Final Idea:
Japanese Culture / Kawaii:
An extensive array of components has composed the culture of Japan. This array includes Japanese Language, Japanese Music, Japanese Costume and Clothing, Japanese Performing Arts, Japanese Religions, Japanese Customs, Japanese Folklore, Japanese Sculpture, Japanese Cuisine in addition to Japanese Literature.
Besides that, Geisha, Kabuki Theatre, Ikebana is also regarded as significant part of Japanese Cultural Heritage. Brief descriptions of a few of the Japanese cultural manifestations are as following:
Japanese Painting: The Japanese painting is a very popular form of art celebrated through out the country. The outstanding procedure of the painting is borrowed from continental regions.
Japanese Language: The language of Japan is one of the most eminent elements of Japanese culture. This language includes a polysynthetic linguistic process and is featured by a distinctive lexical pitch modulation. The written form of this language is very interesting as the Japanese scripts are combination of various types of scripts as Roman Alphabets, Chinese Characters.
Japanese Sculpture: Japanese Sculptures are the reflection of Shinto as well as Buddhist cultural heritage. Stone, metal, pottery and wood are considered as the favoured materials for sculpting.
Besides that, Geisha, Kabuki Theatre, Ikebana is also regarded as significant part of Japanese Cultural Heritage. Brief descriptions of a few of the Japanese cultural manifestations are as following:
Japanese Painting: The Japanese painting is a very popular form of art celebrated through out the country. The outstanding procedure of the painting is borrowed from continental regions.
Japanese Language: The language of Japan is one of the most eminent elements of Japanese culture. This language includes a polysynthetic linguistic process and is featured by a distinctive lexical pitch modulation. The written form of this language is very interesting as the Japanese scripts are combination of various types of scripts as Roman Alphabets, Chinese Characters.
Japanese Sculpture: Japanese Sculptures are the reflection of Shinto as well as Buddhist cultural heritage. Stone, metal, pottery and wood are considered as the favoured materials for sculpting.
Japanese Flowers:
Seasons are a main theme in the Japanese culture. Flowers are like mirrors to the seasons, reflecting the passage of time. Fittingly, flower viewing is a very popular activity in Japan as most prominently seen in the annual festivities surrounding the cherry blossoms, but not limited to them.
Hanakotoba (花言葉) is the Japanese form of the language of flowers. In this practice plants were given codes and passwords.
Japanese name / Romaji / English / Meaning
蓮華 / Renge / Lotus / Far from the one he loves/Purity/Chastity
ジャスミン / Jasumin / Jasmine / Friendly/Graceful
紫陽花 / Ajisai / Hydrangea / Pride
桜 / Sakura / Cherry Blossom / Kind/Gentle
Hanakotoba (花言葉) is the Japanese form of the language of flowers. In this practice plants were given codes and passwords.
Japanese name / Romaji / English / Meaning
蓮華 / Renge / Lotus / Far from the one he loves/Purity/Chastity
ジャスミン / Jasumin / Jasmine / Friendly/Graceful
紫陽花 / Ajisai / Hydrangea / Pride
桜 / Sakura / Cherry Blossom / Kind/Gentle
Symbolic Meaning of the Koi Fish:
Koi varieties are distinguished by colouration, patterning, and scalation. Some of the major colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream. The most popular category of koi is the Gosanke, which is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties.
The koi fish is said to climb waterfalls bravely, and, if caught, it lies upon the cutting board awaiting the knife without a quiver. The koi fish is a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement.
The koi fish is said to climb waterfalls bravely, and, if caught, it lies upon the cutting board awaiting the knife without a quiver. The koi fish is a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement.
Japanese Cuisine:
Generally the Japanese Cuisine is the assemblage of staple foodstuffs including noodles, rice, soup and several items made up of vegetable, crabs, fish, tofu and meat. Spices and flavors like Soy sauce, miso and dashi are added with the low fat dishes. Various sorts of Noodles, which are the vital element of Japanese culinary, were undoubtedly adopted from Chinese Cuisines.
Some of the most admired and celebrated Japanese ingredients and dishes are as following:
· Soba
· Sashimi
· Korokke
· Udon
· Wasabi
· Nikujaga
· Rice
· Sea Weed
· Ramen
· Okonomiyaki
· Mushrooms
· Domburi
· Gyoza
· Wasabi
· Tempura
· Yakitori
Due to a coincidence of language, the Kit Kat chocolate bar is enormously popular in Japan. “Kit Kat” is remarkably similar to the phrase “kitto katsu” (literally: you shall surely win), which is used as a sentiment of good luck. Students are often given the candy before an exam as a good luck charm. Unlike the rest of the world, which features only a milk chocolate version, Japan maintains dozens of exotic flavors, such as grilled corn, miso, camembert cheese, baked potato, and soy sauce.
Some of the most admired and celebrated Japanese ingredients and dishes are as following:
· Soba
· Sashimi
· Korokke
· Udon
· Wasabi
· Nikujaga
· Rice
· Sea Weed
· Ramen
· Okonomiyaki
· Mushrooms
· Domburi
· Gyoza
· Wasabi
· Tempura
· Yakitori
Due to a coincidence of language, the Kit Kat chocolate bar is enormously popular in Japan. “Kit Kat” is remarkably similar to the phrase “kitto katsu” (literally: you shall surely win), which is used as a sentiment of good luck. Students are often given the candy before an exam as a good luck charm. Unlike the rest of the world, which features only a milk chocolate version, Japan maintains dozens of exotic flavors, such as grilled corn, miso, camembert cheese, baked potato, and soy sauce.
Japanese Pop Culture:
Anime and Manga:
The Japanese culture has its own unique forms of comic books and animation. Manga (comic books) and anime (animation) are extremely popular in Japan. The earliest animation that is known to have been created in Japan was released in 1917. This early cartoon featured a samurai testing a sword and being defeated. Japanese animation pioneers included Seitarō Kitayama, Jun'ichi Kouchi, and Shimokawa Oten. The modern style of anime was developed during the 1960s. One of the most influential artists is Osamu Tezuka. He followed the example set by Walt Disney's popular animated films and simplified the techniques they pioneered to save time and money. Today's anime is both generated by computers and drawn by hand.
The anime industry consists of over 430 production studios including major names like Studio Ghibli, Gainax and Toei Animation. Despite having a fraction of the domestic film market, anime achieves a majority of DVD sales and has been an international success after the rise of televised English dubs. This rise in international popularly has resulted in non-Japanese productions using the anime art style, but these works have been defined as anime-influenced animation by both fans and the industry.
The anime films that I have seen are by Studio Ghibli are:
Spirited Away, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, The Cat Returns, Summer
Wars, Arrietty, Whisper of the Heart, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbour Totoro, and Only Yesterday.
The Japanese culture has its own unique forms of comic books and animation. Manga (comic books) and anime (animation) are extremely popular in Japan. The earliest animation that is known to have been created in Japan was released in 1917. This early cartoon featured a samurai testing a sword and being defeated. Japanese animation pioneers included Seitarō Kitayama, Jun'ichi Kouchi, and Shimokawa Oten. The modern style of anime was developed during the 1960s. One of the most influential artists is Osamu Tezuka. He followed the example set by Walt Disney's popular animated films and simplified the techniques they pioneered to save time and money. Today's anime is both generated by computers and drawn by hand.
The anime industry consists of over 430 production studios including major names like Studio Ghibli, Gainax and Toei Animation. Despite having a fraction of the domestic film market, anime achieves a majority of DVD sales and has been an international success after the rise of televised English dubs. This rise in international popularly has resulted in non-Japanese productions using the anime art style, but these works have been defined as anime-influenced animation by both fans and the industry.
The anime films that I have seen are by Studio Ghibli are:
Spirited Away, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, The Cat Returns, Summer
Wars, Arrietty, Whisper of the Heart, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbour Totoro, and Only Yesterday.
Japanese Video Games Consoles and Games:
The Dreamcast (ドリームキャスト Dorīmukyasuto) is a video game console that was released by Sega in November 1998 in Japan and later in 1999 in other territories. It was the first entry in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding its rivals, the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. The Dreamcast was Sega's last home console to date. For the Dreamcast, I can remember playing games like Sonic Adventure and Rayman
The PlayStation (officially abbreviated as PS and more commonly known as PS1) is a 32-bit video game console released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, 1994. The games for the PS were: Jurassic Park, Metal Gear Solid, Mortal Kombat, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Rayman, and many more.
The Sega Genesis, known as Mega Drive (Japanese: メガドライブ) in most regions outside North America, is a 16-bit video game console which was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The Genesis is Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega first released the console as the Mega Drive in Japan in 1988, followed by a North American debut under the Genesis moniker in 1989. The games for the Sega Mega Drive were: Jurassic Park, Mortal Kombat, and many more.
The PlayStation (officially abbreviated as PS and more commonly known as PS1) is a 32-bit video game console released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, 1994. The games for the PS were: Jurassic Park, Metal Gear Solid, Mortal Kombat, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Rayman, and many more.
The Sega Genesis, known as Mega Drive (Japanese: メガドライブ) in most regions outside North America, is a 16-bit video game console which was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The Genesis is Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega first released the console as the Mega Drive in Japan in 1988, followed by a North American debut under the Genesis moniker in 1989. The games for the Sega Mega Drive were: Jurassic Park, Mortal Kombat, and many more.
Japanese Castles and Temples:
Castles:Japanese castles were frequently constructed in strategic locations to protect important transport routes such as bridges, rivers or ports. Other Japanese castles were built to dominate a landscape and provide a final point of defence. Many Japanese castles were the basis for the development of cities, while others were located in difficult to reach mountain tops. Most Japanese castle featured one or more moats, plus one or more sets of outer walls, then a raised platform where the inner castle buildings were protected by a series of large stone walls, turrents and donjon or tower. Japanese castles really came of age in the 14th century, reaching their peak in 17th century and by the late 19th century most were being disassembled as part of the Meiji Restoration.
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Temples:Japanese Temples are Buddhist Temples located in Japan. There are some very old Japanese Temple, which were established over 1,200 years ago. Today some of these very old wooden temple buildings still survive, however many have been destroyed by lightning, fire, earthquakes, storms or war and have been rebuilt over the years. Still many of these rebuilt temple buildings are hundreds of years old. Many of these very old Japanese Temples are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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Japanese Shrine:
Japanese Shrines are sacred buildings of the Shinto religion, an indigenous religion to Japan. The primary objective of a Shinto Shrine is to store and protect sacred objects, kami. These objects are said to be enshrined. Most Shinto Shrines feature a honden, the primary building where the sacred objects, kami are stored. An exception to this is where the sacred object is a mountain or similarly large object. Some shrines contain halls for worship, known as haiden.
Shinto Shrines are sometimes located near Japanese Temples, which share some common history.
There are estimated to be 100,000 Shinto Shrines throughout Japan, however some of these are small or miniature shrines, hokora, which are located along pathways or roads. There are some very old Japanese Shrines which were established over 1,200 years ago. Today some of these very old wooden shrines still survive, however many have been destroyed by lightning, fire, earthquakes, storms or war and have been rebuilt over the years. Many of these rebuilt shrine buildings are hundres of years old.
Shinto Shrines are sometimes located near Japanese Temples, which share some common history.
There are estimated to be 100,000 Shinto Shrines throughout Japan, however some of these are small or miniature shrines, hokora, which are located along pathways or roads. There are some very old Japanese Shrines which were established over 1,200 years ago. Today some of these very old wooden shrines still survive, however many have been destroyed by lightning, fire, earthquakes, storms or war and have been rebuilt over the years. Many of these rebuilt shrine buildings are hundres of years old.
Japanese Rock Gardens: (Zen Gardens)
The Japanese rock garden (枯山水 / karesansui) or "dry landscape" garden, often called a zen garden, creates a miniature stylized landscape through carefully composed arrangements of rocks, water features, moss, pruned trees and bushes, and uses gravel or sand that is raked to represent ripples in water. A zen garden is usually relatively small, surrounded by a wall, and is usually meant to be seen while seated from a single viewpoint outside the garden, such as the porch of the hojo, the residence of the chief monk of the temple or monastery. Classical zen gardens were created at temples of Zen Buddhism in Kyoto, Japan during the Muromachi Period. They were intended to imitate the intimate essence of nature, not its actual appearance, and to serve an aid to meditation about the true meaning of life.
Japanese Tea Ceremony:
The Japanese tea ceremony (cha-no-yu, chado, or sado) is a traditional ritual influenced by Zen Buddhism in which powdered green tea, or matcha (抹茶), is ceremonially prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests in a tranquil setting.
Cha-no-yu (茶の湯, literally "hot water for tea"), usually refers to a single ceremony or ritual, while sado or chado (茶道, or "the way of tea") refer to the study or doctrine of tea ceremony.
Since a tea practitioner must be familiar with the production and types of tea, with kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics, incense and a wide range of other disciplines and traditional arts in addition to his or her school's tea practices, the study of tea ceremony takes many years and often lasts a lifetime. Even to participate as a guest in a formal tea ceremony requires knowledge of sado, including the prescribed gestures and phrases expected of guests, and the proper way to take tea and sweets, and general deportment in the tea room.
Cha-no-yu (茶の湯, literally "hot water for tea"), usually refers to a single ceremony or ritual, while sado or chado (茶道, or "the way of tea") refer to the study or doctrine of tea ceremony.
Since a tea practitioner must be familiar with the production and types of tea, with kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics, incense and a wide range of other disciplines and traditional arts in addition to his or her school's tea practices, the study of tea ceremony takes many years and often lasts a lifetime. Even to participate as a guest in a formal tea ceremony requires knowledge of sado, including the prescribed gestures and phrases expected of guests, and the proper way to take tea and sweets, and general deportment in the tea room.