Monday, August 25, 2008

5 Important Things You'll Want to Know About Japanese Culture!

1. The Japanese Tea Ceremony - Also known as "cha-no-yu", "chado" or "sado", Japanese tea ceremonies are a very important aspect of Japanese culture. Tea ceremonies are a traditional ritual that was influenced by Zen Buddhism where powdered green tea, is carefully prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to guests. The practitioner must be familiar with the production and all the types of the tea used, if one were to study tea practices, it would take many years and in most cases, will last a lifetime. Although even hoping to participate in one of these ceremonies will actually require practice and knowledge of how to speak the Japanese language fluently.

2. Christmas In Japan - In Japan, the main celebration is actually concentrated on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas day. Although it is very common to give presents, only the children receive presents. This is mainly because children only receive presents until they no longer believe in Santa.

3. Japanese Music - Japanese music is a huge part of Japan's culture, mainly because it expresses a variety of emotions and rituals that have played a role in Japan's traditional past. Japanese drumming is a large factor of Japanese culture. The concept of large drums came from China over 1,000 years ago and since then; many variations and improvements were made. J-pop, very popular in Japan now, also means "the popular music among the youths in Japan". It is now known all over the world ever since the Japanese music industry became big enough to influence the Japanese pop culture. Many people try to understand the lyrics inside the meaningful music that is created in J-pop, although this would require you to learn to speak Japanese fluently.

4. Japanese fashion - The fashion in Japan varies depending on which area you are traveling in. Many different fashions in Japan include Japanese street fashion, Tokyo Japanese fashion, Kogal, Cosplay, Lolita, and traditional Kimono. If you are following any of these fashions, you don't need to learn to speak Japanese fluently, but a common knowledge of when to dress a certain way is of importance.

5. Calligraphy - Japanese was brush-drawn in the past, language was all expressed on paper through calligraphy. It was considered an art for people mainly because it at times would take over one hundred attempts just to create a piece of art that would give the desired effect. Although it is used as an art, symbolism, and a form of communication, it is mainly for communication today.

Now you know so much more about Japan's culture, but thats only the beginning! There is literally thousands of unique things to see in Japan!

Eric Chau is a Japanese fanatic, and enjoys learning more about Japan everyday. Want to learn Japanese? See how easy it can be by visiting http://www.yourjapanorama.net/Resource.html

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