar, and mirin (sweet sake).
Ocha (green tea) is the best loved drink in Japan. It is drunk hot or cold, with nothing added and is favoured after meals or to serve to guests. Other popular beverages include sake (rice wine), liquor made from malted rice and other grains (shochu) or from fruits, and beer. Japanese cuisine today offers a broad variety of dishes besides the more traditional fare, incorporating elements from Asia, Europe and North America into the daily diet.
Related sites:
Kids Web Japan Cookbook for Kids
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