Japanese CultureThe Land of Rising Sun

By: Bassem Eleaba

Where Japan is located• Japan is an island country in East Asia in the Pacific Ocean.

• East of China, Korea, and Russia.

“Land of the Rising Sun”

Geographic Features of Japan• Consists of over 3,000 islands

• 4 largest islands accounts for 97% of land area

Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku

• Most islands are mountainous (many volcanic)

Mount Fuji

• They bow to greet one another and their king.

• They bow to people even when they talk on the phone.

• Old and special people get special greetings.

• The lower you bow the more respect you give.

Traditional Behavior in Japan

• Also they will hide their own feelings instead of

hurting another's .

• People live in crowded cities. They have small rooms. Some live in

tall buildings.

• At night time lots sleep on mats called futons.

Japanese Traditional Homes

• In traditional homes really thin screens divide the rooms. The

screens can be moved to make a room big or small.

Japanese Traditional Homes

• People take off their shoes at the door because their floor is

covered in tatami mats

Japanese Traditional Homes

• Japanese tea ceremony (called cha-no-yu, chado, or sado) is a

special way of making green tea (matcha ).

Japanese Tea Ceremony

• History Tea came to Japan from China in about 900 CE. Tea became very

popular in Japan, and Japanese people started to grow tea in Japan.

• For the preparing for a tea ceremony it is ordered great. Some wealthy

people have tea houses for ceremony‘s.

Japanese Tea Ceremony

• Two Kinds of Food:

– Primary (Gohan) is cooked rice

– Other dishes (Okazu) are fish, meat, vegetables.

Japanese Traditional Foods

Traditional Concept of Meal• Japanese philosophy: “Food should be enjoyed as close as possible

to natural state”

• Neutral flavor of rice considered complement to meal.

• Fill up on gohan, okazu stimulate appetite.

• Most basic meal: rice, soup, side dish.

Traditional Concept of Meal

• Prefer sea fish over freshwater because of the odor.

• Traditional meal has no Western counterpart.

Sushi - Traditional Fast Food

• 19th century popular snack food

• Men majority of sushi chefs

• Dip fish side in sauce

• Pickled ginger between pieces to “extinguish taste”

• Nigari-zushi—rice with raw fish on top

• Maki-zushi—seaweed rolls

• Inari-zushi—bean curd pouch w/ rice

Sushi - Traditional Fast Food

• 19th century popular snack food

• Men majority of sushi chefs

• Dip fish side in sauce

• Pickled ginger between pieces to “extinguish taste”

• Nigari-zushi—rice with raw fish on top

• Maki-zushi—seaweed rolls

• Inari-zushi—bean curd pouch w/ rice

How to roll maki-zushi

Japanese Food

Tonkotsu Noodle Soup

Yakitori Chicken

Vegetable Tempura

Sashimi

• The Table (Zen)– Traditional, personal table

– Box with tray, individual sets of bowls, chopsticks, spoons

– 20-30 cm per side 15-20 cm high

Traditional Dining Room

• The Table (Zen)–Location from kitchen indicated status

–Men > Women, Elderly > Junior

–Cleaned 3x a month

Traditional Dining Room

• The Table (Chabudai)

Low dining table - 30 cm highet.

Adapted from Western dining tables

More comfortable than zen, fewer plates set and cleaner.

Indicative of culture change

Traditional Dining Room

Chopsticks• Japanese differ from Chinese

• Made of lacquered wood

• Women and children have smaller chopsticks

Chopstick etiquette• Breaches of etiquette:

• No sharing of chopsticks! Spiritual contamination.

– It is commonly believed that something which has touched

someone’s mouth picks up that person’s character and

might, if used by another, transmit a contamination which

is not physical but spiritual and cannot be washed away.

Chopstick etiquette• Chopstick rest

• The most famous religion is shinto and buddhist .

• Most people believe in both shinto and buddhist.

• A buddhist beleif is that you are born over and over again.

Religion in Japan

• Shinto means the way of the gods.

• Japanese people believe that everything has a spirit they call this

kami.

• People honor kami at shrines.

Religion in Japan

• Sumo wrestling is a kind of sport.

• Sumo wrestlers weigh up to 300 pounds.

• There goal is to knock each other out of the circle.

• Men have to gain weight and become fat and strong.

Sports in Japan

• Another popular sport is kendo.

• Kendo means the way of the sword. For practice ,they use swords

made out of bamboo.

Sports in Japan

Family Structure – Gender Role– Father

• Wage Earners• The family head - held absolute authority over the family's property and its

members – Mother

• Remained at home• Decision-making power• Control of money

– Son• Expected to excel in school• Limited chores• Responsible for siblings when they are outside of the home• Expected to bring honor to the family• Served before mother, younger brothers and sisters

– Daughter• Expected to excel in school• Expected to learn how to organize a home & care for things.

– Elders• Source of Wisdom

No red cards in Japan

Warning to anyone that has friends or

family living in Japan. Never send red

Christmas cards to anyone in Japan,

because it constitutes bad etiquette since,

in Japan, funeral notices are customarily

printed in red .