Japanese culture

One of the most important roles of the Cultural Properties Protection Division is to preserve the traditional arts and crafts and performing arts through their living exemplars. Individual artists and groups, such as a dance troupe or a pottery village, are designated as mukei bunkazai (intangible cultural assets) in recognition of their skill. Major exponents of the traditional arts have been designated as ningen kokuho (living national treasures). About seventy persons are so honored at any one time; in 1989 the six newly designated masters were a kyogen (comic) performer, a chanter of bunraku (puppet) theater, a performer of the nagauta shamisen (a special kind of stringed instrument), the head potter making Nabeshima decorated porcelain ware, the top pictorial lacquer-ware artist, and a metal-work expert. Each was provided a lifetime annual pension of ￥2 million and financial aid for training disciples. ...more on Wikipedia about "Agency for Cultural Affairs"

Bijin ( kanji:美人) is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful person" or "beauty" (noun). Bijin are generally symmetrical, adorned, or even cute. Up until the early 20th century, decorative prints featuring bijin, mostly women, were popular. ...more on Wikipedia about "Bijin"

(美少年, also transliterated bishounen; literally, "beautiful boy") is a specific Japanese aesthetic concept of the ideally beautiful young man. The prefix bi (美) specifically refers to feminine beauty, and bijin, literally "beautiful person", is used to refer to a beautiful woman. The bishōnen is typically quite slender and not very muscular, with a tapered chin, stylish hair, and an overall effeminate or androgynous appearance. Occasionally biseinen (literally beautiful young man) is seen as a synonym, but biseinen usually refers to a handsome man older than a bishōnen. The standard distinction is that bishōnen is applied to young men or adolescents, biseinen is applied to men older than about 21 (sources vary this from 19 to 24), and bishota is applied to pre-adolescent beautiful males. Bishōnen is the most popular of the three terms, and has become the generic term for all beautiful boys. The aesthetic of the bishōnen began as an ideal of a young homosexual lover, likely arising from the effeminate male actors who played female characters in Kabuki theater. It is perpetuated today in anime and manga, especially shōjo (girl) anime, shōnen-ai, and yaoi. ...more on Wikipedia about "Bishōnen"

Chindōgu (珍道具) is the not-so-ancient Japanese art of inventing ingenious everyday gadgets that, on the face of it, seem like an ideal solution to a particular problem. However, Chindōgu has a distinctive feature: anyone actually attempting to use one of these inventions, would find that it causes so many new problems, or such significant social embarrassment, that effectively it has no utility whatsoever. Thus, Chindōgu are sometimes described as 'unuseless' - that is, they cannot be regarded as 'useless' in an absolute sense, since they do actually solve a problem; however, in practical terms, they cannot positively be called 'useful'. ...more on Wikipedia about "Chindōgu"

Chōnindō (町人道) emerged as a way of life of the townspeople (Chōnin) during the Edo period of Japanese history. It was a distinct culture that arose in cities such as Osaka, Kyoto, and Edo. It encouraged aspiration to bushidō (way of the warrior) qualities—diligence, honesty, honor, loyalty, and frugality—while blending Shinto, Neo-Confucian, and Buddhist beliefs. Study of mathematics, astronomy, cartography, engineering, and medicine were also encouraged. Emphasis was placed on quality of workmanship, especially in the arts. For the first time, urban populations had the means and leisure time to support a new mass culture. Their search for enjoyment became known as ukiyo (the floating world), an ideal world of fashion and popular entertainment. Professional female entertainers ( geisha), music, popular stories, Kabuki and bunraku (puppet theater), poetry, a rich literature, and art, exemplified by beautiful woodblock prints (known as ukiyo-e), were all part of this flowering of culture. Literature also flourished with the talented examples of the playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653 – 1724) and the haiku poet, essayist, and travel writer and Matsuo Basho (1644 – 94). ...more on Wikipedia about "Chōnindō"

Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Popular films, television programs, comics, and music 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, 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, listening to the radio, and reading newspapers or magazines. 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. ...more on Wikipedia about "Culture of Japan"

Etiquette is the code that governs the expectations of social behavior, the conventional norm (main article: Etiquette). Etiquette is considered very important in Japan, and many volumes of books are produced that instruct readers on its minutiae. Japan is often thought of as having a particularly intricate and complex system of etiquette, and this system is often considered to be inscrutable or impossible to master for non-Japanese. This presumption, on the part of Japanese people, may be related to Nihonjinron thinking. ...more on Wikipedia about "Customs and etiquette of Japan" http://www.shortopedia.com never sleeps.

The disposable or single-use camera is a simple box camera sold with a roll of film installed, meant to be used once. Most use focus free lenses. Some are equipped with an integrated flash unit, and there are even water proof versions for underwater photography. Internally, the cameras use a 135 film or an APS cartridge. The whole camera is handed in for processing. Some of the cameras are recycled, i.e. refilled with film and resold. "Disposable" digital cameras are a recent innovation. These types of cameras forego film and use digital technology to take pictures, and the cameras are returned for processing in the same fashion as film cameras. In general the one-time-use camera represents a return to the business model pioneered by Kodak for their Brownie camera; they are particularly popular in situations where a reusable camera would be easily stolen or damaged. ...more on Wikipedia about "Disposable camera"

In either the traditional or modern age system, the word sui ( ), meaning "years of age", is used for age counting. The traditional age system is referred to as xusui ( ), and the modern age system is referred to as zhousui ( ) or shisui ( ). ...more on Wikipedia about "East Asian age reckoning"

The ancient Japanese culture was rich in theatre, poetry and short stories. This in some ways conflicted with the portions of the culture based in military, feudal society and emperor worship. It resulted in sometimes brutal oppression of the lower classes but also served to foster the development of the bushido, which personified gallantry. ...more on Wikipedia about "Empire of Japan (culture, religion and education)"

Fukubukuro (福袋) is a Japanese New Year's Day custom where merchants make grab bags filled with unknown random contents and sell them for a substantial discount, usually 50% or more of the list price of the items contained within. The low prices are usually done to attract customers to shop at that store during the new year. Fukubukuro usually are snapped up quickly by eager customers, with some stores having long lines snake around city blocks hours before the store opens on New Years Day. Formerly, Fukubukuro were an easy way for stores to unload excess and unwanted merchandise from the previous year, due to a Japanese superstition that one must not start the New Year with unwanted trash from the previous year and start clean. Nowadays, Fukubukuro are pushed as a lavish New Year's event rather than a way for stores to get rid of excess merchandise. ...more on Wikipedia about "Fukubukuro"

Furinkazan ( Japanese: ふうりんかざん, Simplified Chinese:风林火山, Traditional Chinese:風林火山), literally "Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain", was the battle flag used by a Sengoku period daimyo named Takeda Shingen, quoting The Art of War: "Move as swift as a wind, stay as silent as forest, attack fierce like fire, unmovable defence like a mountain." ...more on Wikipedia about "Furinkazan"

Furoshiki (風呂敷, furoshiki) are a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that were frequently used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods. Although possibly dating back as far as the Nara period, the name, meaning "bath spread", derives from the Edo period practice of using them to bundle clothes while at the sentō (public baths). Before becoming associated with public bath, furoshiki was known as Hirazutumi (平包), or flat folded bundle. Eventually, the furoshiki's usage extended to serve as a means for merchants to transport their wares or to protect and decorate a gift. ...more on Wikipedia about "Furoshiki"

In Japan, Gaijin bars are bars frequented by foreigners (" gaijin") and by Japanese people who enjoy mixing with them. They are normally owned and operated by foreigners who have settled in Japan. ...more on Wikipedia about "Gaijin bar"

Hatsuyume (初夢) is the Japanese word for the first dream had in the new year. Traditionally, the contents of the dream would fortell the luck of the dreamer in the ensuing year. In Japan, the night of December 31 was often passed without sleeping, thus the hatsuyume was often the dream seen the night of January 1. This explains why January 2 (the day after the night of the "first dream") is known as Hatsuyume in the traditional Japanese calendar. ...more on Wikipedia about "Hatsuyume"

is a certain segment of Japanese culture originated and promoted in the 15th century by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. Based largely on the ideals and aesthetics of Zen Buddhism and the concept of wabi-sabi (beauty in simplicity), Higashiyama Bunka centered on the development of Sado (Japanese tea ceremony), ikebana (flower arranging), Noh drama, and sumi-e ink painting. Much of what is commonly seen today as traditional Japanese culture originated or developed in this period. ...more on Wikipedia about "Higashiyama Bunka"

An izakaya (居酒屋) is a common kind of Japanese bar or restaurant, also found in cosmopolitan cities throughout the world, popular in Japan for after-work drinking. A definitive feature of an izakaya is that it serves food as well as drink. Patrons typically sit on the floor and dine from low tables in the traditional Japanese style. ...more on Wikipedia about "Izakaya"

In 1927, Japanese psychologist Furukawa Takeji studied blood types in an attempt to relate them to people's personality types and published a series of articles on his findings. These studies were cited in psychologist Masahiko Nomi's 1971 book, Compatibility By Blood Type. According to Nomi's theory, "Every bit of you - nose, eyes, hair, brain - is the same blood type, It seems natural that your personality and emotions should be influenced too". Nomi's son, Toshitaka Nomi, has succeeded his father as the foremost authority on the subject, having written 15 books and now heads the Tokyo based Blood Type Human Studies Research Institute. ...more on Wikipedia about "Japan blood type theory of personality"

Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper, and a myriad of other types of works of art. It also has a long history, ranging from the beginnings of human habitation in Japan, sometime in the 10th millennium BC, to the present. ...more on Wikipedia about "Japanese art"

(Japanese calendar) * 1948 - The following national holidays were introduced: New Year's Day, Coming-of-Age Day, Constitution Memorial Day, Children's Day, Autumnal Equinox Day, Culture Day, Labour Thanksgiving Day. ...more on Wikipedia about "Japanese calendar"

In the olden days Japanese women wore kimonos, but as the country developed and is now found to be in the fifth stage of the demographic transition model, with it women also developed and became individual successful businesswomen who dress to impress to work but with the high touch of fashion. ...more on Wikipedia about "Japanese fashion"

In Japan, some people claim that an extensive miniaturization culture has arisen. For example, a foldable umbrella whose size is just a quarter the size of a usual umbrella has been developed, not to mention miniaturization in cellular telephony and other innovations such as "capsule hotels". There are some who draw a connection between these modern phenomena and traditional Japanese cultural aspects (such as the Zen ethic, netsuke and bonsai). ...more on Wikipedia about "Japanese miniaturization culture"

Much of the Japanese population own keitai, most of which are equipped with enhancements such as video and camera capabilities. This pervasiveness and the particularities of their usage lead to the development of a mobile phone culture, or "keitai culture." ...more on Wikipedia about "Japanese mobile phone culture"

(Japanese Superstitions) #If you play with fire, you will wet your bed.(It makes children aware of the danger of fire.) ...more on Wikipedia about "Japanese Superstitions"

(Japanese tea ceremony/temp) WARNING! Do you really want to edit this page? ...more on Wikipedia about "Japanese tea ceremony/temp" www.shortopedia.com, the smart choice.

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