History of culture:
The japanese learnt from the chinese and the koreans in 400 ce. This is because those countries were much more advanced and wealthy than japan at the time. The japanese were impressed and learned how to write, make porceliain, silk, paper and learned how to plan cities. The japanese adopted some chinese words which they call kanji.
Religion:
The japanese have a religion called 'shinto' which means way of the gods. They worship nature and gods. The religion didn't have a great founder or prophet, however there were myths written about the religion in the first japanese books. In the shinto religion, people are taught that every natural object such as a lake or mountain, tree or rock and any living person living or dead had a spirit (kami) that needed to be respected. Shinto festivals began with the people asking the gods to protect the rice crops and thanking them for the good harvest.
Buddhism in Japan:
The Japanese learnt Buddhism from priest sent from korea. Buddha was a title given to the followers of the Indian teacher Gautama. In his teachings he explained that if people lived a good, considerate and unselfish life they could escape being born over and over with the disadvantage of the pain and suffering humans experience. Buddhism was already over 1000 years old by the time it spread through japan, Korea and China.
The japanese were interested in buddhism because it taught you about what happens to people when they die. The shinto religion was focus more on life. The were complementary.They even believed that buddhist gods could be shinto spirits in another form.
Tea Ceremony:
It was introduced to japan by china in the nara period and was originally intended as medicine. The monk Eisai was said to have brought seeds back from china. They believed that the tea kept them awake when they were meditating. To keep their mood calm it became a custom that they prepare tea in a slow manner. This behavior soon spread to the aristocrats and merchants where they also became to adopt the custom of drinking tea in quiet yet tasteful surroundings. The greatest master was named Sen-No Rikyu. His believed that the most important part of a tea ceremony was not what people used but the relaxation and appreciation they created.
WWII in Japan:
When they were at war japan left the league of nations in 1936 and allied with the other side (Germany and Italy). In 1937 an attack was launched on China. The USA reduced Japan's force by cutting off supplies such as steel and oil. Japan launched a surprise attack on the USA in December 1941.
For six months Japan was unstoppable as they took Hong kong and then singapore in 1942. But they had trouble in the coral sea and midway island as the japanese navy's power was reduced. The other side then was able to strike back through establishing bases from which japn could be attacked and bombed.
A 3 day raid in Tokyo 1945 killed more than 100,000 people. However, the Japanese were resistant towards the invasion and they even sent young pilots on suicide missions. In defending the island of Okinawa, japan lost 100,000 soldiers and 150,000 civilians. Many of these were school children and nurses.
The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ultimately caused japan to surrender in august 1945. The opposing side then moved into japan and took over the government.
Source: Tames, R. (n.d.). Exploring history japan. Belitha Press. London.
Japanese economy:
Japan is one of the world's greatest economic superpowers. They produce more cars and cameras than any other country and also is one of the highest producers of TV sets after china. Many everyday things have a high possibility of them being made in japan. Japanese companies have also established bases in the US and Europe. This is a huge achievement for Japan as they were in ruins after WWII.
Japan benefited from being close to china. This is because they were able to adopt the Chinese style of writing and government system. Later they were then able to develop a trading relationship. Japan also benefited from them being linked to the USA, Australia and other countries in south east Asia which were growing economies.
The four main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu.
Old and New:
To the world japan seems to be a very modern country. They have high tech factories, advanced electrical goods, large lively cities, skyscrapers filled with workers and people travelling around in bullet trains.
However, Japan also values their traditional culture. Ancient customs and rituals like tea ceremonies are still practiced. Buddhism and Shinto still remain an important part of rituals in festivals and overall Japanese daily life.
Temperature:
The climate and temperature varies from regions. Southern japan such as Okinawa and Kyushu are quite warm and tropical plants grow better as it is closer to the equator. Hot springs in Kyushu has steam that turns a blue-white color as it cools.
Northern parts such as Hokkaido are cooler and in winter the temperature can fall as low as -10 Celsius.. Each year at the end of winter cherry blossoms appear. The Japanese celebrate this with a flower viewing festival to mark the arrival of spring.
Population:
Most people live in towns and cities. Over 50 per cent are in Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka. The streets of Tokyo are always crowded as people travel to work. Although people live in the city they often use the country side as a leisure area where they go to resorts and bath in natural spring water and also have golfing areas. This love of the country side has a link to Shinto, as it is believed that spiritual forces exist in nature. Such as in rivers, wind and trees. They want to respect the spirits by enjoying the countryside.
Food:
Farming-
Japanese people have a long life expectancy. This is partly due to their healthy diet. They grow alot of rice, beans, fruits and vegetables. Rice is eaten with pretty much every meal. Each person on average eats around 70 kg of rice a year.
Fishing-
Japan is surrounded by water. Fish is an important source of protein in a japanese diet and is in many traditional dishes. Sometimes it is served raw in sushi or sashimi or deep fried with vegetables (tempura).
Travel:
You can travel by air, rail, road and sea. Rail is quite common and well developed and the is a road system of over 1 million kilometers. Many people prefer to tavel by train rather than take the car or fly. The quickest way to travel between islands is to fly with the option of 70 local airports however there are also ferries that link the main islands.
Train-
40 percent of japanese tend to use the train to travel around and this is higher than many other countries. The most well known train is the Skinsenkan (bullet train) as it is one of the fastest trains in the world. It can travel at speeds of up to 220 kilometers per hour. You can pretty much travel to most parts of japan by train through the four main islands from kagoshima in kyushu to wakkanai in northern hokkaido.
Trains are heavily used in cities. In Tokyo in particular, the train stations are so busy that they sometimes employ special oshiya (pushes) to cram more people into each carriage in the trains. around 4 million people pass through shinjuku station each day. Bicycles are popular for people to travel to the train stations and often they have cycle parking areas.
Food and Drink:
-One third of the tuna caught is eaten by the japanese.
-Until the twelfth century, japanese people often only had two meals. One in the morning and one in the afternoon.
-A japanese breakfast is a full meal. They have boiled rice, nori (dried seaweed), miso (thick soap) and tsukemono (pickles).
-Sake is the national drink. It is made from rice and has an alcholic content of around 15 per cent which is a little stronger than most wine. It is usually served warm in small cups.
-Many workers often eat lunch from a bento (lunchbox). In this they usually have little raw fish, meat, rice, pickle and tofu.
Customs:
-Instead of shaking hands they often bow. This is called Ojigi. 15 degrees for equal status, 30 degrees for superiors and 45 degrees for VIPs or when you apologize.
-Koban (police boxes) are often used for asking for directions because many streets in large cities have no names and drivers may not not their way around.
-Many customs and traditions are known in other countries. These include origami (paper folding), karaoke (singing along to a soundtrack played by a machine), sumo (traditional wrestling) and martial arts.
-Japan has 12 national holidays a year and many are important festivals.Children's day (5 May), Respect for the aged day (15 September), Shichi-go-san (15 November). For Shichi-go-san girls aged 3-7 years and boys aged 5 are taken to a shrine or temple to pray for their good health.
-You must remove your shoes before entering a japanese home. Slippers are provided at the doors.
-When you enter a room with tatami (matting made from woven rushes) it is polite to remove your slippers.
Source: Bunce, V. (1994). The Real World Japan. Watts Books. London: New York.
