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Saturday, February 27, 2010

Biggest Holiday in Japan

The biggest holiday in Japan is the New Year. But it's different from the way it's celebrated in the West. For Japanese the holiday begins on New Year's Eve, and it continues for the first three days of January. Schools, businesses, government offices, and most stores are closed on those days. Almost nobody works during the New Year holiday.

A lot of people visit the temples and shrines. The crowds begin coming on New year's eve and continue through the night and the next few days. It's supposed to bring good health and good luck for the New Year.

After the visits to shrines and temples, friends and relatives visit each other's homes. There's a special kind of sake that they drink, and also special foods for the New Year. It's prepared beforehand so no one has to cook during the holiday

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Kimono

Japanese women still wear kimono, but not very often. It depends on the age and the occasion. Many elderly women are used to wearing kimono. Younger women wear western clothes. Most women have at least one kimono for special occasions, like formal parties, weddings, or New year's Day. But the formal kimono is too complicated to put on for everyday wear.

People wear kimono for work too. For example, waitresses in japanese-style restaurants wear them while they work. And people in traditional art forms like Kabuki, tea ceremony, and flower arrangment usually wear kimono while performing.

There is an informal kind of kimono too. It's called yukata. many people - including men - wear it to relax in at home, especially in the summer. And most Japanese-style resort hotels provide yukata for their guests.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Shintoism in Japan

In a certain sense, all Japanese are Shintoists. It's part of their cultural heritage. Some of them may practice Shintoism more actively by going to shrines and ceremonies. But Shintoism is as much a system of values as a religion. So even those of them who are not religious at all hold certain Shinto values - like a deep respect for nature, for example.

Does that mean you can be a Shintoist and a Buddhist?
Yes. In fact, the majority of Japanese who consider themselves religious would say they are both Buddhist and Shintoist. Shintoism as a belief system doesn't exclude other loyalties.

What about ancestor worship?
That's a basic part of Shintoism - but it's really more a feeling of reverence than worship. We also respect and appreciate the land and all of nature. Many Shinto shrines are noted for the great natural beauty of their surroundings.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Do you practice Zen?

Yes, I do. No, I don't. But whether we've had formal training in Zen or not, all Japanese have been influenced by it. It's said that Japanese culture is Zen culture. We may think of Zen Buddhism as a way to achieve enlightenment through serenity. It's very simple yet very complex at the same time. You could study it for a lifetime.

How can you study it formally?
You can go to a Zen Buddhist temple to study with the priests. You can stay for a few weeks or a few months if you like. It varies with the temple. Some people go back periodically to continue their study.

What are some of the cultural influences of Zen?
They're everywhere - the tea ceremony, for example, or flower arrangement. And they often prefer quiet reflection at times when people from other cultures might talk a lot. Maybe that's why we say that Japanese culture is Zen culture.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Are you Buddhist?

Yes. (No.) Some Japanese may be more religious than others. And some of them may say we are not religious at all. But almost all of them recognize that they have been deeply affected by the Buddhist tradition. Japan is a Buddhist country. Buddhism has influenced almost every aspect of their culture - their art, literature, their architecture, their approach to life.

But isn't Japan a Shintoist country too?
Yes. They don't see a contradiction in that. Some Japanese consider themselves Buddhist, Shintoist, and Confucianist at the same time. They recognize that they're part of all these traditions.

When do Japanese go to Buddhist temples?
There are certain traditional times to visit a Buddhist temple, like the New Year, an annual visit to a family grave, or a memorial service, for example. Or they can go anytime they want to pray for something. And many of them visit the temples to enjoy the beauty they find there.

Living National Treasures

They're outstanding traditional japanese crafts-people and performing artists. They've been chosen by the Japanese government as "holders of traditional skills registered as important intangible cultural assets." But popularly, they're called living national treasures. The program started in 1954. It helps to ensure that the traditional skills will be carried on by future generations.

Once a person is designated a living national treasure, he or she usually feels a responsibility to help train others. And nationwide recognition helps to maintain the interst in the traditional arts and crafts.

There's a great variety. The famous potter, Shoji Hamada, for example, was a living national treasure until his death in 1978. And there are one or more sword-smiths, silk brocade weavers, kimono designers, paper-makers, and Bunraku performers, among others.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

National Sport in Japan

Sumo, japanese traditional style of wrestling, is considered japanese national sport. Sumo originated in ancient Japan. Even today, there's a lot of colorful pageantry and ceremony at the sumo matches. There's one professional organization. It holds six fifteen-day tournaments each year - three in Tokyo and on each in Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. They're televised nationally.

Sumo is practiced at colleges and universities as a sport. And children like to play at it. But outside of this, there isn't much amateur sumo. For most people, sumo is a spectator sport.

Two huge wrestlers in traditional-style loincloths grapple in a circular ring 15 feet in diameter. The bout can end in seconds, when any part of a wrestler's body except the soles of his feet touches the ground, or when he's pushed out of the ring.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Kabuki

Kabuki is one of the major forms of traditional Japanese theater. It dates from the seenteenth century. There are three basic kinds of drama in Kabuki. One deals with the lives of warriors and nobles, and another with the lives of the common people. Still another incorporates dance. Kabuki is performed on a revolving stage with a runway extending into the audience.

Music is used in Kabuki, except for certain plays, music is an essential part of Kabuki. But it might sound strange to western ears. The instruments are traditional ones- the Japanese lute or shamisen, for example. And the music is highly stylized.

Kabuki costumes are quite elaborate. The makeup is very heavy, almost mask-like. The audience can tell the character by the makeup. All female roles are played by men. The entire performance, even the speaking style, is extremely exaggerated.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Noh

Noh is the oldest traditional form of japanese theater. It goes back to ancient times. It's a kind of musical dance-drama. The plays are performed on a square stage with no curtains. The orchestra sits at the rear. There are drums of different sizes, and a special Noh flute. There are about two hundred fifty different Noh plays.

The main characters express themselves through dance. The speaking is done by a special chorus which sings or chants the narration and the lines. Noh often reminds westerners of classical Greek drama, especially the chorus.

The performers do wear costumes. But they also wear masks. Noh masks are symbolic. They represent different types of people. The actors have to develop the characters through movements, not facial expressions. It takes a lot of skill.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

What's Bunraku?

Bunraku is a kind of Japanese puppet theater. It's one of the three major forms of traditional Japanese theater, along with Kabuki and Noh. Bunraku dates from the seventeenth century. It features a special kind of accompaniment. There's shamisen music. And there's a reciter who sings or chants both the story line and the lines for each character in the play.

What kind of puppets are used?
The Bunraku puppets are special. Each one is between three and five feet high. The heads are made very skillfully. On some, the eyes and mouth can open and close, and the eyebrows can move.

What about the puppeteers?
Each puppet is manipulated by three puppeteers. One person manipulates the head and right arm, another, the left arm, and another, the feet. The puppeteers wear black hoods to cover their heads and faces, so as not to distract from the dolls.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Do you know how to do the tea ceremony in Japan?

Yes, I've studied the tea ceremony. (No, I haven't formally studied the tea ceremony.) But whether we've studied it or not, most of Japanese do know something about it. It's been a traditional japanese art form since the fifteenth century, when it was perfected. The tea ceremony is much more than just serving and drinking tea. It's a deeply aesthetic experience.

What does the tea ceremony involve?
There are precise rituals of form and etiquette for host and guests. They include the tea room itself, the selection of the tea cups, the making and serving of the tea, and the appreciation of the hospitality.

Is is always so formal?
The degree of formality may vary according to the particular school of tea ceremony you follow. And, in a way, serving tea in your home to family or guests may be considered and informal extension of the ritual Japanese tea ceremony.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Flower Arrangement in Japan!

Most of Japanese know something about it whether they've studied it or not. It's a centuries-old traditional Japanese art form. The original emphasis in flower arrangement, or ikebana, was on the natural materials, and the way they were used to express harmony with nature. Most Japanese have a feel for that.

Has the emphasis changed?
Not the fundamentals - the arrangement of three main branches or sprays to signify sky, earth, and mankind. But in the past, only natural materials were used. Today some avant-garde school use man-made materials as well.


According to some estimates, there are about three thousand schools of flower arrangement. And about twenty million people practice it as a serious hobby. There are also several hundred ikebana clubs outside Japan.