Cultural Universal captioned slideshow montage
About the people information – data displayed in chart
Short narrative analysis of demographic data and social conditions
Traditional Sports:
- Sumo is Japans official national sport which has been around for about 1500 years.
- Sumo originated as a form of Shinto ritual.
- Kendo was a furious, noisy sport and may be argued that its the oldest martial art that includes power, skill and bravery, used with swords and bamboo slats.
- Judo is the sport that has the most successfully spread throughout the world, and is even performed in the Olympics.
Society:
- Taking off footwear is big in Japan because its a sign of respect mainly. Traditionally, they took off their shoes when people were sleeping, to not make noise walking around, and to reduce the dirt spread throughout the house.
- Before people eat, Japanese put their hands together and say "Itadakimasu, which means i humbly receive, and after they say "Gochiso sama deshita which means, thank you for the meal.
- Walking and eating is not polite thing to do in Japan
- Using an excessive amount of soy sauce on rice is considered rude to the Japanese people because they take great pride in the food they make, and you trying to alter the taste is not looked in a positive way.
- There's no tipping in Japanese restaurants because they expect to always to do their best jobs and they dont feel it necessary to give them extra money for their work.
Painting and Music:
- Music from Japan includes both traditional and modern music
- Japan has the second largest music marketing following up the United States.
- Painting is an important part of Japan's culture and has been for a very long time.
Gardens:
- The gardens in Japan are just as important as the building structures there.
- The gardens of Japan represent the culture whether its religious, or socially.
Loss of Cultural diversity
Skylar Perry-Cann
Dorn
GCU 114
Culturally diverse and Globalization In every country the people that live there see a loss of cultural diversity, whether the people don’t live in their land at all anymore or they just adjusted to the rapidly changing world of today. Japan was once and still is known for their extravagant gardens and they take pride in that. It represents not only them but their gods because a lot of their sacred gardens are next to the temples as well. Some of these temples in Japan have been shut down or torn down because there was not too many people still going and there really was no point to keep them up in the way of something they could build there. Religion has changed over the years from just a couple religions in the country to about 10 or so. The people of Japan don’t feel like they need to follow the norm anymore and go off their own way to determine what religion they would like to be. Almost half of the people in Japan aren’t religious and they don’t practice anymore, so does this mean their original religion, Shinto will fade?( Prashar,2011). We will only find out in the days to come.
As the time goes on in modernizing so does their interests in the country. One thing that Japan has not lost in cultural diversity is their language. The majority of everyone in their country all spoke the same language so fortunately that did not fade away unlike half of the other languages spoken in the past. This is because in the 1980’s they offered classes to the children and adults to keep their language up to date (Osahito Miyaoka, 2001).
Their strict traditions have faded away as well over the years. Japanese used to believe the women were nothing but “maids” as you can say to take care of the kids and the house. They didn’t have any in dependency and were treated more of a daughter from their spouses than their wife. Now as you can tell most of those strict rules have vanished for the better.
Japan has taken in different fruits and medicine from China to only better them as a country. Since Japan gets most of their resources from importing goods from different countries its almost positive that the Japanese people will take after some things that the other countries do such as religion, how they live their life, etc. Smaller countries really cannot hide from globalization because of all the other countries they come into contact with.( Baroud , 2009). By no means do people think globalization is bad because most of the time its necessary if these countries want to compete with other countries but they should never forget what’s most important such as their language, religion and traditions because is those are lost they are essentially not the country they started out to be.
Baroud, R. (2009). A culture killer. Retrieved from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2009/11/21/commentary/globalization-a-culture-killer/
Miyaoka, O. (2001). Endangered languages. Retrieved from http://www.elpr.bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp/essay/miyaoka01.htm
Prashar, A. (2011). Views on globalization and faith. Retrieved from http://www.fgi-tbff.org/sites/default/files/elfinder/FGIImages/Research/fromresearchtopolicy/ipsos_mori_briefing_pack.pdf
Dorn
GCU 114
Culturally diverse and Globalization In every country the people that live there see a loss of cultural diversity, whether the people don’t live in their land at all anymore or they just adjusted to the rapidly changing world of today. Japan was once and still is known for their extravagant gardens and they take pride in that. It represents not only them but their gods because a lot of their sacred gardens are next to the temples as well. Some of these temples in Japan have been shut down or torn down because there was not too many people still going and there really was no point to keep them up in the way of something they could build there. Religion has changed over the years from just a couple religions in the country to about 10 or so. The people of Japan don’t feel like they need to follow the norm anymore and go off their own way to determine what religion they would like to be. Almost half of the people in Japan aren’t religious and they don’t practice anymore, so does this mean their original religion, Shinto will fade?( Prashar,2011). We will only find out in the days to come.
As the time goes on in modernizing so does their interests in the country. One thing that Japan has not lost in cultural diversity is their language. The majority of everyone in their country all spoke the same language so fortunately that did not fade away unlike half of the other languages spoken in the past. This is because in the 1980’s they offered classes to the children and adults to keep their language up to date (Osahito Miyaoka, 2001).
Their strict traditions have faded away as well over the years. Japanese used to believe the women were nothing but “maids” as you can say to take care of the kids and the house. They didn’t have any in dependency and were treated more of a daughter from their spouses than their wife. Now as you can tell most of those strict rules have vanished for the better.
Japan has taken in different fruits and medicine from China to only better them as a country. Since Japan gets most of their resources from importing goods from different countries its almost positive that the Japanese people will take after some things that the other countries do such as religion, how they live their life, etc. Smaller countries really cannot hide from globalization because of all the other countries they come into contact with.( Baroud , 2009). By no means do people think globalization is bad because most of the time its necessary if these countries want to compete with other countries but they should never forget what’s most important such as their language, religion and traditions because is those are lost they are essentially not the country they started out to be.
Baroud, R. (2009). A culture killer. Retrieved from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2009/11/21/commentary/globalization-a-culture-killer/
Miyaoka, O. (2001). Endangered languages. Retrieved from http://www.elpr.bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp/essay/miyaoka01.htm
Prashar, A. (2011). Views on globalization and faith. Retrieved from http://www.fgi-tbff.org/sites/default/files/elfinder/FGIImages/Research/fromresearchtopolicy/ipsos_mori_briefing_pack.pdf
Two maps showing cultural regions
Role of Religion:
Buddhism
Japan questions
Shinto and Buddhism is the two main religions in Japan today. Shinto was actually the state religion at one point in Japan and the earlier religion started there as well. Though, there is not much information as to when this religion first started experts estimated it would have probably been around the middle of the first millennium BC. Also Buddhism began with similar traits of Hinduism in the country of India, about c. 520 BCE by a man named Siddharta Gautama. Buddhism was introduced to Japan around the Kofun period (250 to 538)
In the East, Buddhism is practices throughout many different schools of “traditions”. Also organizations that have to do with Buddhism are created in Japan as well with such thing as peace marches and other activities. Buddhism has a lot of influence over the culture in Japan for over two centuries. 70 percent of the population of Japan still practice the Buddhism ways. Paintings and statues seem to be spreading all over Japan soon after it was started. Though Japan has seen a decline in Buddhist practices and over 100 temples have shut down a year, though 70% of people still say they follow Buddhism in some way.
There are sacred places that connect with Buddhism but the main would be Lumbini. This is where Buddha was born; its located in the foothills of the Himalayas(modern day Nepal). Also Lumbini consists of numerous temples including the Mayadevi, and others which are under construction. Another sacred place would be Puskarini or the “Holy Pond” this is where Buddha’s mother took ritual dips before Buddha was born and where he then took his first bath. The Bodh Gaya is also another religious site of pilgrimage that has to do with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in the Gaya district in Bihar. It’s known for the place where Buddha found Englightenment. The last sacred place is Kusinara which is known for an important Buddhist pilgrimage site and also where Buddha attained Pariniryana after his death
In the present day it seems like Japans religion and government doesn’t really go hand in hand together because the government doesn’t force religion onto their people. Neither foreign residents nor ethnic Japanese are ever asked about their religion by official government agencies, because the government doesn’t see the need to have to regulate religion. Though, back in the day is wasn’t the same. Prince Shotoku ordered the government to build many Buddhist temples around Japan which one very famous one today the Horya-ji temple, which is the oldest wooden structure now standing near the formal capital of Nara.
Zukeran, P. (1999).
Buddhism. Retrieved from http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/buddhism.html
Anonymous. (2005-12).
Japan map. Retrieved from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/japan-map
Anonymous. (2004).
A guide to japanese buddhism. Retrieved from http://www.buddhanet.net/nippon/nippon_partI.html
Anonymous. (2011).
History of japanese buddhism. Retrieved from http://viewonbuddhism.org/history_japanese_buddhism.html
O'Brien, B. (2009).
Buddhism in japan. Retrieved from http://buddhism.about.com/od/throughasiaandbeyond/a/japanhistory_2.htm
Shinto and Buddhism is the two main religions in Japan today. Shinto was actually the state religion at one point in Japan and the earlier religion started there as well. Though, there is not much information as to when this religion first started experts estimated it would have probably been around the middle of the first millennium BC. Also Buddhism began with similar traits of Hinduism in the country of India, about c. 520 BCE by a man named Siddharta Gautama. Buddhism was introduced to Japan around the Kofun period (250 to 538)
In the East, Buddhism is practices throughout many different schools of “traditions”. Also organizations that have to do with Buddhism are created in Japan as well with such thing as peace marches and other activities. Buddhism has a lot of influence over the culture in Japan for over two centuries. 70 percent of the population of Japan still practice the Buddhism ways. Paintings and statues seem to be spreading all over Japan soon after it was started. Though Japan has seen a decline in Buddhist practices and over 100 temples have shut down a year, though 70% of people still say they follow Buddhism in some way.
There are sacred places that connect with Buddhism but the main would be Lumbini. This is where Buddha was born; its located in the foothills of the Himalayas(modern day Nepal). Also Lumbini consists of numerous temples including the Mayadevi, and others which are under construction. Another sacred place would be Puskarini or the “Holy Pond” this is where Buddha’s mother took ritual dips before Buddha was born and where he then took his first bath. The Bodh Gaya is also another religious site of pilgrimage that has to do with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in the Gaya district in Bihar. It’s known for the place where Buddha found Englightenment. The last sacred place is Kusinara which is known for an important Buddhist pilgrimage site and also where Buddha attained Pariniryana after his death
In the present day it seems like Japans religion and government doesn’t really go hand in hand together because the government doesn’t force religion onto their people. Neither foreign residents nor ethnic Japanese are ever asked about their religion by official government agencies, because the government doesn’t see the need to have to regulate religion. Though, back in the day is wasn’t the same. Prince Shotoku ordered the government to build many Buddhist temples around Japan which one very famous one today the Horya-ji temple, which is the oldest wooden structure now standing near the formal capital of Nara.
Zukeran, P. (1999).
Buddhism. Retrieved from http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/buddhism.html
Anonymous. (2005-12).
Japan map. Retrieved from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/japan-map
Anonymous. (2004).
A guide to japanese buddhism. Retrieved from http://www.buddhanet.net/nippon/nippon_partI.html
Anonymous. (2011).
History of japanese buddhism. Retrieved from http://viewonbuddhism.org/history_japanese_buddhism.html
O'Brien, B. (2009).
Buddhism in japan. Retrieved from http://buddhism.about.com/od/throughasiaandbeyond/a/japanhistory_2.htm
Religion
- Religion is rarely preached because its rather then just a way of living, its intertwined into Japanese social and cultural values in everyday life.
- Religion in Japan is not connected with the state so people believe in what seems to fit their life.
- Luck, fate and superstition are important to the Japanese.
Gender Roles in Japan Man vs. Women
Gender Roles in Japan
In Japan, women and men have very different culture between the two of each other, just like any other country in the world. Though, as the years go on you can see changes in how the men and the women of Japan are looked at by other citizens there. In about the 12th century women were allowed to inherit and own property of their own, but that right was later taken away in the 1603-1868 A.D. and made it to the men of the family were the only ones to obtain property. It seemed like back then in those days the families and women with the higher social rank were more restricted to these were as opposed to the peasants which the women were more independent and didn’t necessarily have to abide to those rules. Men were in charge of the household and what he says goes. They were looked up to from the family as superior.
In the early 18th century women started being placed in the workforce because of the turn to industrialization Japan took. Though since they began to have the opportunity to work, the conditions that they had to face were very unhealthy and not safe for them, they were paid unfairly with the men getting higher wages than the women and their independence within the community was still very limited.
In the 1920’s-30’s women were looked at just “baby makers” you could say. There was a rise in Japanese nationalism, which meant they needed more soldiers for the country so the slogan "UMEYO! FUYASEYO!", which means “give birth and multiply” was brought around. The government was happy that the women can do this more them and applauded them for it. While this baby boom was going on women were still looking for more ways they can obtain more rights for themselves by campaigning.
After the war Japan wrote a new constitutuion, which gave the men and women equal rights on property and voting. They also got the right to divorce their spouse and be able to take the custody of their children, which they weren’t allowed to until then. Though, these women were allowed to be apart of the workforce they were still had the responsibility of taking care of all the housework and taking care of the children so many of the women stopped working until all their children was in school and taken care of when they had the chance to work.
In today’s society men are looked at as he is the bread winner of the family, working all day and performing approx. 30 minutes of house work and the women are expected to take care of the children and the housework that needs to be done. Though, now men and women have equal rights, its still how it was 60 years ago, with a little alteration. You can see more women today in politics and in universities getting their degree of their dreams. Also more women are working in companies and factories. It’s not uncommon to see these Japanese women succeeding in their country which is a great thing!
Citations:
Gurtov, D. (4, April 2011). Transformation of female gender roles in japan. Retrieved from http://davegurtov.hubpages.com/hub/JapaneseFemaleGenderRoles
KUMAR , V. (26, June 2011). Japanese views on gender. Retrieved from http://expertscolumn.com/content/japanese-views-gender-roles
Jennifer, S. (2008, April 21). Japanese views on gender 2. Retrieved from http://www.helium.com/items/1009837-japanese-views-on-gender-roles
Friedman , S. (1992, December). The changing roles of women in japan. Retrieved from http://www2.gol.com/users/friedman/writings/p1.html
In Japan, women and men have very different culture between the two of each other, just like any other country in the world. Though, as the years go on you can see changes in how the men and the women of Japan are looked at by other citizens there. In about the 12th century women were allowed to inherit and own property of their own, but that right was later taken away in the 1603-1868 A.D. and made it to the men of the family were the only ones to obtain property. It seemed like back then in those days the families and women with the higher social rank were more restricted to these were as opposed to the peasants which the women were more independent and didn’t necessarily have to abide to those rules. Men were in charge of the household and what he says goes. They were looked up to from the family as superior.
In the early 18th century women started being placed in the workforce because of the turn to industrialization Japan took. Though since they began to have the opportunity to work, the conditions that they had to face were very unhealthy and not safe for them, they were paid unfairly with the men getting higher wages than the women and their independence within the community was still very limited.
In the 1920’s-30’s women were looked at just “baby makers” you could say. There was a rise in Japanese nationalism, which meant they needed more soldiers for the country so the slogan "UMEYO! FUYASEYO!", which means “give birth and multiply” was brought around. The government was happy that the women can do this more them and applauded them for it. While this baby boom was going on women were still looking for more ways they can obtain more rights for themselves by campaigning.
After the war Japan wrote a new constitutuion, which gave the men and women equal rights on property and voting. They also got the right to divorce their spouse and be able to take the custody of their children, which they weren’t allowed to until then. Though, these women were allowed to be apart of the workforce they were still had the responsibility of taking care of all the housework and taking care of the children so many of the women stopped working until all their children was in school and taken care of when they had the chance to work.
In today’s society men are looked at as he is the bread winner of the family, working all day and performing approx. 30 minutes of house work and the women are expected to take care of the children and the housework that needs to be done. Though, now men and women have equal rights, its still how it was 60 years ago, with a little alteration. You can see more women today in politics and in universities getting their degree of their dreams. Also more women are working in companies and factories. It’s not uncommon to see these Japanese women succeeding in their country which is a great thing!
Citations:
Gurtov, D. (4, April 2011). Transformation of female gender roles in japan. Retrieved from http://davegurtov.hubpages.com/hub/JapaneseFemaleGenderRoles
KUMAR , V. (26, June 2011). Japanese views on gender. Retrieved from http://expertscolumn.com/content/japanese-views-gender-roles
Jennifer, S. (2008, April 21). Japanese views on gender 2. Retrieved from http://www.helium.com/items/1009837-japanese-views-on-gender-roles
Friedman , S. (1992, December). The changing roles of women in japan. Retrieved from http://www2.gol.com/users/friedman/writings/p1.html
Food!
As you probably already know, Japan is known for quite a variety of things but food is on the top three of the list that they are known for. Sushi originated in Southeast Asia in the 4th century then migrated to China before Japan found out about it in the 8th century(Tomoe,2000). Since Japanese people loved to eat fish and rice together it became very popular there. In the 1980s, when people started to become health consciousness, sushi, one of the healthiest meals around, has gotten much more attention. The United States soon adopted it as well. Since the Japanese eat so healthy their life expectant rate is about 82.12 years, according to the CIA's World Fact Book. On a typical day you can see Japanese people grabbing a drink of healthy green tea because they favor heart-healthy, antioxidant-rich green tea, which has been shown to fight certain cancers, ease pain, and even burn calories rather than sipping on a sugar filled soda pop. Though they are known for their sushi that's not a daily thing they eat, normally they just eat that when they go out to dinner. Also a lot of their meals include seaweed that is rich in fiber and mushrooms which they get their potassium from. Also you cant forget the amount of rice they eat in Japan since they are known for their rice because that, fish and other side snacks are just about the only thing they don't actually import onto their island. So as you can see fish, rice, soup, and greens are the main dishes they eat (Itoh, n.d.). This is a great thing because it seems to be on the healthier meals to choose to eat, so if you don't like fish Japan probably is not the place for you!
Itoh, M. (n.d.). What do japanese people usually eat at home with their families?. Retrieved from http://www.quora.com/Japan/What-do-Japanese-people-usually-eat-at-home-with-their-families
Tomoe. (2000). The history of sushi. Retrieved from http://sushi-master.com/usa/whatis/history.html
Itoh, M. (n.d.). What do japanese people usually eat at home with their families?. Retrieved from http://www.quora.com/Japan/What-do-Japanese-people-usually-eat-at-home-with-their-families
Tomoe. (2000). The history of sushi. Retrieved from http://sushi-master.com/usa/whatis/history.html
Culture and Social Development of Japan:
People:
- Japanese people take pride in their work and the jobs they've obtained and they often introduce themselves as Hi, im Joe the Lawyer.
Citations:
Anonymous. (n.d.). Culture of japan. Retrieved from
http://www.gojapango.com/culture/culture.html
Anonymous. (2011). Japanese culture. Retrieved from
http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Japan.html
Anonymous. (2010). Japan - social development. Retrieved from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Japan-SOCIAL-DEVELOPMENT.html
Anonymous. (2006). Regional city maps of japan. Retrieved from http://www.feedage.com/feeds/19939261/regional-city-maps-of-japan
Literature picture. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://eng481.wikispaces.com/Nance, Lisa
Anonymous. (2010). Dance picture.
Retrieved from http://tomoearts.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html
Anonymous. (2012). Japanese art picture.
Retrieved from http://www.voyagesphotosmanu.com/japanese_culture.html
Anonymous. (2011). Japnese tradition pic.
Retrieved from http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japanese-geisha.htm
http://www.gojapango.com/culture/culture.html
Anonymous. (2011). Japanese culture. Retrieved from
http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Japan.html
Anonymous. (2010). Japan - social development. Retrieved from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Japan-SOCIAL-DEVELOPMENT.html
Anonymous. (2006). Regional city maps of japan. Retrieved from http://www.feedage.com/feeds/19939261/regional-city-maps-of-japan
Literature picture. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://eng481.wikispaces.com/Nance, Lisa
Anonymous. (2010). Dance picture.
Retrieved from http://tomoearts.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html
Anonymous. (2012). Japanese art picture.
Retrieved from http://www.voyagesphotosmanu.com/japanese_culture.html
Anonymous. (2011). Japnese tradition pic.
Retrieved from http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japanese-geisha.htm