Japan: Introduction

Japan is located in the east of Asia. Its country is made up of many islands. Since the sun rises in the east, Japan is often called "The Land of The Rising Sun". The Japanese refers to their country as "Nippon" or "Nihon" which means "source of the sun". The Japanese flag represents a red sun on a white background.

The capital of Japan is Tokyo. In fact, it is one of the largest cities in the world. It is modern, very busy, and extremely crowded. Today, Japan is a modernized country. They have factories, televisions, radios, cameras, and other familiar objects.

The island nation of Japan lies off the east coast of the Asian continent. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it borders China, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the East China Sea.

It consists of five major island; Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa, Honshu being the largest. In addition, there are more than 6800 other islands of many different sizes,  most of which are mountainous and many are volcanic.

The total land area of Japan is about 378000km², which is about the same size as Germany, Finland or Vietnam.

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Language:

Japanese is the national language of Japan.There are a number of different writing system used in Japanese.These include hiragana, Katakana , kanji and Roman letters.

Kanji or Chinese characters were introduced in the 1st century.Hiragana and Katakana were developed from them by the 10th century.

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Religion:

The two major religions in Japan are “Shinto” and Buddhism. “Shinto” is a folk religion of Japan.

Since Buddhism was brought into Japan in the 6th century, the two religions have influenced one another and existed together in the everyday life of the Japanese. This is called the "syncretization of Shinto with Buddhism".

Most Japanese experience both Shinto and Buddhist rituals and ceremonies in their life. For example, the same person would go to a wedding at a Shinto shrine and hold a funeral at a Buddhist temple.

It is also very common to have both Shinto and Buddhist alters in a house. It is often said that Japanese tolerant attitudes towards religions were formed by the polytheistic nature of Shinto.

There are also several religious minorities including Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. Freedom of religion is guaranteed to all by the constitution.

23 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT JAPAN

This collection of islands has fascinated travellers since Japan picked itself up from World War defeat, and became one of the leading economic and technological centres of the world. Ancient gods and traditional customs sit side by side with cutting edge technologies and trendy pop culture, and there is always something new to learn about Japan. From deformed dogs and perfect melons, to empty orchestras and bizarre meal-time etiquette. Here are 23 interesting facts about Japan you probably never knew:

Japanese Culture

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A Japanese home is a wooden building that is raised slightly above the ground.  Most Japanese homes are small, and the rooms are usually separated by movable paper partitions called fusama that can be rearranged to change the size or shape of  the room. When the outside screens are open, the gardens can be seen from every room in the house. Customs and traditions are very important in Japan. Upon entering a house or apartment  it is customary to take off your shoes.

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Japanese food:

Japanese food comes in a huge array of regional specialties and dishes and is renowned as being some of the healthiest food in the world. In Japanese culture, traditional food staples include rice, eaten with miso soup and other regional dishes. Dishes are based on seasonal availability of ingredients. Side dishes revolve around pickled vegetables (some of which are very sour), fish, and vegetables prepared in broth. Fish is most often eaten grilled but is also served raw as sushi or sashimi. Tempura is vegetables and seafood battered and deep fried and is also very common. Japanese food staples include a variety of noodles such as thick udon and thinner soba, which are eaten with soup and solid food alike. Oden is a type of food that is simmered in broth, and can be anything from fish to vegetables.

Prior to the mid-19th century, meat was mostly avoided. However, with the country’s modernization came more and more meat dishes, which today have become an inherent part of Japanese culture. Along with the growing popularity of meat came the rise of foreign food, from steaks to hamburgers and fried dumplings to ramen (noodle soup). Varying traditional dishes are evident in different regions including Kyoto, Hokkaido, Okinawa, and Osaka.

At dinner families often kneel on cushions surrounding a low table. Most Japanese food is cooked on a small grill called a hibachi.  The food is usually broiled, steamed, or fried.  The basic Japanese menu consists of soup and three dishes, each cooked by a different method.  Dessert is usually artistically cut fresh fruit. Chopsticks are used for picking up all food.

Eating a Meal: Before eating, Japanese people say "itadakimasu," a polite phrase meaning "I receive this food." This expresses thanks to whoever worked to prepare the food in the meal.

Many people eat by taking a bite of the main or side dish, then eating a little rice, and then having a sip of soup straight from the bowl (soup isn't usually eaten with a spoon). A little rice is saved until the end of the meal, when it is eaten with the pickled vegetables.

After eating, people once again express their thanks for the meal by saying "gochiso sama deshita," which literally means "it was quite a feast."

This's a video of a simple recipe of Japanese food "Bento Box" you can learn how to make it:

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Japanese clothing:

The “kimono” has been Japan’s traditional item of dress worn by both men and women since the middle of the 7th century. It is similar to an ankle-length gown with long, wide sleeves.
When you put on a “kimono”, you wrap it across the chest and secure it at the waist with cords and a broad sash called an “obi”.

These are various kinds of “kimono”, which differ in color, pattern of fabric, and sleeve-length. You need to make the right choice about which “kimono” to choose according to the traditional rules of how and when to wear your “kimono”. For instance, the “furisode” type of “kimono” is exclusively for unmarried women and the “tomesode” is for married women.


Today, they wear Western clothes in everyday life, but the “kimono” is still popular as an item of special attire at ceremonies and parties.

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Entertainment:

“Manga” is Japanese includes cartoons, four-frame comic strips and comic-book stories. The beginning was a series of caricature cartoons in daily newspapers and four-flame strips. After World warⅡ, comics with a storyline like a novel began to appear.

Today a tremendous numbers of comic magazines and books are published. “Manga” are popular entertainment for all ages. The pictures in comic-book stories proceed from right to left in the same way as Japanese writing.

“Anime” is abbreviation of the English word “animation”. Most children in Japan look forward watching cartoon series on TV. Also, Japanese animated films enjoy a good reputation both at home and overseas. The films employ highly sophisticated graphic techniques.


They often feature computer-assisted visualizations and combinations of live action and animation. The animated cartoons fascinate not only youngsters but adults, too. They have often originated from “manga”, so they become even more popular by having a synergetic effect on each other.

Best selling "Manga" ranking in japan:

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Finally, there's a Saudi girl has a scholarship to Japan, and sometimes she posts pictures on her Instagram titled "Between Anime and Reality", all picked by herself, which are one of the best photos for me ..

HER ACCOUNT

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