Culture of Japan

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Culture of Japan

The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
and North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
. After several waves of immigration from the continent and nearby Pacific islands (see History of Japan

History of Japan

The written history of Japan begins with brief references of Twenty-Four Histories, a collection of Chinese historical texts, in the 1st century AD....
), the inhabitants of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
experienced a long period of relative isolation from the outside world under the Tokugawa shogunate

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
until the arrival of "The Black Ships

Black Ships

The Black Ships was the name given to Western vessels arriving in Japan between the 15th and 19th centuries. In particular, it refers to USS Mississippi , USS Plymouth , USS Saratoga , and USS Susquehanna , that arrived on July 14,1853 at Uraga Harbor in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan under the command of United States Matthew Calbraith Perr...
" and the Meiji era.
Japanese language has always played a significant role in Japanese culture.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Culture of Japan'

Start a new discussion about 'Culture of Japan'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia

Asia

Europe

North America

History of Japan

The written history of Japan begins with brief references of Twenty-Four Histories, a collection of Chinese historical texts, in the 1st century AD....
), the inhabitants of Japan

Japan

Tokugawa shogunate

Black Ships

Japanese language

The Japanese language has always played a significant role in Japanese culture. The language is spoken mainly in Japan but also in some Japanese emigrant communities around the world, it is an agglutinative language

Agglutinative language

An agglutinative language is a language that uses agglutination extensively: most words are formed by joining morphemes together. This term was introduced by Wilhelm von Humboldt in 1836 to classify languages from a morphology point of view....
and the sound inventory of Japanese is relatively small but has a lexically distinct pitch-accent

Japanese pitch accent

Japanese pitch accent is a feature of the Japanese language. It distinguishes words in most Japanese dialects, though the nature and location of the accent for a given word may vary between dialects....
system. Early Japanese is known largely on the basis of its state in the 8th century, when the three major works of old Japanese were compiled. The earliest attestation of the Japanese language is in a Chinese document from 252 A.D. It is regarded as an extremely hard language for westerners to learn as adults.

Japanese is written with a combination of three scripts: hiragana

Hiragana

is a Japanese language syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and the romanization of Japanese. Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems, in which each symbol represents one mora ....
which were derived from the Chinese cursive script, katakana

Katakana

is a Japanese language syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet. The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji....
, which were derived as a shorthand from Chinese characters, and kanji

Kanji

are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese language logogram along with hiragana , katakana , Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet....
, imported from China. The Latin alphabet, romaji, is also often used in modern Japanese, especially for company names and logos, advertising, and when inputting Japanese into a computer. The Hindu-Arabic numerals

Hindu-Arabic numeral system

The Hindu-Arabic numeral system is a positional decimal numeral system first documented in ancient India no later than the ninth century, and later spread to the western world through Mathematics in medieval Islam....
are generally used for numbers, but traditional Sino-Japanese numerals are also commonplace.

Visual arts

Painting

Painting has been an art in Japan for a very long time: the brush is a traditional writing tool, and the extension of that to its use as an artist's tool was probably natural. Native Japanese painting techniques are still in use today, as well as techniques adopted from continental Asia and from the West.

Calligraphy

The flowing, brush-drawn Japanese language lends itself to complicated calligraphy

Calligraphy

Calligraphy is the art of writing . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner" ....
. Calligraphic art is often too esoteric for Western audiences and therefore general exposure is very limited. However in East Asian countries, the rendering of text itself is seen as a traditional artform as well as a means of conveying written information. The written work can consist of phrases, poems, stories, or even single characters. The style and format of the writing can mimic the subject matter, even to the point of texture and stroke speed. In some cases it can take over one hundred attempts to produce the desired effect of a single character but the process of creating the work is considered as much an art as the end product itself.

This art form is known as ‘Shodo’ which literally means ‘the way of writing or calligraphy’ or more commonly known as ‘Shuji’ ‘learning how to write characters’.

Commonly confused with Calligraphy is the art form known as ‘Sumi-e’ literally means ‘ink painting’ which is the art of painting a scene or object.

Sculpture

Traditional Japanese sculptures mainly settled on the subject of Buddhist images, such as Tathagata

Tathagata

Tathagata in Pali and Sanskrit means, confusingly perhaps, both one who has thus gone and one who has thus come . Others assert that the name means one who has found the truth....
, Bodhisattva

Bodhisattva

In the Buddhist context, a bodhisattva means either "enlightened existence " or "enlightenment-being" or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment "....
and Myo-o. The oldest sculpture in Japan is a wooden statue of Amitabha

Amitabha

Amitabha is a celestial Buddhahood described in the scriptures of the Mahayana school of Buddhism. Amitabha is the principal buddha in the Pure Land sect, a branch of Buddhism practiced mainly in East Asia....
at the Zenko-ji

Zenko-ji

is a Buddhism temple, located in Nagano, Nagano, Japan. The temple was built in the 7th century. Nagano City, established in 1897, was originally a town built around the temple....
temple. In the Nara period

Nara period

The of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijo-kyo . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyo, in 784 before moving to Heian-kyo , or Kyoto, a decade lat...
, Buddhist statues were made by the national government to boost its prestige. These examples are seen in present-day Nara

Nara, Nara

is the capital cities of Japan of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture....
and Kyoto

Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
, most notably a colossal bronze statue of the Buddha

Gautama Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age....
Vairocana

Vairocana

Vairocana is a Buddhahood who is the embodiment of Dharmakaya, and which therefore can be seen as the universal aspect of the historical Gautama Buddha....
in the Todai-ji

Todai-ji

, is a Buddhism temple complex located in the city of Nara, Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu ....
temple.

Wood has traditionally been used as the chief material in Japan, along with the traditional Japanese architecture

Japanese architecture

has a long history as any other aspect of Culture of Japan. Originally heavily influenced by Chinese architecture from the Tang Dynasty , it has also developed many differences and aspects which are indigenous to Japan....
s. Statues are often lacquer

Lacquer

In a general sense, lacquer is a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high Gloss and that can be further polished as required....
ed, gild

Gilding

Gilding is the technique of applying a thin layer of gold to a surface. Gilding is performed through a mechanical process, known as leafing, or using one of many chemical processes....
ed, or brightly painted, although there are little traces on the surfaces. Bronze and other metals are also used. Other materials, such as stone

Rock (geology)

In geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock....
and pottery

Pottery

Pottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries....
, have had extremely important roles in the plebeian beliefs.

Ukiyo-e

Printed by Hokusai
Hokusai

was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e Painting and printmaker of the Edo period. In his time, he was Japan's leading expert on Chinese painting. Born in Edo , Hokusai is best-known as author of the woodblock printing in Japan series 36 Views of Mount Fuji which includes the iconic and internationally recognized print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa...
]] Ukiyo-e, literally "pictures of the floating world", is a genre of woodblock prints
Woodblock printing in Japan

Woodblock printing in Japan is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre; however, it was also used very widely for printing books in the same period....
that exemplifies the characteristics of pre-Meiji
Meiji period

The , or Meiji era, denotes the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor, running, in the Gregorian calendar, from 23 October 1868 to 30 July 1912. During this time, Japan started its modernization and rose to world power status....
Japanese art. Because these prints could be mass-produced, they were available to a wide cross-section of the Japanese populace — those not wealthy enough to afford original paintings — during their heyday, from the 17th to 20th century.

Ikebana
is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It has gained widespread international fame for its focus on harmony, color use, rhythm, and elegantly simple design. It is an art centered greatly on expressing the seasons, and is meant to act as a symbol to something greater than the flower itself. Traditionally when third party marriages were more prominent and practiced in Japan many Japanese women entering into a marriage did learn to take up the art of Ikebana to be a more appealing and well-rounded lady. Today Ikebana is widely practiced in Japan, as well as around the world.

Performing arts

The four traditional theatres from Japan are noh

Noh

, or is a major form of classic Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Together with the closely-related Kyogen farce, it evolved from various popular, folk and aristocratic art forms, including Dengaku, Shirabyoshi, and Gagaku....
, kyogen

Kyogen

is a form of traditional Japanese theater. It developed alongside noh, was performed along with noh as an intermission of sorts between noh acts, and retains close links to noh in the modern day; therefore, it is sometimes designated noh-kyogen....
, kabuki

Kabuki

is the highly stylised classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers....
and bunraku

Bunraku

, also known as Ningyo joruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka, Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:...
. Noh had its origins in the union of the sarugaku

Sarugaku

Sarugaku, literally "monkey music," was a form of theatre popular in Japan during the 11th to 14th centuries. It originated from "sangaku," a form of entertainment reminiscent of the modern-day circus, consisting mostly of acrobatics, juggling, and pantomime, sometimes combined with drum dancing....
with music and dance made by Kanami
Kanami

Kan'ami Kiyotsugu , was a Japanese Noh actor, author, and musician during the Muromachi period. Born Yuzaki Kiyotsugu in Iga Province, Kan'ami also went by the names 'Miyomaru' and 'Kanza Kiyotsugu' ....
and Zeami Motokiyo
Zeami Motokiyo

Zeami Motokiyo , also called Kanze Motokiyo , was a Japan aesthetician, actor and playwright....
. Among the characteristic aspects of it are the masks, costumes and the stylized gestures, sometimes accompanied by a fan
Fan (implement)

A hand-held fan is an implement used to induce an airflow for the purpose of cooling or refreshing oneself. Any broad, flat surface waved back-and-forth will create a small airflow and therefore can be considered a rudimentary fan....
that can represent other objects. The noh programs are presented in alternation with the ones of kyogen, traditionally in number of five, but currently in groups of three. The kyogen, of humorous character, had older origin, in 8th century entertainment brought from China, developing itself in sarugaku. In kyogen masks are rarely used and even if the plays can be associated with the ones of noh, currently many are not. Kabuki appears in the beginning of the Edo period
Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
from the representations and dances of Izumo no Okuni
Izumo no Okuni

was the originator of kabuki theater. She was believed to be a miko at the Izumo Taisha who began performing this new style of dancing, singing, and acting in the dry riverbeds of Kyoto....
in Kyoto
Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
. Due to prostitution of actresses of kabuki the participation of women in the plays was forbidden by the government in 1629 and the feminine characters had passed to be represented only by men (onnagata). Recent attempts to reintroduce actresses in kabuki had not been well accepted. Another characteristic of kabuki is the use of makeup for the actors in historical plays (kumadori

Kumadori

Kumadori is stage makeup worn by kabuki actors, particularly when performing in the bold and bombastic aragoto style. Kumadori makeup generally consists of brightly colored stripes or patterns over a white foundation, the colors and patterns symbolizing aspects of the actor's character....
). Japanese puppet theater bunraku developed in the same period that kabuki in a competition and contribution relation involving actors and authors. The origin of bunraku however is older, lies back in the Heian period
Heian period

The is the last division of classical History of Japan, running from 794 to 1185. It is the period in Japanese history when Confucianism and other Chinese culture were at their height....
. In 1914 appeared the Takarazuka Revue
Takarazuka Revue

The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater in the city of Takarazuka, Hyogo, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Women play both male and female roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions ? most of their plays are Western-style musicals, and sometimes they are stories adapted from shojo manga and folktales of China and Japan....
a company solely composed by women who introduced the revue
Revue

A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre entertainment that combines music, dance and sketch comedy. The revue has its roots in nineteenth-century American popular entertainment and melodrama, but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from ca....
in Japan.

Architecture

Japanese architecture has as long a history as any other aspect of Japanese culture. Originally heavily influenced by Chinese architecture
Chinese architecture

Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of China architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details....
, it also develops many differences and aspects which are indigenous to India. Examples of traditional architecture are seen at Temples, Shinto shrines
Jinja (Shinto)

A Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house a Shinto kami, and is usually characterized by the presence of a or sanctuary, where the kami is enshrined....
and castles
Japanese castle

were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their most well-known form in the 16th century....
in Kyoto
Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
, and Nara
Nara, Nara

is the capital cities of Japan of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture....
. Some of these buildings are constructed with traditional gardens
Japanese garden

, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhism temples and old Japanese castles....
, which are influenced from Zen
Zen

Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Ch?n. Ch?n is itself derived from the Sanskrit Dhyana, which means "meditation" ....
ideas.

Some modern architects, such as Yoshio Taniguchi
Yoshio Taniguchi

Yoshio Taniguchi is a Japanese architect best known for his redesign of the Museum of Modern Art in New York which was reopened November 20, 2004....
and Tadao Ando
Tadao Ando

is a Japanese people architect whose approach to architecture was once categorised as critical regionalism. Ando has led a storied life, working as a truck driver and boxer prior to settling on the profession of architecture, despite never having taken formal training in the field....
are known for their amalgamation of Japanese traditional and Western architectural influences.

Clothing

The Japanese word kimono
Kimono

The is the national costume of Japan. Originally the word "kimono" literally meant "thing to wear" but now has come to denote a particular type of traditional full-length Japanese garment....
means "something one wears" and they are the traditional garments of Japan. Originally, the word kimono was used for all types of clothing, but eventually, it came to refer specifically to the full-length garment also known as the naga-gi, meaning "long-wear", that is still worn today on special occasions by women, men, and children. It is often known as wafuku which means "Japanese clothes". Kimono comes in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes. Men mainly wear darker or more muted colours, while women tend to wear brighter colors and pastels, and often with complicated abstract or floral patterns. The summer kimono which are lighter are called yukata
Yukata

is a Japanese summer garment. People wearing yukata are a common sight at fireworks displays, bon-odori festivals, and other summer events. The yukata is a casual form of kimono that is also frequently worn after bathing at Ryokan ....
. Formal kimono are typically worn in several layers, with number of layers, visibility of layers, sleeve length, and choice of pattern dictated by social status and the occasion for which the kimono is worn.

Cuisine

Through a long culinary past, the Japanese have developed a unique, sophisticated and refined cuisine
Cuisine

Cuisine is a specific set of cooking traditions and practices, often associated with a specific culture. A cuisine is primarily influenced by the ingredients that are available locally or through trade....
. In recent years, Japanese food has become fashionable and popular in the U.S., Europe and many other areas. Dishes such as sushi
Sushi

In Japanese cuisine, is vinegared rice, usually topped with other ingredients, including fish dishes. In Japan, sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi and is distinct from sushi, as sashimi is the raw fish component, not the rice component....
, tempura
Tempura

is a classic Japanese cuisine dish of deep frying Batter vegetables or seafood....
, and teriyaki
Teriyaki

Teriyaki is a cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine in which foods are broiling or grilled in a sweet soy sauce marinade . Teriyaki is served in most modern Japanese cuisines....
chicken are some of the foods that are commonly known. The healthful Japanese diet is often believed to be related to the longevity
Longevity

The word longevity is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography. However, this is not the most popular or accepted definition....
of Japanese people.

Sports

In the long feudal period governed by the samurai
Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial society Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character ? was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau....
class, some methods that were used to train warriors were developed into well-ordered martial arts
Martial arts

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat....
, referred to collectively as Koryu
Koryu

is a Japanese language word that is used in association with the ancient Japanese martial arts. This word literally translates as ":wikt:? :wikt:?" or "traditional school." Koryu is a general term for Japanese schools of martial arts that predate the Meiji Restoration ....
. Examples include Kenjutsu
Kenjutsu

, meaning "the art of the sword", is a term for classical Japanese sword arts , in particular those which predate the Meiji Restoration. It is sometimes used more generally to describe any martial art which makes use of the Japanese sword....
, Kyudo
Kyudo

, literally meaning "Tao of the bow ", is the Japanese art of archery. It is a modern Japanese martial art .It is estimated that there are approximately half a million practitioners of kyudo today....
, Sojutsu
Sojutsu

, meaning "art of the spear" is the Japanese martial art of fighting with the Japanese ....
, Jujutsu
Jujutsu

, literally meaning the "jutsu of :wikt:?", or "way of yielding" is a collective name for Japanese Japanese martial art styles including unarmed and armed techniques....
and Sumo
Sumo

is a competitive contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet....
, all of which were established in the Edo period
Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
. After the rapid social change in the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure....
, some martial arts changed to modern sports, Gendai Budo
Gendai Budo

, meaning "modern martial way," are modern Japanese martial arts which were established after the Meiji Restoration . Koryu are the opposite: ancient martial arts established before the Meiji Restoration....
. Judo
Judo

, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either Throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent...
was developed by Kano Jigoro
Kano Jigoro

was the founder of judo. Judo was the first Japanese martial art to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic Games....
, who studied some sects of Jujutsu. These sports are still widely practiced in present day Japan and other countries.

Baseball
Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
, football (soccer)
Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
and other popular western sports were imported to Japan in the Meiji period
Meiji period

The , or Meiji era, denotes the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor, running, in the Gregorian calendar, from 23 October 1868 to 30 July 1912. During this time, Japan started its modernization and rose to world power status....
. These sports are commonly practiced in schools along with traditional martial arts.

The most popular professional sports in today's Japan are Sumo, baseball and football (soccer). In addition, many semi-professional organizations, such as volleyball
Volleyball

Volleyball is an Olympic Games team sport in which two teams of 6 active players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules....
, basketball
Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a basketball through a 10 feet high hoop under organized rules....
and rugby union
Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
, are sponsored by private companies.

Popular culture
Japanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture

Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Japanese cinema, NHKs, manga, and J-pop all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation can be traced to traditional art forms....
not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Popular film
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
s, television program
Television program

A television program , television programme , or television show is something that people watch on television. It may be a one-off broadcast or, more usually, part of a periodically recurring television series....
s, Manga
Manga

, , are comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art....
, and music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation can be traced to traditional art forms. Contemporary forms of popular culture
Popular culture

Popular culture is the totality of Distinction memes, ideas, Perspective s and Attitude s that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture....
, much like the traditional forms, provide not only entertainment but also an escape for the contemporary Japanese from the problems of an industrial world. When asked how they spent their leisure time, 80 percent of a sample of men and women surveyed by the government in 1986 said they averaged about two and one-half hours per weekday watching television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
, listening to the radio
Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic radiation with frequency below those of visible light.Electromagnetic radiation radio propagation by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space....
, and reading newspapers or magazine
Magazine

for quarterly in Heraldry see Quartering Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of Article , generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscription, or all three....
s. Some 16 percent spent an average of two and one-quarter hours a day engaged in hobbies or amusements. Others spent leisure time participating in sports, socializing, and personal study. Teenagers and retired people reported more time spent on all of these activities than did other groups.

Many anime
Anime

is animation in Japan and considered to be "Japanese animation" in the rest of the world. Anime dates from about 1917.Anime, in addition to manga , is extremely popular in Japan and well known throughout the world....
and manga
Manga

, , are comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art....
are becoming very popular around the world, as well as Japanese video games, music, and game shows, this has made Japan an "entertainment superpower
Superpower

A superpower is a state with a leading position in the international relations and the ability to influence events and its own interests and project Power in international relations to protect those interests; it is traditionally considered to be one step higher than a great power....
" along with the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
and European Union
European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
.

In the late 1980s, the family was the focus of leisure activities, such as excursions to parks or shopping districts. Although Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
is often thought of as a hard-working society with little time for leisure, the Japanese seek entertainment wherever they can. It is common to see Japanese commuters riding the train to work, enjoying their favorite manga
Manga

, , are comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art....
, or listening through earphones to the latest in popular music
Popular music

Popular music is music that is accessible to the mainstream and disseminated by one or more of the mass media. It belongs to any of a number of musical genres, and stands in contrast to classical music, which historically was the music of the elite and upper strata of society, and traditional music which was disseminated orally....
on portable music players.

A wide variety of types of popular entertainment are available. There is a large selection of music, films, and the products of a huge comic book industry, among other forms of entertainment, from which to choose. Game centers, bowling alleys, and karaoke
Karaoke

is a form of entertainment in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known popular music song which has no lead vocal....
are popular hangout places for teens while older people may play shogi
Shogi

, in English, also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western world chess, chaturanga, Chinese chess, and janggi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan....
or go
Go (board game)

Go is a strategic board game for two players. It is known as w?iq? in Chinese , or in Japanese, and baduk in Korean language ....
in specialized parlors.

Together, the publishing, film/video, music/audio, and game industries in Japan make up the growing Japanese content industry, which, in 2006, was estimated to be worth close to 14 trillion Yen (USD$ 120 billion.).

Nihonjinron
The term Nihonjinron literally means "theories/discussions about the Japanese

Japanese people

The are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan....
" and refers to a large number of texts, ranging over such varied fields as sociology
Sociology

Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of Empiricism and critical theory to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare....
, psychology
Psychology

Psychology is an academic and applied science discipline involving the science study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally it also relies on symbolic hermeneutics and critical theory, although these traditions are less pronounced than in other social sciences such as sociology....
, history
HIStory

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995, and is Jackson's ninth. The first disc, named "HIStory Begins" consists of a selection of Jackson's greatest hits from the singer's past fifteen years, while the second, named "HIStory Continues" features new songs, with the...
, linguistics
Linguistics

Linguistics is the science study of natural language. Linguistics encompasses a number of sub-fields. An important topical division is between the study of language structure and the study of Meaning ....
, philosophy
Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, justice, validity, mind, and language....
, and even science
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
, published predominantly in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
by Japanese, though noted examples of the genre have also been penned by foreign scholars, journalists and residents.

See also

Traditional
Japanese festivals
Japanese festivals

Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Traditional Chinese holidayss but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs.These Japanese festival has deep root in Nepal.Concept of these festivals transported to China from Nepal then from China to Japan....
Japanese pottery
Japanese pottery

Japanese pottery and porcelain , one of the country's oldest art forms, dates back to the Neolithic period. Kilns have produced earthenware, pottery, stoneware, Ceramic glaze pottery, glazed stoneware, porcelain, Blue and white porcelain, and Vitreous enamel....
Japanese garden
Japanese garden

, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhism temples and old Japanese castles....
Japanese tea ceremony
Japanese tea ceremony

What is commonly known in English as the Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu or also chado or sado in Japanese....
Contemporary
Cinema of Japan
Cinema of Japan

The has a history in Japan that spans more than 100 years....
Toilets in Japan
Toilets in Japan

There are two styles of toilets commonly found in Japan. The oldest type is a simple squat toilet, which is still common in toilet. After World War II, modern Western-type flush toilets and urinals became common....
Japanese mobile phone culture
Japanese mobile phone culture

File:Japanese-cellphone-open-2008.jpgIn Japan, mobile phones have become ubiquitous. In Japanese, mobile phones are called keitai denwa, literally "portable telephones," and are often known simply as keitai....
Otaku
Otaku

is a Japanese language term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga, and video games....
Ainu culture
Ainu people

are an ethnic group indigenous peoples to Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin. There are most likely over 150,000 Ainu today; however the exact figure is not known as many Ainu hide their origin due to Ethnic issues in Japan....
Western Style Weddings in Japan
Western Style Weddings in Japan

Western-style wedding ceremonies or "white weddings" are currently very popular in Japan. These ceremonies are modeled on a traditional or stereotypical chapel wedding....

Miscellaneous
Tourism in Japan
Tourism in Japan

Tourism in Japan comprises both a vibrant domestic sector and over eight million entries each year by foreigners. Today, sites such as Nikko World Historical Site, various attractions in Tokyo and Kyoto, Mount Fuji, world-class ski resorts such as Niseko in Hokkaido, Okinawa, as well as aspects of tourism including the shinkansen and well...
Japanese museums
Japanese museums

Japan was introduced to the idea of Western-style museums as early as the Bakumatsu period through Dutch studies. Upon the conclusion of the US-Japan Amity Treaty in 1858, a Japanese delegation to America observed Western-style museums first-hand....
Japanese etiquette
Japanese values
Japanese values

Japan, JapaneseJapanese values are cultural assumptions and ideals particular to Japanese culture....

Books on Japanese culture:

Japan Unbound: A Volatile Nation's Quest for Pride and Purpose
Japan Unbound: A Volatile Nation's Quest for Pride and Purpose

Japan Unbound by John Nathan is a book that examines the underlying Identity crisis in Culture of Japan today.The author contends that this was brought on by Japan's transformation after its Industrialisation after the Meiji Restoration, its militaristic expansion during World War II, rapid economic expansion in the post-war period an...

External links

, Mi Marketing Pty Ltd.

"," BBC
"," a BBC online game regarding Japanese culture
Image files of rare materials related to culture of Japan