Definition of Culture
It is a multidimensional term, one that encompasses both the tangible: buildings and artefacts, and the intangible: values and attitudes.
Housing
Traditional Japanese homes are made of wood and supported by wooden pillars, but today's homes usually have Western-style rooms with wooden flooring and are often constructed with steel pillars. More and more families in urban areas, moreover, live in large, ferroconcrete apartment buildings.
The differences from Western homes are that shoes are not worn inside the house and that at least one room tends to be designed in the Japanese style with a tatami floor. Shoes are taken off when entering a house to prevent making the house dirty. The genkan, or entrance, serves as a place for removing, storing, and putting on shoes. People tend to put on slippers for indoor use as soon as they have taken off their shoes.
Lifestyle: Food in Japan
There are many types of food served in Japan. Different prefectures in Japan have their specialty food that would be a must to try. However, in general, Japan is most famous for their Sushi.
Sushi is a japanese dish which consists of vinegard rice, topped with toppings such as raw fish, egg, tenpura (fried prawn). There are many types of sushi, nigirizushi (whereby toppings are wrapped with a slice of seaweed and rice, makizushi (toppings are in the middle of the rice and wrapped around with seaweed) and lastly temakizushi (whereby toppings and rice are being rolled together with in a corn shape with the seaweed).
Sushi is best eaten fresh as it contains mostly raw meat. Sushi is usually enjoyed during occasions. Sushi is a considered a very healthy food as it is low in fat. The fish in the sushi provides protein, the rice provides carbohydrates and seaweed is rich in iodine.
Sake, a type of alcohol which Japan is famous for is also very popular. It is a rice based alcohol. In Japan sake is served chilled, at room temperature, or heated, depending on the preference of the drinker, the quality of the sake, and the season. Typically, hot sake is a winter drink, and high-grade sake is not drunk hot, because the flavors and aromas will be lost. This masking of flavor is the reason that low-quality sake is often served hot.
Sake is usually drank from small cups called choko and poured into the choko from ceramic flasks called tokkuri.
Lifestyle: Cosplaying
It is a form of performance art whereby people would dress up as characters from popular fictions known as Manga in Japan. This is very famous among the teens in Japan. They usually gather around events such as a comic book event or video game trade shows. Many teens gather at Harajuku, located in Tokyo to participate in cosplay with their friends. In Akihabara, a electronic heaven in Japan, they have maid cafes devoted to anime and cosplay fans.
Lifestyle: Karaoke
It is a form of interactive entertainment whereby amateur singers will sing along with a recorded music or music video. This is especially popular in Japan among the working adults and college teens. A karaoke box is a small or medium-sized room containing karaoke equipment rented by the hour or half-hour, providing a more intimate atmosphere. Karaoke venues of this type are often dedicated businesses, some with multiple floors and a variety of amenities including food service, but hotels and business facilities sometimes provide karaoke boxes as well.
A karaoke box in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Strong Traditional Values
In a typical Japanese family, it is heavily emphasized that the young must treat the elders with a lot of respect and they should always consider the elders first before themselves. This is further expressed through their language which has different ways to communicate with people of similar "rank" and those of a higher "rank" which usually comprises of the elders and superiors.
Furthermore, Japanese do not openly compete with others or confront others, they are actually very subtle and do not engage in direct behaviours. They believe in working together as a group and achieving goals together.
References:
No comments:
Post a Comment