Culture of japan
Internet resources
1. http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Japan.html In this website, you can know almost everything about Japan, like the geography, demography, language, history, architecture, food, economy, political life, gender roles, marriage, family, education, religion, celebration, arts, literature, etc. The information on this site is really complete.
2. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/japan-country-profiles.html In this site, it shows different etiquette and customs in Japan, like meeting etiquette, gift giving etiquette, table manners, business etiquette, etc.
2. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/japan-country-profiles.html In this site, it shows different etiquette and customs in Japan, like meeting etiquette, gift giving etiquette, table manners, business etiquette, etc.
Map of Japan------distribution of volcanoes
This map shows the distribution of religions in Japan. The state religion in Japan is Shinto. However, parts of citizens believe in Buddhism. This image supports the cultural element which is religion. From the map, we can see that the distribution of Shinto and Buddhism is balanced in Japan. And the culture in Japan will be affected by these two groups of religion.
How it has changed?
Work-------This image shows the changes of working hours per week in Japan from 1800 to 2007. We can easily see that the working hours were increasing these years. At the beginning, people only needed to work about 30 hours per week, but now, they have to work about 43 hours per week. There are more and more workload for them.
These three images show how Japan has changed in the past. In the first photo, we know that the Japanese women have less children now. With the increase of economy, the families don't need more children as labors. They started to provide their children higher education in school. In the second photo, we can see that the income of Japanese became more and more since 19th century. Their life are better than before due to the higher incomes. The last images tell us that Japanese have to work more hours per week than before. Their workloads are more, and pressure is greater. In general, there are big changes in Japan.
Religion in Japan
There are two major religions in Japan: Shintoism and Buddhism. In Japan, 54.2% people believe in Shintoism and 40.5% believe in Buddhism. Shintoism is the oldest religion in Japan, was developed in Japan in 500 BCE. By researching, we know "Shinto (the way of the Kami) is the name of the formal state religion of Japan that was first used in the 6th century C.E., although the roots of the religion go back to at least the 6th century B.C.E. Shinto has no founder, no official sacred texts, and no formalized system of doctrine" ("Shinto origin," 2008-2013). Japanese Buddhism was come from China, "starting as early as 500 C.E., both lay devotees and monks traveled to the mainland, bringing back with them layer after layer of Buddhist teachings and practices along with other Chinese cultural traditions"("A View on Buddhism," 2011).
"Shinto has been a major part of Japanese life and culture throughout the country's history, but for the greater part of that history Shinto has shared its spiritual, cultural, and political roles with Buddhism and Confucianism"("Shinto history," 2009). Shinto affects Japanese in all kinds of aspects, for example, Shinto emphasizes the importance of family and tradition, marriage and birth are very important for followers.
As same as other religion, Shinto also has the sacred places, like ise Grand Shrine, Izumo Taisha , Tsubaki Grand Shrine. By researching, we know that Ise Grand Shrine is located in the city of Ise in Mie Prefecture, Japan. "It is dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami". "Izumo-taisha Shrine is located in Izumo Shimane Prefecture, and is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in all Japan. Dedicated to the god Ōkuninushi, the Shinto deity of marriage, it is home to two highly significant festivals". And "Tsubaki Grand Shrine is located in Suzuka Mie Prefecture, Japan. The principal shrine of the Shinto deity Sarutahiko-no-Ōkami, it is one of Japan's oldest shrines" ("Sacred Shinto Shrines," 2010).
The emergence of State Shinto showed the connections between the government and Shintoism. It was created in the beginning of the Meiji era and lasted until the end of World War II. According to the article online, it said "by having Shinto based as part of the government Shinto was one of the unifying forces during World War II. It was a war that affected almost every country on earth, and played a larger role than any other religion during the time. State Shinto was considered a patriotic ritual for all Japanese, and also brought about the spread of other religions. No one can deny the impact of war on the world, and by becoming an official religion of the government Shinto gained by becoming more respectable"("State shinto," 2002).
References:
Shinto Origin. (2008-2013). Retrieved from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Shinto.html
A View on Buddhism. (2011). Retrieved from http://viewonbuddhism.org/history_japanese_buddhism.html
Shinto History. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/history/history_1.shtml
Sacred shinto shrines of japan. (2010). Retrieved from http://family.wikinut.com/Sacred-Shinto-Shrines-of-Japan/1cupdisu/
State shinto. (2002). Retrieved from http://school.phippy.com/shinto/state.html
"Shinto has been a major part of Japanese life and culture throughout the country's history, but for the greater part of that history Shinto has shared its spiritual, cultural, and political roles with Buddhism and Confucianism"("Shinto history," 2009). Shinto affects Japanese in all kinds of aspects, for example, Shinto emphasizes the importance of family and tradition, marriage and birth are very important for followers.
As same as other religion, Shinto also has the sacred places, like ise Grand Shrine, Izumo Taisha , Tsubaki Grand Shrine. By researching, we know that Ise Grand Shrine is located in the city of Ise in Mie Prefecture, Japan. "It is dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami". "Izumo-taisha Shrine is located in Izumo Shimane Prefecture, and is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in all Japan. Dedicated to the god Ōkuninushi, the Shinto deity of marriage, it is home to two highly significant festivals". And "Tsubaki Grand Shrine is located in Suzuka Mie Prefecture, Japan. The principal shrine of the Shinto deity Sarutahiko-no-Ōkami, it is one of Japan's oldest shrines" ("Sacred Shinto Shrines," 2010).
The emergence of State Shinto showed the connections between the government and Shintoism. It was created in the beginning of the Meiji era and lasted until the end of World War II. According to the article online, it said "by having Shinto based as part of the government Shinto was one of the unifying forces during World War II. It was a war that affected almost every country on earth, and played a larger role than any other religion during the time. State Shinto was considered a patriotic ritual for all Japanese, and also brought about the spread of other religions. No one can deny the impact of war on the world, and by becoming an official religion of the government Shinto gained by becoming more respectable"("State shinto," 2002).
References:
Shinto Origin. (2008-2013). Retrieved from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Shinto.html
A View on Buddhism. (2011). Retrieved from http://viewonbuddhism.org/history_japanese_buddhism.html
Shinto History. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/history/history_1.shtml
Sacred shinto shrines of japan. (2010). Retrieved from http://family.wikinut.com/Sacred-Shinto-Shrines-of-Japan/1cupdisu/
State shinto. (2002). Retrieved from http://school.phippy.com/shinto/state.html
Map of religion
Religions
Loss of cultural diversity in japan
The definition of cultural diversity to a sociologist reefers to the variety of human societies or cultures in the world (http://www.speechmastery.com/definition-of-cultural-diversity.html, 2013). After researching, I know that Japan had experienced the changes in cultural diversity. "Japan actually has a long history (around a millennium and a half) of taking aspects of other cultures and turning it into its own “Japanified” thing. Many of Japan’s most 'culturally rich' eras came after substantial missions abroad that brought back various foreign goods and practices" (http://skeptikai.com/2011/05/19/is-japan-losing-its-culture-part-1/, 2011). These periods were also characterized by enforcing restrictions on foreigners from entering Japan. They often ended up with something quite different from, though still resembling, the original. The written language is one of the best example to show the cultural diversity in Japan. As far as we know, Japan has three written scripts: the main of which came from China, the other scripts were basically offshoots of the Chinese characters, and are now unique to the Japanese language. From this example, we can see the culture of Japan is diversity. Japanese combined the Chinese culture into their own culture, and to form their own unique language. When we look at the modern Japanese, we can find it uses a combination of Chinese characters; two kana syllabaries, which are 'alphabets' based on syllables rather than single sounds; and Roman letters and Arabic numbers borrowed from the West (http://www.cjvlang.com/writing/writjpn/writjpn.html, 2013). That shows the loss of cultural diversity in Japan.
Since the end of WWII, America has had the biggest foreign influence on Japanese culture, just as China had before that, and for most of Japan’s history. In some ways Japan is being greatly influenced by outsiders, but probably not in the way those countries initially imagined. One thing they changed was costume. According to the research, "the traditional dress of Japan is the kimono. Kimonos, which are generally made of silk, have large sleeves and reach from the shoulders all the way down to the heels. They are tied with a wide belt called an obi" (http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/housing/, 2013). However, Japanese costumes were as same as the other countries'. They won't wear their traditional costumes in their daily life now. That's the loss of cultural diversity!
References:
Definition of cultural diversity (2013). Retrieved from http://www.speechmastery.com/definition-of-cultural-diversity.html
Housing, food, and cloth (2013). Retrieved from http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/housing/
Is Japan losing its culture? (2011). Retrieved from http://skeptikai.com/2011/05/19/is-japan-losing-its-culture-part-1/
Introduction to the Japanese Writing System (2013). Retrieved from http://www.cjvlang.com/Writing/writjpn/writjpn.html
Since the end of WWII, America has had the biggest foreign influence on Japanese culture, just as China had before that, and for most of Japan’s history. In some ways Japan is being greatly influenced by outsiders, but probably not in the way those countries initially imagined. One thing they changed was costume. According to the research, "the traditional dress of Japan is the kimono. Kimonos, which are generally made of silk, have large sleeves and reach from the shoulders all the way down to the heels. They are tied with a wide belt called an obi" (http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/housing/, 2013). However, Japanese costumes were as same as the other countries'. They won't wear their traditional costumes in their daily life now. That's the loss of cultural diversity!
References:
Definition of cultural diversity (2013). Retrieved from http://www.speechmastery.com/definition-of-cultural-diversity.html
Housing, food, and cloth (2013). Retrieved from http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/housing/
Is Japan losing its culture? (2011). Retrieved from http://skeptikai.com/2011/05/19/is-japan-losing-its-culture-part-1/
Introduction to the Japanese Writing System (2013). Retrieved from http://www.cjvlang.com/Writing/writjpn/writjpn.html
Sushi in Japan
Sushi is a traditional Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients, usually raw fish or other seafood. Sushi is the most famous Japanese dish outside of Japan, and one of the most popular dishes among the Japanese themselves. In Japan, sushi is usually enjoyed on special occasions, such as a celebration.
The original type of sushi, known today as nara-zushi was first made in Southeast Asia, possibly along what is now known as the Mekong River. The contemporary version, internationally known as "sushi", was created by hanaya Yohei (1799–1858) at the end of the Edo period in Edo. Sushi invented by Hanaya was an early form of fast food that was not fermented (therefore prepared quickly) and could be conveniently eaten with one's hands. Sushi in Japan began around the 8th century.
The original type of sushi, known today as nara-zushi was first made in Southeast Asia, possibly along what is now known as the Mekong River. The contemporary version, internationally known as "sushi", was created by hanaya Yohei (1799–1858) at the end of the Edo period in Edo. Sushi invented by Hanaya was an early form of fast food that was not fermented (therefore prepared quickly) and could be conveniently eaten with one's hands. Sushi in Japan began around the 8th century.
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup uncooked short-grain white rice
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 sheets nori seaweed sheets
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut into small strips
- 2 tablespoons pickled ginger
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 pound imitation crabmeat, flaked
Recipe:
Reference: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sushi-roll/
- In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/3 cups water to a boil. Add rice, and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar ,and salt. Blend the mixture into the rice.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). On a medium baking sheet, heat nori in the preheated oven 1 to 2 minutes, until warm.
- Center one sheet nori on a bamboo sushi mat. Wet your hands. Using your hands, spread a thin layer of rice on the sheet of nori, and press into a thin layer. Arrange 1/4 of the cucumber, ginger, avocado, and imitation crabmeat in a line down the center of the rice. Lift the end of the mat, and gently roll it over the ingredients, pressing gently. Roll it forward to make a complete roll. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Cut each roll into 4 to 6 slices using a wet, sharp knife.
Reference: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sushi-roll/
Religion and food
Food is an important part of religious observance and spiritual ritual for many faiths including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The role of food in cultural practices and religious beliefs is complex and varies among individuals and communities. Japanese cuisine has developed over the past 2,000 years with strong influences from both China and Korea. But it is only in the last 300-400 years that all the influences have come together to form what nowadays can be described as Japanese cuisine. Religion has also played a major part in Japan's culinary development. During the 6th century, Buddhism became the official religion of the country and the eating of meat and fish were prohibited. The first recorded decree prohibiting the eating of cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens was issued by Emperor Temmu in A.D. 675. Similar decrees, based on the Buddhist prohibition of killing, were issued repeatedly by emperors during the eighth and ninth centuries. The number of regulated meats increased to the point that all mammals were included except whales, which were categorized as fish. Today, Japanese cuisine is heavily influenced by the four seasons and geography. Seafood and vegetables are most commonly eaten. Whilst to some westerners, the food may seem almost bland, freshness, presentation and balance of flavors is of paramount importance.