NATIONAL ENGLISH COMPETITION THEME : CULTURE

ESSAY COMPETITION

Culture Of Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the
eastern coast It nationalized all land in Japan, to be distributed equally among cultivators, and
ordered the compilation of a household registry as the basis for a new system of taxation. In the
17th century, after many decades of civil unrest, the Tokugawa Shogunate (the last feudal
Japanese government), established a new military-led dynastic government. This heralded a long
period of political peace and stability which lasted until 1868. During this time Japan was not
under the influence of foreign powers which facilitated the expansion of the indigenous culture.
Japan began to open up its ports and, on March 31st 1854, signed the Treaty of Kanagawa
(Japan-US Treaty of Peace and Amity). This led to establishing diplomatic relations with other
western powers and the development and modernisation of Japan’s manufacture and industry.
During the latter half of the 19th century and until the early part of the 20th century, Japan
became a formidable power, crushing the forces of Russia and China. They occupied Korea,
Taiwan and the southern island of Sakhalin. In 1931, Japan occupied Manchuria and then, in
1937, launched an invasion on China. Soon they occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. On
7th December 1941, Japan attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbour which
precipitated the US entry into the Second World War. Following their defeat in the Second
World War, Japan developed a strong economic power and became allied to the US. In 1947 the
Constitution of Japan was enacted which provided for a parliamentary system of government.
The Emperor of Japan, whilst remaining the ceremonial head of state, no longer had Imperial
rule.After thirty years of economic growth, Japan experienced economic decline which began in
the 1990s, although they remained an economic power. In March 2011, Japan experienced a
devastating earthquake and attendant tsunami which destroyed the northeast of Honshu Island
killing thousands of people and damaging several nuclear power plants. This catastrophe
seriously impacted upon Japan’s infrastructure and economy. Shinzo Abe, the longest serving
Prime Minister of Japan, has embarked upon an ambitious programme of economic reform in
order to restore the economy and to maintain international standing.

Japan has a fascinating and multifaceted culture; on the one hand it is steeped in the
deepest of traditions dating back thousands of years; on the other it is a society in a continual
state of rapid flux, with continually shifting fads and fashions and technological development
that constantly pushes back the boundaries of the possible. The culture of Japan has changed
greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary
modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia, Europe, and North America. Strong
Chinese influences are still evident in traditional Japanese culture as China had historically been
a regional powerhouse, which has resulted in Japan absorbing many elements of Chinese culture
first through Korea, then later through direct cultural exchanges during China's Sui and Tang
dynasties. The inhabitants of Japan experienced a long period of relative isolation from the
outside world during the Tokugawa shogunate after Japanese missions to Imperial China, until
the arrival of the "Black Ships" and the Meiji period. Today, the culture of Japan stands as one of
the leading and most prominent cultures around the world, mainly due to the global reach of its
popular culture.

Japanese people appear at first glance to be one of the most socially and ethnically
homogenous groups in the world. It is reasonable to equate Japan's rapid post-war economic
development to the 1990s with social solidarity and conformism. Despite labour shortages since
the 1960s, authorities resisted officially sanctioning foreign workers until the 1980s, relying on
increased mechanisation and an expanded female workforce instead. Until recently, Japanese
workers have associated themselves primarily with the company they work for - a businessman
will introduce himself as "Nissan no Takahashi-san" (I am Nissan's Mr Takahashi). By
extension, we might get the idea that a Japanese person subordinates the self to the objectives of
society. In 2008, however, long-serving Japanese politician Nariaki Nakayama resigned after
declaring that Japan is "ethnically homogenous", showing that the old "one people, one race"
idea has become politically incorrect. Criticism of Mr Nakayama's statement focused on its
disregard for the indigenous Ryukyukan people of southern Okinawa, and the Ainu people from
the northern island of Hokkaido - colonised by the Japanese in the late nineteenth century. In
1994 the first Ainu politician was elected to the Japanese Diet, suggesting that the Japanese are
keen to officially recognise distinct ethnic groups in Japan.

Religion in Japan is a wonderful mish-mash of ideas from Shintoism and Buddhism.

Unlike in the West, religion in Japan is rarely preached, nor is it a doctrine. Instead it is a moral
code, a way of living, almost indistinguishable from Japanese social and cultural values.
Japanese religion is also a private, family affair. It is separate from the state; there are no
religious prayers or symbols in a school graduation ceremony, for example. Religion is rarely
discussed in every day life and the majority of Japanese do not worship regularly or claim to be
religious. However, most people turn to religious rituals in birth, marriage and death and take
part in spiritual matsuri (or festivals) throughout the year. Until World War Two, Japanese
religion focused around the figure of the Emperor as a living God. Subjects saw themselves as
part of a huge family of which all Japanese people were members. The crushing war defeat
however, shattered many people's beliefs, as the frail voice of the Emperor was broadcast to the
nation renouncing his deity. The period since has seen a secularisation of Japanese society
almost as dramatic as the economic miracle which saw Japan's post-war economy go into
overdrive. However, much of the ritual has survived the collapse of religious belief. Today,
religion defines Japanese identity more than spirituality, and at helps strengthen family and
community ties.

Manners and customs are an important part of many facets of Japanese life. Japanese
people grow up picking up the subtleties of this unique culture as they go through life, respecting
the invisible and varied societal rules. There are many aspects of this seemingly complicated
culture that as a foreign visitor you will not be expected to know, but there are some things that
will be easier to grasp than others. One of the most obvious social conventions is the bow.
Everyone bows when they say hello, goodbye, thank you or sorry. Bowing is a term of respect,
remorse, gratitude and greeting. If you meet someone in Japan you may wish to give them a little
bow, but you do not necessarily need to bow to everyone who bows to you. Entering a shop or
restaurant for example, you will be greeted by shouts of irrashaimase (welcome) and a bow from
the staff as a sign of respect to you as the customer. As the customer, you will not be expected to
bow back as you could be facing a long bow-off as the staff will feel it necessary to bow back to
you. You may prefer to adopt the casual head-nod version of the bow as a sign of
acknowledgement when thanked for your purchase at the end of your shopping experience.
Many Japanese people use the head-nod in more casual everyday situations. There are several
forms of bowing, such as the 45-degree saikeirei bow used for moments for sincere apology or to
show the highest of respect, or the 30-degree keirei bow, which is also used to show respect to
superiors. As a visitor to Japan you will probably have no use for either of these. The eshaku 15-
degree bow is semi-formal and used for greetings when meeting people for the first time. You
may have more use for this bow during your time in Japan, but you will not be expected to use it
and Japanese these days are more than familiar with shaking hands.

When it comes to food, the Japanese are among the most enthusiastic and passionate of
any race. Ask any Japanese person about a recent trip within Japan and the conversation almost
always includes talk of the local food. In fact, for many Japanese travelling outside of their
hometowns, food is often one of the primary motivators for travelling. For this reason many
towns and cities in Japan are known first and foremost for their local speciality, whether it be a
type of sweet, fish, noodle, seaweed or tofu etc. Such is the Japanese passion for food that you
can turn on your TV at almost any time of the day or night and almost undoubtedly catch a show
about food. Careful preparation and meticulous presentation are crucial elements of Japanese
cuisine. Food is an art form and even the simplest dishes are often prepared by chefs who have
trained for many years. Once traded as currency, rice has been a staple food for the Japanese for
over 2,000 years and still accompanies or forms the base of many meals. Harvesting rice is very
labour-intensive and the Japanese are reminded of this from a very young age, which is why rice
is rarely wasted and leftover rice is put to good use. Aside from sushi, popular dishes include
donburi (simmered fish, meat or vegetables served over rice), onigiri (small parcels of rice
wrapped in dried seaweed), kayu (a rice porridge), mochi (pounded rice cakes) and chazuke
(cooked rice with green tea often served with salmon or cod roe), to name a few.

Once almost completely unknown to the world outside Japan, manga (Japanese comics)
and anime (Japanese animation) have become a global phenomenon - and their popularity is
growing every day. Manga books are generally printed in black and white and cover a wide
variety of genres and subject matter aimed at both sexes and all ages, not just for young boys -
to whom comics are generally marketed in the West. Themes include romance, action adventure,
science fiction, comedy, sports and can also venture into darker subject matter for adults such as
horror and more risqué material; though the latter tends not to be acknowledged in everyday life
and culture. As it makes up a large section of Japan's publishing industry, manga books can be
found and seen everywhere. People reading manga on trains during rush hour is a common sight
in Tokyo as well as the rest of the country. Every town will have a book store with aisles upon
aisles of different manga genres and larger cities even have stores entirely dedicated to the
medium over multiple storeys. Convenience stores are quite happy for patrons to stand and read
manga even if they are not going to buy and many waiting rooms and restaurants have
bookshelves with popular serialisations. Most manga aimed at children uses a simplistic style
and the adorable characters feed Japan's love for all things kawaii (cute). Characters also have
oversized eyes through which the artists are able to convey emotion more easily.
 Once certain manga have proven their worth by popularity, the natural progression is for
an animated TV series to be created, however, manga is not the only source of inspiration for
anime. For example, Pokémon was a worldwide hit as a video game for Nintendo before it was
made into manga and anime series. The obvious differences from manga such as colour,
movement and sound bring anime to life, but there is one additional element which is extremely
important: the theme song. Artists from the J-pop and J-rock world are all falling over
themselves to write the theme songs for the next big anime series as it is almost a guaranteed hit
and provides great exposure. The anticipation of which artist it will be can often overshadow the
anime itself, being the topic of hot discussion in school playgrounds and internet forums. One
of Japan's most famous, successful and critically acclaimed animators is Hayao Miyazaki, co-
director of Studio Ghibli, which was founded in 1985. His long career has seen him create
numerous original feature films in the animated form which have touched the hearts of the
Japanese people as well as the rest of the world. On a visual level, his animation style is very
unique and cannot be mistaken, especially as his characters tend to have small eyes, going
against the usual trend for larger eyes as mentioned earlier. Another distinguishing feature of his
work is that most of the protagonists are strong independent girls or women.Some of Miyazaki's
most famous works include Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away,
which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards. Many popular
anime series and Miyazaki films have found some levels of success elsewhere in the world after
being dubbed into various languages but, to get the real sentiment of the work, they really do
need to be watched in Japanese. Most visitors to Japan simply skim the surface of manga and
anime by visually appreciating the characters which pop up wherever you go with no real
knowledge of who they are. However, a little research into this fantasy world can enrich your
time in Japan as your knowledge of characters will create instant common ground with Japanese
people you may meet and you will find yourself actively searching for and spotting the
characters you know. If you do decide to delve deeper into these vast worlds then be careful:
once you are in it is very difficult to find your way out and before you know it, you may be
considered (or even call yourself) an otaku.

In Japan, you'll hear lots of different words for green tea. One of the most common you're
likely to hear is matcha, which refers to the finely ground, powdered tea that is used in Japanese
tea ceremony. You can find all kinds of matcha-flavoured products in Japan, from a matcha latte
at Starbucks to matcha-flavoured ice cream, chocolate and all kinds of sweets. Japan is a country
of drinkers - and a few rituals should be considered before taking a tipple. Never pour a drink for
yourself; your friend or host should do this for you and you in turn should keep your
companions' glasses filled to the brim! A word you'll hear quite often is kanpai - "cheers" in
Japanese. Unlike in the West, the culture of going out for just a drink does not really exist in
Japan. Drinking is almost always accompanied by a meal or otsumami (a light snack). Otsumami
usually comes in the form of a plate of edamame (soy beans), surume (dried shredded squid) or
arare (small rice crackers whose name literally translates as hailstones!). Whilst sake (rice wine)
is the national drink of Japan, lager-beer (pronounced "beer-ru" in Japanese) is the most popular
drink. Widely available brands include Kirin, Sapporo, Suntory, and Asahi. They are all worth a
taste and average about 5% abv. Watch out for cheaper brands though - these are not actually
beer at all but happoshu, a malt-flavoured beverage. This looks and tastes like cheap beer but the
low malt content allows the brewers to avoid beer taxes! As for the sake, our advice is to have
the cheap stuff (a little rough on the palate) hot, but drink the quality brands (strong and fresh-
tasting) well chilled.

For those interested in Japanese history, samurai culture and the role this military class
played in shaping Japan is a fascinating one. Although samurai no longer exist, the influence of
these great warriors still manifests itself deeply in Japanese culture and samurai heritage can be
seen all over Japan - be it a great castle, a carefully planned garden, or beautifully preserved
samurai residences. It is also deeply ingrained in the psyche of the Japanese people. The basis of
samurai conduct is bushido, "the way of the warrior". This unique philosophy valued honour,
reckless bravery and selflessness, as well as duty to the warrior's master with the purpose of
giving up one's life and embracing death. There was no place for fear in the way of the warrior
and this conduct of self discipline and respectful, ethical behaviour was to become the role model
behaviour for other classes throughout Japan's history.

When you're in Tokyo with InsideJapan Tours - why not take in the theatre? If you are
shopping or just window-shopping in Ginza in the heart of Tokyo, you are only a few minutes'
walk from the Shimbashi Embujo. Here you can arrive around 4pm, drink in the atmosphere of
excited crowds of theatre-goers milling around the many stalls selling theatrical souvenirs, then
sit in a comfortable seat watching the amazing performance on stage and listening to an English
translation through an earphone. The long interval gives you time for a full meal at one of the
theatre restaurants. Most months of the year the theatre you will watch will be Kabuki, one of
Japan's three main traditional theatre genres. Kabuki began in the seventeenth century and
quickly developed a highly stylised type of acting that has been popular ever since. All parts in
Kabuki are played by men and some of its greatest actors specialise in playing female characters.
Kabuki stars are part of Japan's celebrity culture and you will often see their faces on advertising
billboards or in TV commercials. Apart from Kabuki, the puppet theatre (Bunraku), with each
puppet being manipulated by three puppeteers, also dates from the seventeenth century, and Noh,
a more stately form of danced theatre in which many main actors wear wooden masks, can trace
its history back to the fourteenth century.

And the last about spring in Japan. Spring in Japan can only mean one thing: cherry
blossom.Sandwiched between the long, bitter winter months and the sweltering humidity of
summer, spring is by far the most popular time for tourism in Japan - both domestic and
international. The atmosphere at this time of year is infectious, with parks packed with revelers
and supermarket shelves stacked with the latest blossom-flavoured snacks and drinks.The cherry
blossom (or sakura) "front" sweeps along the length of the country each year, beginning with
Okinawa in the far south in February and working its way along Japan to northern Hokkaido in
May. A variety of factors can affect when the cherry blossom comes into bloom: a particularly
cold winter can mean that the flowers come out late, unseasonably mild weather can usher them
out sooner, and heavy rain can mean that the trees drop their petals much quicker than otherwise.
For this reason, the forecast is followed avidly throughout the sakura season!. The cherry
blossom usually begins to bloom in Okinawa in around January/February, passes through the
middle of Japan in March and April, and finishes with a late bloom in northern Hokkaido in
May. In areas of high altitude, the blossom also arrives rather later than in low-altitude regions.
Tokyo usually sees its first blossoms in the dying days of March, with full bloom falling around
April 5. Kyoto follows a day or two later, while the mountainous areas around Takayama and
Matsumoto bloom about two weeks later - beginning in mid-April.