Culture of Japan

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After several waves of immigration from the continent and nearby Pacific islands (see History of Japan), followed by a heavy importation of culture from China, the inhabitants of Japan experienced a long period of relative isolation from the outside world under the Tokugawa shogunate until the arrival of the "The Black Ships" and the Meiji era. As a result, a culture distinctively different from other Asian cultures developed, and echoes of this persist in contemporary Japan. The Japanese language has always played a significant role in Japanese culture. Nemawashi, for example, indicates consensus achieved through careful preparation. It reflects the harmony that is desired and respected within Japanese culture. Although the Japanese are better known for their physical comedy outside of Japan, they have intricate humor and jokes. Because this humor relies so heavily on Japanese language, culture, religion, and ethics, it is generally considered to be very difficult to translate.

Contents 1 Comparative cultural studies 2 Clothing 3 Food 4 Visual Arts 4.1 Painting 4.2 Calligraphy 4.3 Sculpture 4.4 Ukiyo-e 4.5 Ikebana 5 Media 6 Popular culture 6.1 Kawaii 6.2 Geinōkai 7 Sports 8 See also 9 References 10 Footnotes 11 External links

[edit] Comparative cultural studies

Main article: Nihonjinron

The Japanese culture is often perceived as "'uniquely' unique". This leads to the widespread application of cultural "us" and "them" studies of Japan, in which Japanese culture is placed next to Western culture (particularly the culture of the United States, rather than considered independently). Such studies have a tendency to overstate the importance of certain aspects of Japanese culture, as they are particularly foreign to a Western ethnocentric observer, and gloss over vital parts of the Japanese culture as they are not remarkable from an ethnocentric perspective.

Among the founding works in modern Japan studies (and of Nihonjinron), and one of the foremost comparative cultural studies of Japan, is the 1945 book The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, Ruth Benedict proposed that Japan has a shame culture (external reference standard) rather than the guilt culture (internal reference standard) that is common in the West. According to Benedict, inter-relationships between people are heavily influenced by concepts of "honor", "obligation", and "duty" in a way that is much less true in the more individualistic West. Finally, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword asserts that generalized conceptions of morality and desirable behavior are less developed in Japan, where particular and situational obligations to family, school, and friends tend to guide behavior.

[edit] Clothing

Main articles: Japanese clothing and Japanese fashion

The Japanese word kimono (着物, kimono^?) means "something one wears" and they are the traditional garments of Japan. Originally, the word kimono was used for all types of clothing, but eventually, it came to refer specifically to the full-length garment also known as the naga-gi, meaning "long-wear", that is still worn today on special occasions by women, men, and children. It is often known as {{nihongo|wafuku which means "Japanese clothes". Kimono come in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes. Men mainly wear darker or more muted colors, while women tend to wear brighter colors and pastels, and often with complicated abstract or floral patterns. The summer kimono which are lighter are called yukata, and often come just below the knee. Formal kimonos are typically worn in several layers, with number of layers, visibility of layers, sleeve length, and choice of pattern dictated by social status and the occasion for which the kimono is worn. The word komono is never puralized, no matter if it is one, or many it is always 'kimono'.

[edit] Food

Main article: Japanese cuisine

Through a long culinary past, the Japanese have developed a sophisticated and refined cuisine highly sensitive to the change of seasons. Modern Japanese enjoy a variety of traditional Japanese food, including the staples of rice and miso, as well as many seafood dishes (sushi and sashimi for instance), and a multitude of foreign dishes. One can easily find Chinese, Korean, and Thai dishes as well as non-regional American, French, and Italian foods. Japanese cuisine is a product of its environment and people. The ease of acquiring fresh ingredients led to sushi, high temperature and humidity led to varieties of pickled and fermented food like natto and soy sauce, and adaptation of foreign cuisines led to ramen.

[edit] Visual Arts

Main article: Japanese art

[edit] Painting

Main article: Japanese painting

Painting has been an art in Japan for a very long time: the brush is a traditional writing tool, and the extension of that to its use as an artist's tool was probably natural. Native Japanese painting techniques are still in use today, as well as techniques adopted from continental Asia and from the West.

[edit] Calligraphy

Main article: East Asian calligraphy

The flowing, brush-drawn Japanese language lends itself to complicated calligraphy. As in other East Asian countries, the rendering of text itself is seen as a traditional artform as well as a means of conveying written information. The art can consist of phrases, poems, stories, or even single characters. The style and format of the writing can mimic the subject matter, even to the point of texture and stroke speed. The creation of the calligraphy is considered as much an art as the pictures themselves, and it can take over one hundred repititions to produce the desired effect of a single character. Calligraphic art is often too obscure for Western audiences, and general exposure is very limited. This artform is known as Sumi-E (also just Sumi) and involves making ink by grinding a solid ink stick on a special stone, and mixing it with water.

A multi-character piece with additional painting.

A single-character piece, "Dance."

In this character (representing a cliff), texture can be seen within the character itself.

A calligraphy master creates a piece (photo by Richard Stehli).

[edit] Sculpture

Main article: Japanese sculpture

Traditionally, Japanese sculpting techniques were derived from Buddhist and Shinto traditions. Wood, often lacquered, gilded, or brightly painted, is the most common traditional sculpting material. Bronze and other metals are also important. Other materials, such as stone and pottery, have had extremely important roles in the history of Japanese sculpture.

[edit] Ukiyo-e

Main article: ukiyo-e

Ukiyo-e (浮世絵 lit. "pictures of the floating world", Ukiyo-e^?) is a genre of woodblock prints that exemplifies the characteristics of pre-Meiji Japanese art. Because these prints could be mass-produced, they were available to a wide cross-section of the Japanese populace — those not wealthy enough to afford original paintings — during their heyday, from the 17th to 20th century.

The widespread popularity of ukiyo-e prints lead to their recognition as a very Japanese artform, which in turn has lead to significant modern mimicry of ukiyo-e stylings in advertisements, posters, and other art including manga.

[edit] Ikebana

Main article: ikebana

Ikebana (ja:いけばなor活花, Ikebana^?) is the art of Japanese flower arranging. It has gained widespread international fame for its focus on harmony, color use, rhythm, and elegantly simple design. Ikebana is widely practiced in Japan today, as well as around the world.

[edit] Media

Main article: Japanese media

In Japan, about 100 million television sets are in use, and television is the main form of home entertainment and information for most of the population. The Japanese have a wide variety of programs to choose from, including the various dramas (police, crime, home, and jidaigeki — historical dramas), anime, news, game, quiz, and sports shows provided by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (Nippon Hoso Kyokai--NHK) general station, the NHK educational station, and numerous commercial and independent stations. The violence of samurai and police dramas, and the satirical humor of the cartoons as well as many depictions of sexuality have drawn criticism from mothers and commentators.

[edit] Popular culture

Main article: Japanese popular culture

Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Popular films, television programs, comics, and music all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation can be traced to traditional art forms. Contemporary forms of popular culture, much like the traditional forms, provide not only entertainment but also an escape for the contemporary Japanese from the problems of an industrial world. When asked how they spent their leisure time, 80 percent of a sample of men and women surveyed by the government in 1986 said they averaged about two and one-half hours per weekday watching television, listening to the radio, and reading newspapers or magazines. Some 16 percent spent an average of two and one-quarter hours a day engaged in hobbies or amusements. Others spent leisure time participating in sports, socializing, and personal study. Teenagers and retired people reported more time spent on all of these activities than did other groups.

In the late 1980s, the family was the focus of leisure activities, such as excursions to parks or shopping districts. Although Japan is often thought of as a hard-working society with little time for pleasure, the Japanese seek entertainment wherever they can. It is common to see Japanese commuters riding the train to work, enjoying their favorite manga or listening through earphones to the latest in popular music on portable music players.

A wide variety of types of popular entertainment are available. There is a large selection of music, films, and the products of a huge comic book industry, among other forms of entertainment, from which to choose. Game centers, bowling alleys, and karaoke are popular hangout places for teens while older people may play shogi or go in specialized parlors.

[edit] Kawaii

Kawaii is a Japanese term which means "cute". Cuteness seems to be a highly valued aesthetic quality in Japanese society and particularly Japanese pop culture, and overpowering cuteness seems to carry less of the stigma of infantilization as it does in many other cultures. Kawaii is pronounced KA-Wa-EE (not to be confused with "kowai", KO-Wa-EE,the Japanese term for "scary"). "Kawaii" can be used to describe animals and people, including fully grown adults; while attractive women are usually described as "kawaii," young men are more likely to be described as "good looking" or "cool". "Kawaii" is also used to describe some men who are considered to have "cute" personalities.

[edit] Geinōkai

Geinōkai is the world of Japanese entertainment, encompassing everything from movies and television (including talk shows, music shows, variety shows, etc.) to radio and now the Internet. Geinojin is a term, often used interchangeably with tarento, which refers to members of the Geinōkai. Tarento is an adaptation of the English word 'talent' and refers to a rather large group of people who appear on television from night to night, but cannot be quite classified as actors, singers, or models (and are thus given the more vague appellation of "talent" instead). Tarento usually appear on variety shows, talk shows and may later move into acting or singing if they are successful.

[edit] Sports

Main article: Japanese sports

Popular professional sports in Japan can be categorized into either traditional sports like Sumo wrestling or imported sports like baseball and football (soccer). In addition, many amateur sports are popular in Japan, such as table tennis, tennis, volleyball, basketball, golf, and rugby. Popular amateur sports native to Japan include Japanese martial arts such as kendo and judo. Professional wrestling, or puroresu, is also very popular in Japan.

[edit] See also

100-yen shop Arranged marriages in Japan Art Architecture Bonsai Bunraku Calendar Cell phone culture Cinema of Japan Communications Culture of Japanese management Customs Cuteness in Japanese culture Education Japanese fashion Cosplay Gothic Lolita

Japanese pottery Festivals Gardens Hikikomori Homosexuality in Japan Japanese traditional dance Kamishibai Manzai Japanese miniaturization culture Japanese names Japanese New Year Onsen (hot spring) Origami Otaku Owarai Japanese pens and stationery Pornography in Japan

Japanese sword Para Para Sento (public baths) Shodo Tea ceremony Theatre of Japan Kabuki Noh Bunraku Toilets in Japan Tokusatsu Tourism in Japan Japanese values Video games, sometimes adapted from anime Visual Kei Washi J-pop (Japanese popular music)

[edit] References

• This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain. - Japan
• Cwiertka, Katarzyna J. (2007). Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power and National Identity. Reaktion Books. ISBN 1861892985. - Review of this book: [1]

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• J-LOG - Japan pop culture blog, in Tokyo]
• [http://www.habri.co.uk/ Japanese Society and Culture: broad overview of 21st century issues - demography, employment, suicide, education, lifestyle, etc.
• Japan Cultural Profile - national cultural portal for Japan created by Visiting Arts/Japan Foundation
• Tokyo Front Popular culture in the present age of Japan
• Japanese Culture Articles including Kendo, Ukiyo-E, Sumo Wrestling, Art, and more.
• Romances from Old Japan -(Early Japanese short stories and folk tales; Pre-1919 and thus public domain. Full text and is illustrated.)
• Electronic journal of contemporary Japanese studies
• Japan SAQ (Seldom Asked Questions)
• Noh mask master Shigeharu Nagasawa Noh Masks / 長澤重春能面集　Old Japanese
• Plastic Bamboo - Latest pop culture news from Japan in English
• Japanese Culture Guide @ Picturetokyo.com Culture A-Z