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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.