Ministerul Educatiei si Cercetarii Stiintifice

Liceul Teoretic “Eugen Lovinescu”

Bucuresti

Lucrare de Atestat la Limba Engleza

The Culture of Japan

- A Perpetual Fascination -

Elev: Profesor coordonator:

Musetescu Ana Crisan Simona

2016
 Table of Contents

ARGUMENT.........................................................................................page 3
Chapter 1: History.....................................................................................page 4

Chapter 2: Japanese language................................................................page 8

2.1. Hiragana .........................................................................page 9
2.2. Katakana........................................................................page 10
2.3. Kanji................................................................................page 11

Chapter 3: Traditions...........................................................................page 12
3.1. Marriage and funerals..................................................page 13
3.2. Traditional clothes.........................................................page 16
3.3. Geisha.............................................................................page 19

Chapter 4: Mythology and folklore..................................................page 22

4.1. Festivals..........................................................................page 24
4.2. Urban legends................................................................page 27
4.3. Literature........................................................................page 29

Chapter 5: Music and performing arts.............................................page 31

5.1. Media............................................................................page 32
5.2. Sport...............................................................................page 34

CONCLUSION..................................................................................page 36

BIBLIOGRAPHY...............................................................................page 37

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 ARGUMENT

I have chosen this theme because ever since I was a little girl I have been fascinated by
Japan and the Japanese culture. My first contact with this amazing culture was through anime,
which is a sort of cartoons for all ages. A typical anime showcases a main character that goes
through many adventures, more or less realistic, from which there is always something to learn.
I was only eight when I started watching my first anime on TV, which was by accident in
fact, but it didn’t take me long to get hooked by that show. Although it was such a long time ago,
I remember the name well: “Naruto,” the boy of prophecy who was going to save the world.
Inside him, the Spirit of “Nine Tails” was imprisoned, a giant fox who made him invincible. The
whole show was actually the classical struggle between good and evil in the unique, Japanese
way. Ever since that time, my perspective on life has changed and I have felt drawn towards
everything Japanese.
Because of my fondness towards Japanese, I intend to study it at University along with
English, and in the future I’m going to visit Japan and maybe even find a job there. So the next
logical step for me will be to learn Japanese, which is not an easy language. As a matter of fact,
it is one of the most difficult languages in the world. The writing itself has no fewer than three
different types: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji, and the Japanese people use them liberally,
which means you have to know all three if you learn this language.
Every culture in the world has something specific that makes it both unique and attractive
to foreigners. For a strange reason people have always been attracted by the unknown and that
explains why we are fascinated by exotic cultures like the Japanese culture. This one in particular
is full of legends and myths that make an interesting read.
Another reason I have chosen this topic is that I admire the Japanese people themselves. I
happened to come across some Japanese a few years ago, and they were the most respectful and
modest people I’ve ever met. Also I’ve seen in documentaries certain aspects of their culture
which impressed me. One I can mention now is about our modern society flooded by
“technology.” A European was riding the bus in Tokyo and he used his mobile phone as he
would have done back home. The other passengers looked at him surprised and one of them told
him something in Japanese. The guy realized that in their culture, it is rude to talk on the phone
on means of transportation, which, in my opinion, is something admirable.
Therefore I am convinced that it is worth knowing the Japanese and learning as many things as
possible about their culture because, who knows, maybe one day we will all become as efficient
and trustworthy in every single aspect of our lives as they are.

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 HISTORY OF JAPAN

Prehistoric Japan
During the Jomon period, which began around 10,000 BC, the inhabitants of Japan lived by
fishing, hunting, and gathering. The period is named after the cord-markings (jomon) on the
pottery they produced. In the Yayoi period, beginning around 300 BC, rice cultivation was
introduced from the Korean Peninsula. An account of Japan in a Chinese historical document of
the third century AD describes a queen named Himiko ruling over a country called Yamatai.

Kofun Period (ca. AD 300-710)

In the fourth century, ancestors of the present imperial family established Japan's first unified
state under what is known as the Yamato court. During this period, manufactured articles,
weapons, and agricultural tools were introduced from China and Korea. The period is named
after the huge mounded tombs (kofun) that were built for the political elite. These tombs were
often surrounded with clay cylinders and figurines called haniwa.

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Nara Period (710-794)
A centralized government, with its capital in what is now the city
of Nara, was established under a Chinese-style system of law
codes known as the Ritsuryo system. Buddhism became the
national religion, and Buddhist art and architecture flourished.
Provincial temples called kokubunji were set up throughout
Japan. It was during this period that the Great Buddha at the
Todaiji temple in Nara was built. Histories of Japan, such as Kojiki
and Nihon shoki were compiled, as was the celebrated collection
of poetry called Man'yoshu.

Heian Period (794-1185)

After the capital moved to what is now Kyoto, certain
noble families, especially the Fujiwara family, gained
control of the government, ruling on behalf of the
emperor. The Chinese-style culture that had dominated
the Nara period was gradually replaced by a more
indigenous style of culture closer to the lives of the
people and their natural surroundings. The palaces of
the emperor and the residences of the noble families
incorporated beautiful gardens, with buildings in the
shinden-zukuri style of architecture. Literary masterpieces such as Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale
of Genji and Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book were written during this period.

Kamakura Period (1185-1333)

The Taira family, a warrior family that had come to dominate
the imperial court in the late Heian period, was overthrown by
the Minamoto family. Minamoto no Yoritomo was given the
title of shogun by the court, and he set up a military-style
government at Kamakura - the Kamakura Shogunate - ushering
in a period of de facto rule by members of the warrior class. In
the arts, a vigorous, realistic style emerged that was in keeping
with the warrior spirit. The statues of fierce guardian deities by
Unkei and other sculptors at the Southern Great Gate of
Todaiji Temple are examples of this powerful, realistic style. In
literature, this period is noted for military tales such as the
Tale of the Heike, which celebrated the exploits of the
warriors.
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Muromachi Period (1333-1568)
The beginning of this period was dominated by a political
standoff between Emperor Go-Daigo, who had briefly
restored control of the government to the imperial court,
and his former supporter Ashikaga Takauji, who had
overthrown the Kamakura Shogunate but had then gone
on to establish the Muromachi Shogunate. In time the
shogunate weakened, losing its centralized control over
local warlords; the latter part of this period is referred to
as the Sengoku period - a period of "warring states."
More plebeian forms of culture began to emerge as the
merchant class and the peasants managed to improve
their circumstances. In the arts this was a period of Chinese-style ink painting, and in theater
Noh drama and kyogen came to the fore. This was also the period in which the pursuits of tea
ceremony and flower arrangement were born. In architecture, an important development was
the shoin-zukuri style, with elegant tatami-matted rooms, featuring an alcove where paintings
were hung.

Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1568-1600)

The brief Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573-1598) is named after the castles of Nobunaga and
Hideyoshi. Osaka Castle and many other castles around the country also date from this period.
Meanwhile, as thanks for his support, Ieyasu received a fiefdom near the city of Edo, or
modern-day Tokyo. He became the most powerful daimyo (baron) by winning the Battle of
Sekigahara in 1600 and he became Shogun in 1603. He made Edo the new capital and Japan
was finally at peace. Under the leadership of Ieyasu, the Edo Period (1600-1868) was one of
great cultural achievement.

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Edo Period (1600-1868)
During the Edo Period (1600-1868), the most famous Shogun of them all, Tokugawa Ieyasu got
rid of the decentralized feudal system and installed the bakufu (military government) in the city
of Edo, better known to us all as Tokyo (even today, people born in Tokyo are known as Edo-ko,
or children of Edo). From the end of the 17th century through the beginning of the 18th
century, a colorful, down-to-earth new culture developed among the townsmen of the older
cities of Kyoto and Osaka The printing of books had become an industry. The art of the
woodblock print (ukiyoe) was born, with Sharaku producing his portraits of actors, Hokusai and
Hiroshige their landscapes.

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

The Meiji Restoration, by which political authority was
restored from the shogunate to the imperial court, ushered in
a period of far-reaching reform. The policy of national
seclusion was rescinded, and the culture and civilization of the
West began to pervade every aspect of Japanese life. Japan's
victories in the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars
enabled it to assume the stance of a modern, imperialistic
world power. Modern Japanese literature was born with the
publication of Futabatei Shimei's novel Ukigumo (Drifting
Clouds), the first literary work to be written in the modern
colloquial language. A Japanese version of romanticism soon
appeared, with writers making their first attempts at free,
natural expression of people's true feelings.

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 JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Japanese is the official and primary language of Japan. Japanese is relatively small but has a
lexically distinct pitch-accent system. Three types of character are used to write Japanese. Although
Japanese is a completely different language from Chinese, the characters used to write
Japanese originally came from ancient China, where they are said to have been created
thousands of years ago.
These characters are called kanji and began as pictures. Over time the pictures changed, and
most kanji no longer look like the original objects; they now stand for words or parts of words.
There are about 2,000 kanji in regular use. Children learn around 1,000 kanji in elementary
school and another 1,000 in middle school.
Japanese is written with a combination of three scripts: hiragana, derived from the Chinese
cursive script, katakana, derived as a short hand from Chinese characters, and kanji, imported
from China. In addition to kanji, Japanese has two sets of phonetic scripts, hiragana and
katakana, both developed from kanji. Each set has 46 characters, which stand for syllables
(usually including a consonant and a vowel, like "ka"). Combined with specific extra dots used to
mark changes of the original sounds, these characters are enough to express all the sounds of
modern Japanese. Hiragana is used together with kanji to write ordinary Japanese words.
Katakana is used to write words introduced from other languages, names of foreign people and
places, sounds, and animal cries.

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HIRAGANA (ひらがな)

Hiragana (平仮名, ひらがな?) is a Japanese syllabary, one basic component of theJapanese

writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and in some cases rōmaji (the Latin-script alphabet).
The word hiragana means "smooth kana".
Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems. With one or two minor exceptions, each sound
in the Japanese language (strictly, each mora) is represented by one character (or one digraph)
in each system. This may be either a vowel such as "a" (hiragana あ); a consonant followed by a
vowel such as "ka" (か); or "n" (ん), a nasal sonorant which, depending on the context, sounds
either like English m, n, or ng ([ŋ]), or like the nasal vowels of French. Because the characters of
the kana do not represent single consonants (except in the case of ん "n"), the kana are referred
to as syllabaries and not alphabets.
Hiragana is used to write native words for which there are no kanji, including grammatical
particles such as から kara "from". Likewise, hiragana is used to write words whose kanji form is
obscure, not known to the writer or readers, or too formal for the writing purpose

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KATAKANA (カタカナ)

Katakana (片仮名, カタカナ?) is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing
system along with hiragana,[2] kanji, and in some cases the Latin script (known as romaji). The
word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived from
components of more complex kanji. Katakana and hiragana are both kanasystems. With one or
two minor exceptions, each syllable (strictly mora) in the Japanese language is represented by
one character, or kana, in each system. Each kana is either a vowel such as "a" (katakana ア); a
consonant followed by a vowel such as "ka" (katakana カ); or "n" (katakana ン),
anasal sonorant which, depending on the context, sounds either like Englishm, n, or ng ([ŋ]), or
like the nasal vowels of Spanish and/or Portuguese.

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KANJI

Kanji (漢字; Japanese pronunciation: [kandʑi] ), or kan'ji, are the

adopted logographic Chinese characters (hànzì) that are used in the modern Japanese writing
system along with hiragana and katakana. The Japanese term kanji for the Chinese characters
literally means "Han characters" and is written using the same characters as
the Chinese word hànzì.

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 TRADITIONS

Many Japanese Traditions stern from their deep roots in religions. Two main religions dominate
the Japanese culture: Buddhism and Shinto.

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13
 MARRIAGE AND FUNERALS

Japanese wedding customs fall into two categories: traditional Shinto ceremonies, and modern
Western-style weddings. In either case, the couple must first be legally married by filing for
marriage at their local government office, and the official documentation must be produced in
order for the ceremony to be held. Traditionally, marriages were categorized into two types
according to the method of finding a partner—miai, meaning arranged or resulting from an
arranged introduction, and ren'ai, in which the principals met and decided to marry on their
own.

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The Japanese bride-to-be may be painted pure white from head to toe, visibly declaring her
maiden status to the Gods. Two choices of headgear exist. One, the watabōshi, is a white hood;
the other, called the tsunokakushi, serves to hide the bride's 'horns of jealousy.' It also
symbolizes the bride's intention
to become a gentle and obedient
wife.
Traditional Japanese wedding
customs (shinzen shiki) involve
an elaborate ceremony held at
a Shinto shrine. Japanese
weddings are becoming
increasingly extravagant.
However, in some cases,
younger generations choose to
abandon the formal ways by
having a "no host party" for a
wedding. In this situation, the guests primarily consist of the couple's friends who pay an
attendance fee.
Couples are officially married once they have successfully submitted the required documents to
the city hall registrar to change their status in their family registries. No ceremony of any kind is
required under Japanese law.

A Japanese funeral includes a wake, the cremation of the deceased, a burial in a family grave,
and a periodic memorial service. According to 2007 statistics, 99.81% of deceased Japanese are
cremated.

Although Japan has become a more secular society, 91% of funerals are conducted as Buddhist
ceremonies. Immediately after a death (or, in earlier days, just before the expected death),
relatives moisten the dying or deceased person's lips with water, a practice known as water of
the last moment (matsugo-no-mizu). Most Japanese homes maintain Buddhist altars,
or butsudan, for use in Buddhist ceremonies; and many also have Shinto shrines, or kamidana.
When a death occurs, the shrine is closed and covered with white paper to keep out the impure
spirits of the dead, a custom calledkamidana-fūji. A small table decorated with flowers, incense,
and a candle is placed next to the deceased's bed. The relatives and authorities are informed,
and a death certificate is issued. Funeral arrangements typically are made by the eldest son and
are begun by contacting a temple to schedule the event.
The body is washed and the orifices are blocked with cotton or gauze. An "encoffining" ritual
(called a nōkan) is sometimes performed, in which professional nōkansha ritually dress and
15
prepare the body and place it in the coffin. The ceremony is now rarely performed, and may be
limited to rural areas where older traditions are maintained. Whether or not the encoffining
ceremony is performed, a deceased female is dressed in a white kimono, and a deceased male
is dressed in a suit or a kimono. Makeup may be applied. The
body is put on dry ice in a casket. Items—such as a white
kimono, a pair of sandals, six coins for crossing the River of
Three Crossings, and burnable items of which the deceased
was fond (for example, cigarettes and candy) are placed in
the casket, which is then put on an altar for the wake. The
body is placed with its head toward the north or, as a second
choice, toward the west. In Buddhism, the western
orientation reflects the western realm of Amida Buddha.
During life, both men and women cross the front of
a kimono or yukata with the left side over the right. On those
occasions in which the corpse is clothed in a traditional
kimono, the kimono is crossed right over left.
Held as soon as possible after death, a Japanese wake is
called tsuya, "passing the night". All funeral guests wear
black: men wear black suits with white shirts and black ties,
and women wear either black dresses or black kimonos. If
the deceased was an adherent to Buddhism, a set of prayer beads called juzu may be carried by
the guests, who will also bring condolence money in special black-and-silver envelopes.
The funeral proper, called kokubetsu-shiki, is usually on the day after the wake. The procedure
is similar to the wake, and incense is offered while a priest chants a sutra. The ceremony differs
slightly as the deceased receives a new Buddhist name (kaimyō; lit. "precept name") written in
Kanji. This name is said to prevent the return of the deceased if their name is called.
At the end of the funeral ceremony, the guests and family may place flowers in the casket
around the deceased's head and shoulders before the casket is sealed and carried to the
elaborately decorated hearse and transported to the crematorium. In some regions of Japan,
the coffin is nailed shut by the mourners using a stone.

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 TRADITIONAL CLOTHES

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. Kimonos are now usually worn only on special occasions, such as the
Shichi-Go-San festival, weddings, and graduation ceremonies.

Compared to Western dress, the kimono tends to limit one's movement, and it takes more time
to put
on

17
properly. In the summer, however, a more easily worn, lightweight informal kimono known as
a yukata is worn by children and young adults at festivals, fireworks displays, and other special
occasions. In everyday life, though, young people tend to prefer clothing that is easier to move
around in, like T-shirts, jeans, polo shirts, and sweat suits.

Types and styles of Japanese clothing

An example of a Japanese clothing is the kimono; the kimono is a traditional garment. Japanese
kimonos are wrapped around the body, sometimes in several layers, and are secured in place
by sashes with a wide obi to complete it. There are accessories and ties needed to wear the
kimono correctly.
The modern kimono is not worn as often as it once was. Most women wear western-style
clothing and only wear kimono for special occasions. In modern Japan, kimono are a marked
feminine costume and a national attire. There are multiple types and subtypes of kimono that a
woman can wear: furisode, uchikake and shiromuku, houmongi, yukata, tomesode,
and mofuku, depending on her marital status and the event she attends.

Dressing in kimono
The word kimono literally translates as “thing to wear”,
and up until the 19th century it was the main form of
dress worn by men and women alike in Japan.
Traditionally, the art of assembling the kimono was
passed on from mother to daughter. Today this art is
also taught in schools, and the technique is the same.
First, one puts on the tabi, which are white cotton
socks. Then the undergarments are put on followed by a top and a wraparound skirt. Next, the
nagajuban (under-kimono) is put on, which is then tied by a datemaki belt. Finally, the kimono
is put on, with the left side covering the right, and then tied with an obi. (It is important to not
tie the kimono with the right side covering the left because this signifies the dressing of a

18
corpse for burial). When the kimono is worn outside, zori sandals are traditionally worn on the
feet.
There are types of kimonos that are worn for different occasions and seasons. Women typically
wear kimonos when they attend traditional arts, such as a tea ceremonies or ikebana classes.
Girls and young single women wear furisode: a colorful style of kimono with long sleeves that
are tied with a brightly-colored obi.
During wedding ceremonies, the bride and groom will often go through many costume changes.
Shiromuku or uchikake are worn by brides, which are heavily embroidered white
kimonos. Grooms wear black kimonos made from habutae silk. For funerals, men and women
wear plain black kimonos. (It is acceptable to wear black suits for weddings and funerals.)

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A yukata is a Japanese clothing, a casual summer kimono usually made of cotton or synthetic
fabric, and unlined. Yukata are worn by men and women.
Yukata are worn at outdoor summer events such as hanabi (fireworks) displays and bon-
odori festivals. Yukata are also worn at traditional Japanese inns (ryokan), especially after
bathing in hot springs (onsen).

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 GEISHA

Geisha, geiko or geigi are traditional Japanese female entertainers who act as hostesses and
whose skills include performing various arts such as classical music, dance, games and
conversation, mainly to entertain male customers.
Geisha, like all Japanese nouns, has no distinct singular or plural variants. The word consists of
two kanji, 芸 (gei) meaning "art" and 者 (sha) meaning "person" or "doer". The most literal
translation of geisha into English would be "artist," "performing artist," or "artisan." Another
name for geisha is geiko, which is usually used to refer to geisha from western Japan, which
includes Kyoto.
Apprentice geisha are called maiko, (literally
"dance child") orhangyoku (半玉), "half-jewel"
(meaning that they are paid half of the wage of
a full geisha), or by the more generic term o-
shaku, literally "one who pours (alcohol)". The
white make-up and elaborate kimono and hair
of a maiko is the popular image held of geisha.
A woman entering the geisha community does
not have to begin as a maiko, having the
opportunity to begin her career as a full geisha.
Either way, however, usually a year's training is
involved before debuting either as a maiko or as
a geisha. A woman above 21 is considered too
old to be a maiko and becomes a full geisha
upon her initiation into the geisha community.
However, those who do go through the maiko
stage can enjoy more prestige later in their
professional lives.

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 Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha is a historical novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997.
The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the fictional story of a geisha working
in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II. In 2005, a film version was released.
Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 American epic drama film adaptation ofthe novel of the same
name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and
by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. The picture was directed by Rob Marshall and was
released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by Columbia Picturesand DreamWorks
Pictures. DreamWorks was given studio credit only. It stars Zhang Ziyi, Ken Watanabe, Gong
Li, Michelle Yeoh, Youki Kudoh, and Suzuka Ohgo. Production took place in southern and
northern California and in several locations in Kyoto, including the Kiyomizu temple and
the Fushimi Inari shrine.
Memoirs of a Geisha tells the story of a young girl, Chiyo Sakamoto, who is sold by her family to
an okiya, a geisha house. Her new family then sends her off to school to become a geisha. This
movie is mainly about older Chiyo and her struggle as a geisha to find love, in the process
making a lot of enemies. The film was nominated for and won numerous awards, including
nominations for six Academy Awards, and eventually won three: Best Cinematography, Best Art
Direction and Best Costume Design.The Japanese release of the film was titled Sayuri, the
titular character's geisha name.

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23
 MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE

Japanese mythology embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally-

based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami (Japanese for "god(s)" or
"spirits").

Japanese deities

 Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami - Commonly called Amaterasu, she is the goddess of the sun as well
as the purported ancestress of the Imperial Household of Japan. Her full name means
"Great Goddess" or "Great Spirit Who Shines in the Heavens"; she may also be referred to
as Ōhiru-menomuchi-no-kami. For many reasons, one among them being her ties to the
Imperial family, she is often considered (though not officially) to be the "primary god" of
Shinto.
 Ame-no-Uzume - Commonly called Uzume, she is the goddess of dawn and revelry,
instrumental to the "missing sun motif" in Shinto.
 Fūjin - Also known as Kami-no-Kaze, he is the Japanese god of the wind and one of the
eldest Shinto gods, said to have been present at the creation of the world. He is often
depicted as an oni with a bag slung over his back.
 Hachiman - Also known as Hachiman-shin or Yawata no Kami, he is the god of war and the
divine protector of Japan and its people. Originally an agricultural deity, he later became
the guardian of the Minamoto clan. His symbolic animal and messenger is the dove.
 Izanagi - The forefather of the gods, he is the first male as well as the god of creation and
life. He and his wife, Izanami, were responsible for the birth of the islands of Japan and
many kami, though she died in childbirth. Later, after his failed attempt to retrieve her from
the underworld, he sired Amaterasu, Susanoo and Tsukuyomi.

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 Izanami - Izanagi's wife and sister, she is the first female as well as the goddess of creation
and death. She died shortly after the birth of Kagu-tsuchi, and Izanagi followed her to the
underworld, but failed to bring her back to the living world. A marital spat between the pair
caused the cycle of life and death for all living beings.
 Ninigi-no-Mikoto - Commonly called Ninigi, he was the grandson of Amaterasu. His great-
grandson was Kan'yamato Iwarebiko, later to be known as Emperor Jimmu, first emperor of
Japan.
 Raijin - Commonly called Raiden, he is the god of thunder and lightning, and is often paired
with Fūjin.
 Ryūjin - Also known as Ōwatatsumi, he is a dragon, as well as god of the sea.
 Suijin - The God of Water.
 Susanoo-no-Mikoto - Alternately romanized as Susano-o, Susa-no-o, and Susanowo. He is
the god of storms as well as in some cases the god of the sea. He is also somewhat of a
trickster god, as Japanese mythology extensively documents the "sibling rivalry" between
him and Amaterasu. Susanoo also was responsible for the slaying of the monster Yamata no
Orochi and the subsequent discovery of the sacred sword Kusanagi.
 Tenjin - The god of scholarship, he is the deified Sugawara no Michizane (845–c903), who
was elevated to his position after dying in exile and subsequent disasters in Heiankyo were
attributed to his angered spirit.
 Toyotama-hime - Also known as Otohime, she was the daughter of Ryūjin and the
grandmother of Jimmu. It is said that after she gave birth to her son, she turned into a
dragon and disappeared.
 Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto - Also known as Tsukiyomi, Tsuki no Kami, Tsukiyomino Mikoto, and
Tsukiyumi no Mikoto, he is the god of the moon. He killed the goddess of food, Uke Mochi,
out of disgust and anger in the way she had prepared a meal. This caused Amaterasu to
never face him again, causing the sun and moon to be in different parts of the sky.

25
 FESTIVALS

Every city, town and village in Japan has at least one matsuri (festival) a year. Matsuri fall into
two broad categories - smaller matsuri in rural areas, usually held in spring or autumn and
based around the rice-growing cycle; and extravagant matsuri held in large towns or cities,
often in summer and with a lot of interpersonal activity. Matsuri have their origins in
ancient Shinto rituals and beliefs. Important elements include purification, offerings to the gods
- such as rice, sake or fruit - and contests or games held on the day.

Sapporo Snow Festival (Yuki Matsuri) - early February. Odori Park in Sapporo is the venue for
an incredible array of huge and elaborate snow and ice sculptures. The festival is a major tourist
attraction that brings millions of visitors from across Japan and abroad.

Tanabata Festival on July or August 7th - It originated from a Chinese folk legend concerning
two stars-the Weaver Star (Vega) and the Cowherd Star (Altair) who were said to be lovers who
could meet only once a year on the 7th night of the 7th month provided it didn't rain and flood
the Milky Way. It was named Tanabata after a weaving maiden from a Japanese legend, named
Orihime who was believed to make clothes for the gods. People often write wishes and
romantic aspirations on long, narrow strips of coloured paper and hang them on bamboo
branches along with other small ornaments.

Gion Festival - July 17th. The most significant festival in Japan. The most famous Gion Matsuri is
the one sponsored by the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto. Actually this is a one-month festival which
reaches a climax on the 17th when there is a parade of giant wheeled floats called hoko or
spears.

Tenjin Festival - July 24-25th. Together with Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and Tokyo's Kanda Matsuri,
this festival in Osaka is considered one of the "big three" in Japan. It is thought to date back to
the mid 10th century. The main events take place in the evening on the Okawa River, involving
about 100 boats and with a fireworks display providing a spectacular backdrop.

Doll Festival - March 3rd. This is the day when families pray for the happiness and prosperity of
their girls and to help ensure that they grow up healthy and beautiful. The celebration takes
place both inside the home and at the seashore. Both parts are meant to ward off evil spirits
from girls. Young girls put on their best kimonos and visit their friends' homes. Tiered platforms
for hina ningyō (hina dolls; a set of dolls representing the emperor, empress, attendants, and
musicians in ancient court dress) are set up in the home, and the family celebrates with a
special meal of hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) and shirozake (rice malt with sake).

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Japanese Floating Lantern Festival – July 19th. One traditional custom to mark the end of the
Bon Festival. Small paper lanterns containing a burning flame are either set afloat to a river,
lake or sea or they are let go and float away into the night. Their light is intended to guide the
way for deceased family members' spirits. Usually the person who lets the lantern go will write
a message on the side.

Aomori Nebuta Festival - August 2–7 every year. This festival is held annually and features
colorful lantern floats called nebuta which are pulled through the streets of Central Aomori.
This event attracts millions of visitors. During this festival, 20 large nebuta floats are paraded
through the streets near Aomori JR rail station. These floats are constructed of wooden bases
and metal frames. Japanese papers, called washi, are painted onto the frames. These amazing
floats are finished off with the historical figures or kabuki being painted on the paper.

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Cherry blossom festivals (Hanami - April) - Hanami is an important Japanese custom and is held
all over Japan in spring. Hanami literally means viewing flowers, but it generally indicates cherry
blossom viewing. It's said that the origin of hanami dates back to more than one thousand years
ago when aristocrats enjoyed looking at beautiful cherry blossoms and wrote poems. Various
flower festivals are held at Shinto shrines during the month of April. In some areas the peach
blossom, the traditional flower of Japan (the Cherry being a symbol from the Edo period
symbolising the Samurai culture), is viewed as well though this flowers earlier than the Cherry.
In some places flower viewing parties are held on traditionally fixed dates. This is one of the
most popular events during spring. The subject of flower viewing has long held an important
place in literature, dance and the fine arts.

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 JAPANESE URBAN LEGENDS

1. Hone-onna
Hone-onna, one of the creepy Japanese urban legends, is a gorgeous woman who is dressed in
a kimono which covers her entire body except wrists, neck and face. She is incredibly beautiful,
with smooth skin and long neck, but her beauty is a disguise. Hone-onna allures lonely men in
dark alleys by teasing them with her looks and style. When she is succeeded in taking the man
to a quiet place and convincing him to undress her, the reality of her beauty is exposed.
Because under her fleshy kimono, there is no skin. As soon as the man sees the flesh and bones,
the Hone-onna embraces him and sucks away his life and soul. Hone-onna can be compared to
Succubus of western world (who preys upon the young men).

2. Yuki Onna
Yuki-onna appears on snowy nights as a tall, beautiful
woman with long black hair, blue lips and piercing eyes
colored deep violet. Her inhumanly pale or even
transparent skin makes her blend into the snowy
landscape (as famously described in Lafcadio
Hearn's Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things).
Her body is cold as ice, and a mere touch is enough to
give a human a deep, unshakable chill. She sometimes
wears a white kimono, but other legends describe her as
nude, with only her face and hair standing out against
the snow. Despite her inhuman beauty, her eyes can
strike terror into mortals. She floats across the snow,
leaving no footprints (in fact, some tales say she has no
feet, a feature of many Japanese ghosts), and she can
transform into a cloud of mist or snow if threatened. She
feeds on human life force, sucking it from their mouths
into hers with an icy breath that often freezes her
victims solid.

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3. Kuchisake Onna
Kuchisake-onna ("Slit-Mouthed Woman") is a figure appearing in Japanese urban legends. She
is a woman who was mutilated by her husband, and returns as a malicious spirit. When rumors
of alleged sightings began spreading in 1979 around the Nagasaki Prefecture, it spread
throughout Japan and caused panic in many towns.
According to the legend, she walks around wearing a surgical mask. The woman will ask
someone "Am I pretty?" If they answer no, they are killed with a pair of scissors which the
woman carries. If they answer yes, the woman pulls away the mask, revealing that her mouth is
slit from ear to ear, and asks "How about now?" If they answer no, she/he will die. If the person
answers yes, then she will slit his/her mouth like hers. It is impossible to run away from her, as
she will simply reappear in front of the victim.
When the legend reappeared, the 1970s rumors of ways to escape also emerged. Some sources
say she can also be confused by the victim answering her question with ambiguous answers,
such as "You are average" or "So-so". Another method is to flip her questions towards her, such
as asking her "Do you think I'm pretty?" Unsure of what to do, she will give a person enough
time to escape while she is lost in thought. Another escape route is to tell her one has a
previous engagement; she will pardon her manners and excuse herself. In some variations of
the tale, she can be distracted by fruit or candies thrown at her which she will then pick up,
thus giving the victim a chance to run.

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 LITERATURE

Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact

with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had
an influence through the Diffusion of Buddhism in Japan. Eventually, Japanese literature
developed into a separate style in its own right as Japanese writers began writing their own
works about Japan, although the influence of Chinese literature and Classical Chinese remained
until the end of the Edo period. Since Japan reopened its ports to Western trading and
diplomacy in the 19th century, Western and Eastern literature have strongly affected each
other and continue to do so.

Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972) was a distinguished Japanese novelist who won the Nobel
Prize in literature for exemplifying in his writings the Japanese mind.

Manga
Manga are comics created in Japan, or by creators in the Japanese
language, conforming to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th
century. They have a long and complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art.
The term manga is a Japanese word referring both to comics
and cartooning. "Manga" as a term used outside Japan refers specifically
to comics originally published in Japan.

Manga stories are typically printed in black-and-white, although some full-

color manga exist. In Japan, manga are usually serialized in large manga
magazines, often containing many stories, each presented in a single
episode to be continued in the next issue. If the series is successful,
collected chapters may be republished in tankōbon volumes, frequently but not
exclusively, paperback books. A manga artist (mangaka in Japanese) typically works with a few
assistants in a small studio and is associated with a creative editor from a commercial
publishing company. If a manga series is popular enough, it may be animated after or even
during its run. Sometimes manga are drawn centering on previously existing live-action or
animated films.

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Dōjinshi

Dōjinshi, produced by small publishers outside of the mainstream commercial market, resemble
in their publishing small-press independently published comic books in the United
States. Comiket, the largest comic book convention in the world with around 500,000 visitors
gathering over three days, is devoted to dōjinshi. While they most often contain original stories,
many are parodies of or include characters from popular manga and anime series.
Some dōjinshi continue with a series' story or write an entirely new one using its characters,
much like fan fiction.

Traditionally, manga stories flow from top to bottom and

from right to left. Some publishers of translated manga keep
to this original format. Other publishers mirror the pages
horizontally before printing the translation, changing the
reading direction to a more "Western" left to right, so as not
to confuse foreign readers or traditional comics-consumers.
This practice is known as "flipping". For the most part,
criticism suggests that flipping goes against the original
intentions of the creator (for example, if a person wears a
shirt that reads "MAY" on it, and gets flipped, then the word is
altered to "YAM"), who may be ignorant of how awkward it is
to read comics when the eyes must flow through the pages
and text in opposite directions, resulting in an experience
that's quite distinct from reading something that flows
homogeneously. If the translation is not adapted to the flipped artwork carefully enough it is
also possible for the text to go against the picture, such as a person referring to something on
their left in the text while pointing to their right in the graphic. Characters shown writing with
their right hands, the majority of them, would become left-handed when a series is flipped.
Flipping may also cause oddities with familiar asymmetrical objects or layouts, such as a car
being depicted with the gas pedal on the left and the brake on the right, or a shirt with the
buttons on the wrong side, but these issues are minor when compared to the unnatural reading
flow, and some of them could be solved with an adaptation work that goes beyond just
translation and blind flipping.

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 MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS

The music of Japan includes a wide array of performers in distinct styles

both traditional and modern. The word for music in Japanese is 音楽 (ongaku), combining
the kanji 音 "on" (sound) with the kanji 楽 "gaku" (enjoyment). Japan is the second
largest music market in the world, behind the United States, and the largest in Asia, and most
of the market is dominated by Japanese artists.
Local music often appears at karaoke venues, which is on lease from the record
labels. Traditional Japanese music is quite different from Western Music and is based on the
intervals of human breathing rather than mathematical timing. In 1873, a British traveler
claimed that Japanese music, "exasperates beyond all endurance the European breast.”

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 ANIME

Anime is Japanese hand-drawn or computer animation. The word is the abbreviated

pronunciation of "animation" in Japanese, where this term references all animation without
regards to the nation of origin. Outside Japan however, anime is used to refer specifically to
animation from Japan or as a Japanese-disseminated animation style often characterized by
colorful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastical themes. Arguably, the stylization approach
to the meaning may open up the possibility of anime produced in countries other than
Japan. For simplicity, many Westerners strictly view anime as an animation product from
Japan. Some scholars suggest defining anime as specifically or quintessentially Japanese may be
related to a new form of orientalism.
The earliest commercial Japanese animation dates to 1917, and production of anime works in
Japan has since continued to increase steadily. The characteristic anime art style emerged in
the 1960s with the works of Osamu Tezuka and spread internationally in the late twentieth
century, developing a large domestic and international audience. Anime is distributed
theatrically, by television broadcasts, directly to home media, and over the Internet. It is
classified into numerous genres targeting diverse broad and niche audiences.
Anime is a diverse art form with distinctive production methods and techniques that have been
adapted over time in response to emergent technologies. It consists of an ideal story-telling
mechanism, combining graphic art, characterization, cinematography, and other forms of
imaginative and individualistic techniques. The production of anime focuses less on the
animation of movement and more on the realism of settings as well as the use of camera
effects, including panning, zooming, and angle shots. Being hand-drawn, anime is separated
from reality by a crucial gap of fiction that provides an ideal path for escapism that audiences
can immerse themselves into with relative ease. Diverse art styles are used and character
proportions and features can be quite varied, including characteristically large emotive or
realistically sized eyes.
The anime industry consists of over 430 production studios, including major names like Studio
Ghibli, Gainax, and Toei Animation. Despite comprising only a fraction of Japan's domestic film
market, anime makes up a majority of Japanese DVD sales. It has also seen international
success after the rise of English-dubbed programming. This rise in international popularly has
resulted in non-Japanese productions using the anime art style, but these works are usually
described as anime-influenced animation rather than anime proper.

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Animation technique

Anime follows the typical production of animation, including storyboarding, voice

acting, character design, and cel production. Since the 1990s, animators have
increasingly used computer animation to improve the efficiency of the production
process. Artists like Noburō Ōfuji pioneered the earliest anime works, which were
experimental and consisted of images drawn on blackboards, stop motion animation of
paper cutouts, and silhouette animation. Cel animation grew in popularity until it came
to dominate the medium. In the 21st century, the use of other animation techniques is
mostly limited to independent short films, including the stop motion puppet animation
work produced by Tadahito Mochinaga, Kihachirō Kawamoto and Tomoyasu
Murata. Computers were integrated into the animation process in the 1990s, with works
such as Ghost in the Shell and Princess Mononoke mixing cel animation with computer-
generated images.

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 SPORTS

Many different sports are played in Japan. Traditional martial arts like judo and kendo
are popular, as are sports imported from overseas, such as baseball and soccer
(football). Many Japanese go to the sea for surfing and scuba diving in the summer,
while skiing and snowboarding are popular winter pursuits.

Martial Arts
Traditional martial arts, such as judo, kendo, karate-do,
and aikido, thrive in modern Japan thanks to the devotion
of those who practice them.
In judo, which literally means "the gentle way," the key to
overcoming an opponent lies in taking advantage of their
strength. Now popular all over the world, judo has firmly
established itself as an official Olympic event since its
first inclusion in the Games in 1964. Following in the
footsteps of judo, kendo (Japanese fencing) has also
succeeded in attracting a loyal overseas following in
recent years. Kendo competitors wear armor-like
protective gear and use bamboo swords to attack and
defend. Karate-do came to Japan from China through the
Ryukyu Kingdom (present-day Okinawa). Karate-do
competitors do not wear any kind of protection and fight
using only their hands and feet.

Sumo
Sumo, Japan's national sport, has a history spanning more than 1,000 years. As it used
to be held as a way of giving thanks for harvests, sumo still involves many
rituals. Rikishi (sumo wrestlers), whose hair is styled like that of ancient warriors, wear
only a special silk belt and fight using only their bare hands. Most weigh between 100
and 200 kilograms. They fight in the 4.5-meter wide dohyo (ring) until one either leaves
the ring or touches the ground with any part of his body other than the soles of his feet.
While the rules are simple, the techniques are not, and there are more than 80 ways to
win. Professional sumo tournaments take place six times a year and last 15 days each.
Sumo has attracted attention outside Japan through exhibition tours to various
countries and the success of wrestlers from overseas.

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Olympic Games
Amateur sport also thrives in Japan, which always sends strong teams to the Olympic
Games. A team of 339 Japanese athletes competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and 94
took part in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The Olympics have been held in
Japan three times: Tokyo hosted the Summer Games in 1964 - the first Olympics ever to
be held in Asia - while the Winter Games were hosted by Sapporo in 1972 and by
Nagano in 1998. And it has been decided that Japan will host the games for the 4th time,
with the 2020 Summer Olympics to be held in Tokyo.

Popular Children's Sports

Japanese children play a variety of sports through clubs at school or near where they
live. Soccer (football) and baseball are two of the most popular sports among boys,
while many girls tend to play sports like tennis and volleyball. Swimming is popular
with both boys and girls.

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 CONCLUSION

The culture of Japan is just one of the hundreds of cultures on Earth today, and I don’t deny the
fact that each of them must be fascinating in some way. However, you cannot expect someone
to be fascinated by all the cultures equally. In other words, I do not want to diminish the
importance of any other culture in the world, but I merely draw attention to the culture of
Japan which is less known in Europe.
Because it is relatively far away, few people have the opportunity to visit Japan and learn
firsthand about their lifestyle, traditions, language and history. My presentation was designed
as a useful tool for those who have become interested in the Japanese culture.
In the universal literature there have been many authors who have written about Japan, the
most famous of them being James Clavell with his novel “Shogun.” Another writer is Arthur
Golden who achieved fame after writing “Memoirs of a Geisha,” although Golden later ran into
some legal problems for disclosing the identity of the woman behind the main character of his
book.
Having worked on this paper gave me the opportunity to learn more interesting things about
Japan, things I didn’t know myself, and they made me appreciate this amazing culture even
more than I had before. I hope that in the not so distant future I will have the chance to visit
Japan and see all those wonderful things firsthand.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.wikipedia.com/Culture_of_Japan
www.web-japan.org
www.japan-zone.com
www.gojapan.com
www.yokai.com
www.wikipedia.com/Japanese_urban_legend
www.japan-guide.com
www.washiblog.wordpress.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga
www.deviantart.com
www.otaku.net
www.zerochan.net
http://www.enkivillage.com/japanese-urban-legends

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