Japanese Culture ( 2013 )

Hello readers, my name is Lim Yue Wey from Group 5. I’m back on my blog again. Recently, I’m interested and curious in finding out about Japanese culture. The main reason is because I’m amazed by the beautiful wonders of Japan’s unique and exquisite culture. No more blabbering let me start telling more about it.

 

Behavior & Manners

Business etiquette Japanese are highly concern on the concept of time, they having a great habit of being punctual and somehow may arrive earlier in case of some circumstances that may cause them to be late. Punctuality is extremely important in business because it results the sincerely of working together in business.

 

 

Bowing

Bowing is extremely important in Japan where it represents respect. Generally, the longer and deeper the bow, it represents the stronger the emotion and respect expressed.

 

 

 Table Manners

It goes the same to table manners, they are not allow to waste food and have to finish what have been taken, not supposed to use chopstick to pass food to others. While eating noodles they need to bring up the bowl near to mouth in order to eat.

 

 

 

 

 Bathing etiquette

Japanese have an unique bathing habit to at home. Bathing sequence will start from the eldest to the youngest. If children are too young, they may bathe with one of their parents. And if there are guests, they will let the guests bathe before them. Since bathing is considered as a relax activities. Japanese have invented a bathhouse which is now known as “hot spring" or "spa". During cold season is the peak season where many of them come for a hot bathe. These bathhouses have a choice of either bathe together or separated by gender. Besides, this bathhouse only allows everyone to bathe in nude and a small facecloth provided to warmth their forehead from cold wind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Festival

Music and dancing are always present during festival day. Matsuri Festival, Yokote Kamakura Festival and Sappuro Snow Festival are most famous festival day with their own unique performance in Japan country.

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Matsuri Festival

     Many people carry Mikoshi throught Asakusa streets in Asakusa Shrine and it is a famous festival of Tokyo

 

     


Yokote Kamakura Festival

     A room that made by snow is called by Kamakura. It is a good time for chatting and enjoying their family time.

 

 

Sappuro Snow Festival

     This is a most famous winter commercial festival thatcelebrate a week in February.

 

Musical and Dance Musical Instruments

 

Biwa

 

Japan traditional instrument named Biwa (Sawari) is solo lute instruments that are almost related to Pipa instrument from China country. Furthermore, Biwa presented in 2 types of notes while Japanese singer is in silent mode, but there are not always played in melodic, it is depends on the types of instrument they are used and the style of the dramatic. Japanese stringed musical instrument normally will played by well-educated girls during performance or event.

 

Koto

 

There are also a traditional instrument that had related similar to chinese is called as Koto (Zheng).It is also a solo traditional instrument that considered as a romantic instrument. According to Japanese history, Japanese will fall in love with mystical women who play Koto from a distance. In earlier centuries in Japan, Koto music is been mention in “The Tale of Genji” and “The Heike Monogatari”.
 

Traditional Costumes
 

During performance, Japanese will wear their traditional clothes as performance clothes. Japanese traditional clothes is called as “Kimono”. They are always wearing different types of Kimono clothes to attend different kind of events. Kimono traditional clothes for men are normally will be mainly black in colour. Japanese like to design their Kimono with much kind of patterns or flowers, Design mean fashion style in Japan. After that, Kimono traditional clothes are keeping changing over the centuries to update their clothes to become more stylish. On the other hand, young single woman wear colourful style of Kimono (Furisode) to attend traditional arts event.At weeding, one of them will see bride in Shikomuku and groom will be in Habutae. Traditionally, arts of Kimono will passed from mother to daughter hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Japanese Cuisine

 
As what we know about Japanese cuisine, the food that comes to your mind is usually sushi and sashimi which goes well with wasabi and soy sauce (Shoyu).

 

   Sushi is made of venerated rice with a small piece of raw seafood

 Sashimi is just a piece of raw fish without rice.

Wasabi is a type of flavouring food and it can kill germs in raw fishes. Wasabi usually will be placed under raw fishes to kill bacteria.

 

 Soy sauce is a type of flavouring.

     Tempura is made of prawn, fish, vegetables that mix with egg, water and wheat flour, then deep-fried in vegetable oil.

 

 

 

Soba is made of buckwheat and usually is served in cold, cold soba is named as Zaru Soba and hot is named as Kake Soba.

Udon is slightly different where it is made of wheat flour; it is served in hot in cold weather.       

 

Japanese rice can made it as rice cakes (mocha), rice crackers(Senbei), and rice wine(Sake).

Leisure Activities

Sumo

 

Nowadays, many people are rushing in their own work. They are already forgetting how to take care their health. Exercise is good for health. In japan there are much kind of sports, such as Sumo, Karate, kendo and others activities. Sport that called Sumo is an activity that 2 person are just wearing loincloth (Mawashi) and face to each other. They need try to throw out each of them, the one who touch the ground or out of the circle first will be the loser. It is just like what we had seen in TV or YouTube. Somehow, Sumo activity had been performed around the world.

 

Karate

 

Karate named as “empty hand” is practitioners towards punches, kicks, knees, elbows, and open hand strikes to disable opponents, it is also more onward in throws, sweeps, deflections, and blocks others moved. Many people from different countries learn Karate is to protect their selves away from bully. In addition, some learn that is to discipline, confidence, fitness, strength their selves.

 

 

Kendo

“Way of the sword’ is also called as Kendo; it is a famous sport in Japan. Kendo is a fighting that with a bamboo swords and their body is protected by Kendo equipment. Such as face mask, chest protector, mittens, hip, and thigh protector. It is a dangerous activity that not suitable for kids except adult. There are three strike zones: head, forearm and trunk. In kendo, hit any part of body is not calculate in scores. The limited of time is in five minutes or the first contestant who gets two points will be consider as winner. We also will see their sport as Kendo in a part of their Japanese manga or anime.

 

     

Anime

Anime and manga are very famous around the world; it is always shown at TV shows, magazine, internet, newspaper, games and other. Many people watched anime since they are young until they grown up. Such as: Naruto, One Piece, Bleach and others. At the beginning, anime is not that famous until cosplay event been built. Cosplay is an event that they wear look like character in the anime or manga, which is also called as cosplayer. Nowadays, cosplay event has been carry on towards other countries.

 



 

Like every culture, Japanese culture is beautiful in its own distinct way. I hope you readers are able to be captivated of the beauty of the Japanese culture, just like how I was while I was reading about it. Hopefully some day I might be lucky enough to go to japan and experience their culture first hand. That would be wonderful. That is all I for today. Have a nice day.