Traditional Japan

Is there anything left of traditional Japan?

There certainly is. They have so many places where the past is preserved - cities like Kyoto, for example. In towns like Kanazawa and Kurashiki, you can see what feudal Japan was like. And almost everywhere there are homes, temples, and shrines that are built according to traditional Japanese styles of architecture.

What about in everyday life?

Traditional Japan is all around them - for example, in their art forms, their entertainment, their way of dressing, and their food. Japan has industrialized very rapidly. But they haven't lost their traditional Japanese culture.

What are the traditional art forms or entertainment?

The art forms would include such things as brush painting, flower arrangement, ceramics, wood-block prints, and tea ceremony. Entertainment includes theatrical performances such as Kabuki, Noh, and Bunraku. And Sumo is both entertainment and sport.

What do geisha really do in Japan?

Geisha are hostess-entertainers for certain kinds of Japanese-style dinner-and-drinking parties. They sing, dance, and play musical instruments in either modern or traditional Japanese style. Some wear elaborate kimono, hairstyles, and makeup. They're supposed to be skilled in the art of conversation. Today not many geisha are trained the way they used to be.

Geisha parties are extremely expensive. It could cost hundreds of dollars per guest to have geisha present. Not many individuals can afford to entertain this way - it's usually done at company expense.

What happens at a party at a geisha house?

You sit on the floor around a table, Japanese style. You eat and drink, and talk with the other guests and with the geisha, who may be seated beside you. The geisha sing, play instruments, or dance, and often the guests join in.

Do many Japanese travel abroad?

Yes. Many thousands of Japanese travel abroad each year. Some of them travel for business and some for pleasure. The airlines offer all kinds of travel packages and tours. Many Japanese travel in groups. They prefer it, because they feel more secure that way. They have guides who speak Japanese. Others like to be on their own and travel by themselves.

Japanese travel just about everywhere these days. Warm places with good beaches are expecially popular. Honeymoon couples like to go to Hawaii and Micronesia - they're foreign and exotic, but not too far away.

Many honeymooners travel in groups too. Japanese preference for group travel may seem strange to foreigners. But they're an island nation. They can't drive to other countries. Going abroad for the first time is a big step. And the security of the group can help.

Pets in Japan

Japanese like pets. Many Japanese keep cats, dogs, fish, or birds as pets. Because most homes are rather small, they generally prefer smaller animals. You don't see many very large dogs in the cities. But people do keep small dogs in their homes or yards. Fish and birds are convenient pets for apartment living.

Japanese are kind to animals. In general, Japanese treat their animals very well. Supermarkets have large pet food sections, as in the West. Japanese feed pets well, take them to the vet when they're sick, even bury them in pet cemeteries when they die.

Japanese have two kinds of dogs that they think of as native to Japan. One is the Akita dog, from northern Honshu. The other is the Tosa dog, from Shikoku. The Akita dog looks like a German shepherd, and the Tosa dog looks like a boxer.

What's Bonsai?

Bonsai is an art as well as a form of gardening. Basically it's the raising of miniature trees in small ceramic pots. It takes a lot of skill and experience. The bonsai begins with a normal seedling or seed. The growth is controlled through careful cultivation. With proper treatment, a bonsai plant can last for decades or even centuries. It's a Japanese art - a kind of refining of nature.

There's a great variety of trees they use for bonsai. The pine tree is a favourite for bonsai. And there are miniature fruit trees. It's fun to see a tiny apply tree, for example, blossom and bear fruit.

People from all walks of life do bonsai. Many Japanese enjoy raising the miniature trees as a form of relaxation. The bonsai can grow almost anywhere, so you don't need a lot of room. It can be a very rewarding hobby.

KARATE

Karate is one of the traditional national sports in Japan. It takes a lot of training and skill. If you want to earn karate you really have to work hard at it. And you usually have to go to a special school or join a karate club, because it isn't generally taught within the regular school system.

Judo and karate are both traditional martial arts. And they both emphasize training the mind and body as well as self-defense. But judo uses grappling and throwing techniques, while karate uses the hands and feet as weapons.

Did karate originate in Japan?

Let's just say that there are different views about that. Japanese usually think of karate as Japanese, originating in Okinawa. In China they consider it Chinese and call it kung-fu. In Korea they think of it as Korean and call it tai-kwando.

Judo in Japan

Judo is one of Japan's traditional national sports. It takes a lot of time and practice to learn it well. Some people begin judo in clubs in junior and senior high schools. And colleges may have judo clubs too. There are also many private judo schools for those who want to learn it.

The color of the belt is a way to tell what a person's level of ability in judo is. It can be considered a kind of rank. You wear a differnet color belt at each stage of your proficiency. The black belt indicates the highest rank.

Judo means something like "the gentle way." The implication is that in judo you can win without using force. Judo incorporates both mental and physical training. But it's not mystical. It involves mastery of specific techniques.

Golf in Japan

Golf is very popular. More than ten million Japanese play golf. And they have more than 1,500 golf courses. Golf is becoming the most popular sport among male salaried workers in urban areas. They enjoy it for the same reasons westerners do - you can play well past middle age, and it's a good way to entertain business associates and clients.

Of course Japanese women play golf too, and very well. Both Japanese men and women regularly compete with the world's leading pros.

It is expensive to play golf in Japan. It's a real problem. Land is so scarce that not much of it can be used for golf courses. So golf club memberships are incredibly expensive. And there are few public courses. Japanese living abroad enjoy the chance to play at public courses.

Is skiing popular in Japan?

Yes. Skiing is the most popular winter sport. About 12 milion Japanese of all ages enjoy skiing. They have excellent ski resorts, about seven hundren of them. People come from all over the world to ski in Japan. The only problem, just as in many other countries, is that it's often difficult to get to the ski areas because of weekend traffic and crowded trains.

There are so many best skis areas in Japan. The skiing in Hokkaido, their northernmost main island, is expecially good. The 1972 winter Olympics were hald there at Sapporo. And the mountains in the northern half of Honshu get a lot of snow. Olympic Winter Games was celebrated in 1998 in Nagano in central Honshu.

Other winter sports are also there, for example, skating is especially popular. A lot of mountain lakes are very good for skating, and there are ice-skating rinks in large cities. Ice hockey and snowboarding are gaining in popularity as winter sports.