Art and Culture of Japan

1. Art and Culture of Japan

2. LIFE AND CULTURE OF JAPAN • More than 70% of Japan consists of mountains, including more than 200 volcanoes. • Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, is an active volcano.

3. Coffee is very popular and Japan imports approximately 85% of Jamaica's annual coffee production • Japan's literacy rate is almost 100%. • Sumo is Japan's national sport, although baseball is also very popular. • Sumo wrestlers eat a stew called Chankonabe to fatten up. Many restaurants in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo serve this nabe (Japanese word for stew).

4. When you use the restroom in some one's home, you should put on special bathroom slippers so as not to contaminate the rest of the home. • Noodles, especially soba (buckwheat), are slurped very loudly when eaten. It is often said slurping symbolizes the food is delicious, but the slurping also serves to cool down the hot noodles for eating.

5. LIFE AND CULTURE OF JAPAN • Vending machines in Japan sell beer, hot and cold canned coffee, cigarettes, and other items. • When moving into an apartment it is often required to give the landlord a "gift" of money equal to two months' rent. • There are around 1,500 earthquakes every year in Japan.

6. LIFE AND CULTURE OF JAPAN • It is not uncommon to eat rice at every meal, including breakfast. • Average life expectancy in Japan is one of the highest in the world. Japanese people live an average of 4 years longer than Americans. • Japan is the largest automobile producer in the world.

7. Some men in Japan shave their heads to apologize. • Some women in Japan cut their hair after breaking up with a boyfriend. • Tokyo has had 24 recorded instances of people either killed or receiving serious skull fractures while bowing to each other with the traditional Japanese greeting • The term karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.

8. In a Sumo training "stable" the junior rikishi Sumo wrestlers must wash and bathe their senior sumo wrestlers and make sure their hard to reach places are clean. • Raised floors help indicate when to take off shoes or slippers. At the entrance to a home in Japan, the floor will usually be raised about 6 inches indicating you should take off your shoes and put on slippers. If the house has a tatami mat room its floor may be raised 1-2 inches indicating you should to take off your slippers. • Ovens are not very common in Japanese kitchens, but most households own a rice cooker

9. Geisha means "person of the arts" and the first geisha were actually men. • It was customary in ancient Japan for women to blacken their teeth with dye as white teeth were considered ugly. This practice persisted until the late 1800's. • In ancient Japan, small eyes, a round puffy face, and plump body were considered attractive features. • Some traditional Japanese companies conduct a morning exercise session for the workers to prepare them for the day's work.

10. Japan is made up of over 6000 islands • There are wild monkeys in Japan • Wild monkeys don’t like to be looked at in the eye • Junior High and High School students wear uniforms • Elementary school students wear yellow caps • In Japan, the teachers move from class to class and the students stay in one room

11. LIFE AND CULTURE OF JAPAN • At McDonalds the hamburgers are the same size as in America, but the drink sizes are one size smaller • “McDonalds” in a Japanese dialect sounds lilke “Ma-ku-do-na-ru-do”

12. LIFE AND CULTURE OF JAPAN • Japanese department stores are usually multiple stories, with a grocery store on the bottom, clothes and bedding in the middle, and restaurants on the top • Japanese pizza has mayonnaise, corn, and seaweed on it • Watermelons in Japan can cost up to $100

13. LIFE AND CULTURE OF JAPAN • Japanese cars are mostly the same size as American cars • In Japan they drive on the left side • Pokemon is not popular in Japan • In Japan, fair skin is regarded as beautiful • Many Japanese women dye their hair brown • Refrigerators in Japan are tiny • Everyone hangs their clothes outside to dry

15. Sometimes the trains are so crowded railway staff are employed to cram passengers inside. • Japanese celebrate Christmas, but it is more like Valentine's Day in the western world.

16. Japanese have many more hours of school time compared to the U.S. They go to school from April to March, have less summer vacation, more periods, and many other additions. Japanese students also have six series of schools to go through: • Kindergarten - ages two to six • Primary School - ages six to twelve • Junior High School - ages twelve to fifteen • Senior High School - ages fifteen to eighteen • After graduating Senior High School;Professional School - starts at eighteen • Junior College - starts at eighteen • University - starts at eighteen • After graduating University:Graduate School - starts at twenty-two

17. There are many different qualities of schools from kindergarten on. To be accepted into a higher quality school you have to take an entrance exam. Almost everything in their schools are working towards getting them ready for tests thatwill prepare them for another level of schooling. Teachers are not responsible for each child accomplishing theses goals. If a student doesn't understand a concept, then they are expected to get help through the "cram school" which meets twice a month on Saturdays. Most students spend time after school hours attending club activities such as sports, tea ceremony, art clubs, computer, language and Ikbana or drama or music. And each class takes several field trips each year. At least one will be an overnight trip to an important city nearby. Kyoto was a favorite place to visit.

18. Toro Nogashi • On a summer evening in Japan, many cities hold particularly beautiful event called Toro Nagashi — • the festival of Floating Lanterns. • Toro Nagashiis related to Obon, a 3-day period to honor the departed , much in the way we celebrate Memorial Day. • Participants inscribe names, messages and drawings on paper lanterns attached to a wood or bamboo base, place a candle inside, and set it afloat in a lake or river. Hundreds of glowing, reflecting lights drift alongside boaters, often accompanied by music and fireworks.

20. Japanese Kites • Children in Japan often celebrate New Year's Day by flying long-tailed kites. The kites may be in any shape and may be very large or very small. They are usually made of paper or cloth over a wooden frame, but they also can be made of plastic. A favorite decoration is a dragon with a fierce face and a long tail. Some kites have faces of demons or brave soldiers painted on them.

21. Many Japanese children design and build their own kites. They make them look like butterflies, cranes or even fish. Some kites have wings or tails on them. Box kites are made for flying on very windy days.

22. Samurai • The samurai served many functions in Japan. However, the role in which they are best known is that of warrior. But what is it that makes a samurai different from other warriors in other parts of the world? Wearing armor and using a sword is not enough to make someone into a samurai. • Although the samurai and the role they played in Japan changed throughout the centuries, there are four factors that define the concept of the samurai: • The samurai is a well-trained, highly skilled warrior. • The samurai serves his daimyo, or master, with absolute loyalty, even to the death. In fact, the word samurai means, "those who serve." • The samurai is a member of an elite class, considered superior to common citizens and ordinary foot soldiers. • The samurai's life is ruled by Bushido, a strict warrior code emphasizing honor.

24. Geisha • What is a Geisha? • A geisha is a woman highly trained in the arts of music, dance and entertaining. Geisha is Japanese for "person of art." She spends many years learning to play various musical instruments, sing, dance and be the perfect hostess in a party of men. A geisha, when she is working, is just that: the illusion of female perfection.

26. Japanese Woodcuts