Japan

By Zayna, Zainab and Areebah

  Japan is located in the continent of Asia and has a
Japan population of 127,368,08 people! Japans capital is
Tokyo and is the busiest city ever known.
Japanese food
Japanese food

 As many of you already know japan has a wonderful and

unique cuisine, but mostly when we think about Japanese
food, automatically sushi comes to our minds but
surprisingly it isn’t the only famous dish in japan. The
traditional cuisine of japan washoku is based on rice with
miso soup and other dishes; there is an importance on
seasonal ingredients. Side dishes often consist of fish,
pickled vegetables and vegetables cooked in broth. Seafood
is common, often grilled but also served raw as sashimi or
in sushi
what is sushi, sashimi and ramen?

 Sushi is a Japanese dish of specially prepared vinegared

rice, usually with some sugar and salt, combined with a
variety of ingredients, such as seafood, vegetables, and
occasionally tropical fruits.
 Sashimi is a Japanese delicacy consisting of very fresh raw
meat or fish sliced into thin pieces.
 Ramen is a Japanese dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat
noodles served in a meat or fish-based broth, often
flavoured with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as
sliced pork, dried seaweed, menma, and green onions.
Japanese food

 Japanese food is important to Japanese people as

it is a delight and delicacy and is popular around
the world. The basic and typical Japanese meal
consists of a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup,
pickled vegetables and fish or meat. While rice is
the staple food several kinds of noodles and
ramen are cheap and popular for light meals.
Japanese
religion
Japanese religion

Shinto and Buddhism are japans 2 major religions. Shinto is as

old as the Japanese culture where as on the other hand
Buddhism was imported from the mainland in the 6th century.
Most Japanese are not members of any religion. However, their
concerns with life after death tend to be Buddhist, and their
participation in community activities often centres on Shinto
celebrations. Shinto is a religion that originated in Japan.
Because Shinto and Buddhism focus on different aspects of a
person’s life, most Japanese have no trouble following both
Shinto and Buddhist practices.
What is Shinto and Buddhism?

 Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan. Unlike many

other religions, Shinto does not have a founder or a sacred
book like the Bible. Unlike many religions, Shinto has no
founder, no holiest place and no fixed set of prayers. Shinto
gods are called kami.
 Buddhism focuses on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama
who was born around 563 BCE. With as many as 500
million followers, Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in
the world. Buddhism is a religion that is not based on the
idea of God—it’s more of a way of life, so it is actually a
philosophy, but most people still call Buddhism a religion
Japanese Christianity

 In 1543 the first Europeans arrived in Japan. Two

(maybe three) Portuguese merchants aboard a
Chinese ship were blown off course and forced to
land on the island of Tanegashima, just south of
Kyushu. Only six years later, the first Christian
missionary came to Japan. What followed was,
what some historians call, Japan’s “Christian
century.” Despite 100 years of Christian
dominance, today only about 1% of the Japanese
population is Christian.
Japanese
holidays
New years day

 New Year is the most important holiday in Japan. The

Japanese new year is an annual festival with its own
customs. Most businesses shut down from January 1 to
January 3, and families typically gather to spend the days
together. Years are traditionally viewed as completely
separate, with each new year providing a fresh start.
Consequently, all duties are supposed to be completed by
the end of the year, while bonenkai celebration are held with
the purpose of leaving the old year's worries and troubles
behind. Homes and entrance gates are decorated with
ornaments made of pine, bamboo and plum trees, and
clothes and houses are cleaned.
Children's day

 Children's Day is a Japanese national holiday

which takes place annually on May 5 and is the
final celebration in Golden Week. It is a day set
aside to respect children's personalities and to
celebrate their happiness. It was designated a
national holiday by the Japanese government in
1948. It has been a day of celebration in Japan
since ancient times.
Peace day

 At 8 a.m. every August 6, a ceremony in Hiroshima's Peace

Memorial Park commemorates the anniversary of the
atomic bombing of the city in 1945. Survivors, relatives and
members of the public gather in front of the Memorial
Cenotaph to pay their respects and pray for peace. A
minute's silence at 8:15 a.m. marks the exact moment the
atomic bomb was dropped on the city. While this is an
understandably somber occasion, it carries a hopeful
message of a wish to learn from our past mistakes and a
desire for world peace.
Japanese
family
Japanese families

 The Japanese have a saying that even if an extended family

does not live together, parents and grandparents should live near
enough to carry over a bowl of hot soup. ... That is to say that a
married couple lives together with their children, perhaps with
one grandparent.

 For many families around the world, everyday life is punctuated

by routines peculiar to their particular household. Whether it’s a
mad schedule of daily events that has people coming and going
in a frantic rush, or a more leisurely calendar of relaxed
mealtimes and ordered activities, there’s bound to be something
in the family routine that works well for you but has other
people scratching their heads.
  In Japan, where a family shares the same bathtub, it’s not
unusual for the father to soak first, followed by other family
members in order of age. However, with many fathers returning
home late after work these days, upholding this tradition, as

Rules of this family does, could mean that the youngest family members
won’t be bathing until the wee hours of the morning.
Japanese
families
Rules of Japanese families

 While many housewives are still in charge of

cooking and cleaning for the entire family in
traditional Japanese households, with more
women joining the workforce family members are
slowly getting used to pulling their own weight
when it comes to doing household chores. That’s
what works for this particular family, with each
member happily making whatever they please for
their meals whenever they desire
Japanese
customs
 Japanese house rules

 It is a custom in Japan to remove one's shoes

just after entering a home. After stepping up
into the main part of the house it is a custom to
turn your shoes so that they face the outside.
You must turn of the lights when you leave a
room.
 Sit in the "seiza" position. This can be difficult
and painful for Japanese themselves, especially
taller people. It involves sitting on the floor
with the legs folded under your body, with your
back resting on your heels.
The number 4

 In Japan, the number four is avoided because it

sounds very similar to the word for death. In the
same vein as the number 13 in Western culture, the
number four is extremely unlucky and is used as
little as possible. You must always avoid giving
anyone something in fours since it can be seen as a
very ominous gift. Elevators will often be missing a
fourth floor — and in some extreme cases, they will
not have the floors 40-49. The number 49 is
especially unlucky, as it sounds similar to the phrase
which means “pain until death.”
Japanese custom table manners
Some restaurants in Japan have low tables and cushions
on tatami floor instead of Western style chairs and tables.
Shoes and slippers have to be removed before stepping on
tatami. Also, avoid stepping onto cushions other than your
own. Blowing your nose at the table, burping and audible
munching are considered bad manners in Japan. On the
other hand, it is considered good style to empty your
dishes to the last grain of rice. If there are food items that
you do not like or cannot eat, replacements may be
available. After finishing your meal, it is generally good
manner to return all your dishes to how they were at the
start of the meal. This includes replacing the lids on dishes
and putting your chopsticks back on the chopstick rest or
in its paper holder.