Posts Tagged: japanese culture

All Posts / Culture — No Comments
3
Sep 10

When You Gotta Go: Japanese Bathrooms

Japanese bathrooms may seem like a strange topic for this blog, but it’s essential that Westerners who hope to visit or live in Japan familiarize themselves with what to expect in Japanese bathrooms. The news about overly-mechanized Japanese toilets usually spreads to the West as a sort of “funny story,” but there’s far more to Japanese bathrooms than gimmicky singing toilets or the like.

In public, you may find it difficult to find a Western-style sitting toilet in many stores, restaurants, schools and places of work. If you look hard enough, you should find at least one stall with a Western-style toilet in each bathroom in most modern buildings, but the majority of toilets in public stalls are actually Eastern-style squat toilets, which look like oblong, porcelain-lined holes in the ground.

As part of a society that values cleanliness, the Japanese continue to use this ancient style of squat toilets because they require no contact with a person at all, so there’s no chance of germs or messes accumulating on a seat and spreading from person to person. Men can easily use a squat toilet when urinating as they can stand. As far as women urinating or either gender going #2, the user must face the toilet and place one foot on either side of the squat toilet, bend the knees entirely, and balance their rear end a few inches above the toilet, without making any contact. When finished, the user can use toilet paper and then hit a flush lever.

After years of practice or perhaps just because of genetic disposition, Asian people can usually bend this way and stay balanced because their feet remain flat on the ground. However, when most foreigners try to bend this way, they naturally tend to remain on the balls of their feet, making it more difficult to balance. Obviously, many older people or people with mobility issues will find these toilets impossible to use. That’s why it may be best for foreigners to search out the Western-style toilet stall, if possible.

You may also notice a pair of slippers in a stall or outside a bathroom, particularly in older buildings with only squat toilets. The idea is to keep bathroom germs in the bathroom and keep other germs out of the bathroom. It’s implied that you should put on the bathroom slippers (and take off your own shoes–assuming you haven’t already, which you most likely have in an old-fashioned Japanese building) only when using the toilet and leave the slippers where you found them when you’re finished for the next person.

In public bathrooms, you may hear strange sounds coming from other stalls, particularly if you’re a lady. Or you may notice an odd panel on the wall. The noise may sound like mechanical trickling water or white noise or any other strange sound. This is because many Japanese people are embarrassed to be heard going to the bathroom (the tinkle or plop) and so would rather drown it out. Some women carry their own portable soundmakers expressly for this purpose, but you may find what’s called an otohime panel in your stall that will make noises for you.

Another important note when using a public bathroom is that you should bring your own hand towel! To save energy and cut back on waste, most public bathrooms do not have hand dryers or paper towels available. People are expected to purchase their own small reusable hand towel and carry it in a baggie in their purse or pocket to use after washing their hands. Some bathrooms (usually in more older buildings) also do not have soap; you can carry a small bar of soap in a hard case along with you for this purpose. However, many bathrooms in the more modern buildings will have soap and hand dryers available.

Japanese homes (unless it’s an old-fashioned home, in which case you’re likely only to find squat toilets) are where you’ll find those mechanical Western-style toilets with many interesting features. Most toilets in Japanese homes at least have a bidet function (with which you can spray water on your behind to clean it off) and an air-drying function so that you won’t even have to use toilet paper (although you may, if you like). Any other function (such as seat heating, automatically opening and closing lid, automatic flushing, and a thermostat for the room temperature, among others) is pure extra entertainment.

Oh, one more thing: you’ll notice that in Japanese homes, the toilet is never in the same room as the bathtub and/or shower. It’s often in a very small closet-like room across the way or next to the shower/bathtub room. This is again a testament to the Japanese culture’s love of cleanliness, so that no toilet-related bacteria or filthiness can spread into the place where people clean themselves.

All Posts / Culture / Customs — No Comments
20
Aug 10

The Obon Festival: A Tribe to Ancestors

This week was the festival of Obon throughout Japan. Obon, a Buddhist holiday, is a time for bonding with one’s ancestors and deceased family members. The Japanese pray for the ancestors’ happy lives as spirits and acknowledge that they themselves could not have existed without them. Although most Japanese are not highly religious, this Buddhist holiday is a culturally important one. People tend to meet up with their family and return to their hometowns so that the family can pray together and also enjoy one another’s company and celebrate their lives.

Obon occurs on a lunar calendar and is different each year–and is even different in the same year among different regions–but occurs sometime between July and August. This year, most of Japan had Obon festivities from August 7th through the 17th.

Mukae-bon takes place on the first day of the Obon festival. After thoroughly cleaning their home, Japanese families light special Obon chochin lanterns inside the home and the family members walk the lanterns to the family gravesite area (if possible–they may just hang the lanterns outside the door and call them home as well). They call their ancestors’ spirits home and it is thought that these spirits reside within the homes’ Buddhist altars for the duration of the festival. The family keeps the lanterns lit beside the altar and also decorates the altars with flower arrangements and incense. They offer food to the spirits throughout their one-week “stay” in the home. On the last day of Obon, Okuri-bon, the family will walk the lit lanterns back to the gravesite in order to guide them back to the afterlife.

Because Obon takes place in the summer, the thought of ghosts wandering among the living permeates into Japanese culture as a whole. Like Halloween in the West, the Obon festival becomes a time for spooky tales, horror movies, ghost sightings, and the Japanese equivalent of a haunted house, which is sometimes called kimodameshi, a “test of courage.” At night, people will dress up like ghosts in the grounds of a Buddhist or Shinto temple and groups of people will split into groups of no more than two in order to face the dark, spooky path to the top of the temple. (These trials are usually undertaken by teenagers and young adults.)

Have you ever celebrated Obon in Japan? Have you ever gone on a kimodameshi? Would you like to?

All Posts / Culture / Places — No Comments
30
Jul 10

Kobe: Mountains, Business, and Beef

With about 1.5 million people, Kobe is Japan’s 6th most populous city. Located in the Hyogo prefecture, Kobe is nestled along the coastline approximately 310 miles west of Tokyo and is reachable from Tokyo in about 3 ½ hours by train. Once among the most important port cities in Japan after Japan opened itself up to trade, Kobe is still the fourth busiest seaport city in the nation.

Kobe is home to a number of famous Japanese companies, such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kobe Steel, and ASICS, which is a sportswear and athletic equipment company. Global companies that make their Japanese headquarters in Kobe include Nestle and Proctor & Gamble. With so many companies and trades in Kobe, the area among the busiest for business and office jobs in Japan.

If you’re just there to sightsee, the first thing you’ll notice is the Rokko Mountains, which frame the long, rather thin city of Kobe on the opposite side of the ocean. The apex of the Rokko Mountains is about 3055 feet high. If you’re interested in seeing the city of Kobe from the mountains, there are a number of observation decks, restaurants, museums, and even a botanical garden along the mountainside. Perhaps most famous is the Arima Onsen (read here about onsen) atop the mountain, from which you can bathe and see the city at a stunning height. Taking a bus to the onsen from the city will only cost you about US$20 round-trip.

You can’t leave Kobe (unless you’re a vegetarian or not a fan of beef) without trying some Kobe beef. Easily one of the highest quality beef types in all of Japan, other Japanese cities import Kobe’s black Tajima-ushi Wagyu cattle beef. Some of the highest quality cuts of steak made from Kobe beef can cost about US$500 (!), but you can sample much more affordable Kobe beef in anything from burgers to shabu shabu to sushi (cooked) to sukiyaki.

Your trip to Kobe would be incomplete without a ride on the giant Ferris wheel at Kobe Harborland. The view from the Ferris wheel at night is stunning!

Have you ever been to Kobe? Have you ever tried Kobe beef? Is the beef worth the rave reviews it gets? Have you ever visited the Rokko Mountains?

All Posts / Culture / Food — No Comments
9
Jul 10

Japanese Curry (Best Served with Rice)

When you think of curry, you usually think of India, the homeland of the dish. In Japan, while they do have Indian curry on many a restaurant menu (it’s called “indo karee” in Japan), there’s a Japanese treatment of curry (called “karee,” pronounced “kah-ray”) that’s far more popular.

Curry has only been in Japan since the late 19th century, but it’s already considered a fairly quintessential Japanese dish. Curry made its way to Japan via the English Navy. As India was an English colony at the time, the British had been influenced by Indian cooking and introduced the way in which they replicated the dish to the Japanese once Japan opened up to the West. In the British recipe, curry mimicked the style of Western stew, and that became the basis of Japanese curry.

Japanese curry took a while to catch on, but it positively flourished in the late 1960s. Besides being available in many food stands and restaurants, the curry roux mix made it possible for Japanese homemakers to easily make the dish at home. It wasn’t until the 1990s that actual Indian-style curry became somewhat popular in Japan as well.

Japanese curry is traditionally much less spicy than Indian curry, although it can be extra spicy at the chef’s discretion. The sauce is typically made from curry powder, flour and oil (and can more easily be purchased rather than made in the form of curry roux in supermarkets). The basic vegetables cooked in the sauce are carrots, onions and potatoes, but the chef can add any number of vegetables (and fruits!), such as peas, scallops, eggplants, turnips, broccoli, lotus roots, pears, melons and apples. Also in the curry is usually a meat, either cooked without additives or deep-fried first. Popular choices in Japan include beef, pork, chicken, oyster, duck and even deer.

Served over rice, Japanese curry is known as just “karee” or “karee raisu.” Other popular ways to eat Japanese curry include as the filling in bread (“karee pan”), over Japanese noodles (“karee udon”), with a raw egg (“yaki karee”) and as a soup (“suupu karee”). Japanese curry is usually quite affordable and can be found at most types of restaurants in Japan, fast-food and sit-down alike.

Have you tried Japanese curry? Did you like it more or less than Indian curry? Which type of Japanese curry seems the most appealing to you?

All Posts / Culture / Entertainment — No Comments
2
Jul 10

Visual Kei Music: When Gothic Meets Flair

A style of music native to Japan with a sizeable following is Visual Kei (“visual” of course is an English word and “kei” means “style” in Japanese). This type of music is known for its performers’ visual style as much as their music, as they’re dressed in incredibly ornate fashion.

Visual Kei may owe some of its roots to flamboyantly colored and stylized ancient performance styles from Japan, such as kabuki and noh. They may also owe some of their style to glam rock singers, such as Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie). However, their look is largely unique and not quite exactly like any of these influences.

Visual Kei bands typically—but not always—wear clothes inspired by overly colorful or Gothic black-and-white Victorian-era European attire, with lots of ruffles and large, baggy sleeves. Feathers, ribbons and lace are common accessories. The band members’ hair is typically dyed bright colors and is styled in long, wavy or spiky style, but may also be elegantly tied back. The band members may also wear color contacts, since most Japanese people have dark brown eyes and they want to appear a little more European. (However, the contacts may also be a color not found in human eyes.)

The band members’ faces and exposed skin are also typically painted pure white, which is a direct connection to the kabuki and noh style of theatrics. (Pale, white skin is traditionally seen as a sign of beauty in Japan and may represent delicateness.) Perhaps more closely tied to the theatrical traditions of kabuki and noh is the fact that many Visual Kei bands feature at least one band member who dresses explicitly as a woman—despite being a man. All of the band members tend to embrace a sense of androgyny, but some more so than others.

The type of music you might hear from a Visual Kei band might be described as some sort of punk, classical music or operatic music and glam rock mix, with hints of metal. Songs can be both hard-core and upbeat or slow and ballad-like.

Visual Kei debuted in the late 1980s and was quite popular during the 1990s, but the popularity died down somewhat toward the end of the decade. It’s had a sort of revival since 2007, but it’s more popular these days with a core audience than a widespread one.

Here’s a taste of some Visual Kei:

~Versailles, a modern band~

~Malice Mizer, one of the most popular bands from the ‘90s (now disbanded)~

What do you think of Visual Kei music? What about the bands’ style? What do you think is more important to this genre of music, the music itself or the style of the band?

All Posts / Culture / Customs — No Comments
25
Jun 10

The Japanese Fairy Tale, Part 2

Last week we took a closer look at Momotaro and Kintaro, two classic Japanese fairy tales that permeate Japanese culture. This week we’ll take a look at another important tale, although there are quite a few more we won’t cover in this blog at this time. If the interest strikes you, do some more research and read translations of the stories themselves! This site is a good place to start.

Taketori Monogatari (“The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter”), which is sometimes called Kaguya-hime (“Princess Kaguya”), is perhaps the oldest classic Japanese fairy tale. The story centers around a beautiful woman named Kaguya whose hair shines like the moon. She is found as a finger-sized baby inside of a shining bamboo tree by an old, childless bamboo cutter. The bamboo cutter and his wife decide to raise the child. The tiny baby grows into a beautiful woman (of normal size) and as the old couple raises her, they become rich because inside every bamboo tree Kaguya’s father cuts is a nugget of gold.

Kaguya’s parents try to keep Kaguya a secret, but news of her beauty spreads throughout the kingdom. Five princes convince Kaguya’s father to allow them to compete for her hand in marriage and Kaguya, who is not anxious to marry any of them, presents each bachelor with an impossible task, telling them that the first to complete the task would become her husband. All five failed—some even died. After this, the emperor of Japan asks Kaguya to marry him, but again she rejects even this suitor. Although the emperor continues to love Kaguya and ask for her hand in marriage, she continues to refuse him and instead becomes increasingly despondent. Her parents notice that when she stares at the moon, she cries. Eventually, Kaguya reveals that she’s from the moon and she misses her home.

The Emperor tries to keep her from leaving by placing royal guards around her home, but when celestial beings come for her return, the guards cannot stop them. Kaguya leaves behind a robe as a gift for her adoptive parents and leaves a note of farewell to them and the emperor. Along with her note to the emperor, she leaves a bottle of an immortality elixir, from which she takes a sip. Placing a new feathered robe around her shoulders, she forgets all about her earthly life and departs. Her parents receive her robe but are heartbroken and become sick. The emperor refuses to become immortal and instead writes a reply to Kaguya and asks that his servants take the letter and the elixir to the tallest point in the country and burn them there, hoping that Kaguya will receive the message. This point is the top of Mt. Fuji, and it is said that the mountain gets its name from this act, as the kanji for Fuji can mean “immortality.” It is also said that Fuji’s smoke (which isn’t often visible in modern times as the mountain rarely erupts) is the letter and elixir continuously burning.

Does the tale of Princess Kaguya remind you of any Western fairy tales? Which ones? What messages do you get from this tale?

All Posts / Culture / Customs — No Comments
18
Jun 10

The Japanese Fairy Tale, Part 1

In the West, we have Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, thanks largely to European writers who regurgitated local folklore. The Japanese are of course familiar with these fairy tales as well, but they have their own, which are fairly frequently referenced in books, TV, films and other parts of Japanese culture.

One of the most well-known pieces of Japanese folklore is the story of Momotaro. Momo translates to “peach” and taro is a somewhat common ending for Japanese boy names. The tale is often called “Peach Boy” in English, though. Momotaro tells of an old Japanese couple who never had children but are surprised to find a huge peach floating down the river one day while the wife is washing clothes. They take the peach home to eat, but as soon as they cut into it, a child pops out. They name the boy Momotaro and he tells them that he was sent by the gods to be their child. Once Momotaro grows into a young adult, he takes it upon himself to go on a quest to vanquish oni (demons) who live on an island called the Onigashima and sometimes leave the island to kidnap and/or eat humans. Along the way, Momotaro makes friends with a dog, a pheasant, and a monkey, who join him on his quest in exchange for food. Together, the friends defeat Ura, the leader of the demons and the land is safe once more.

Momotaro should not be confused with Kintaro, another popular Japanese folktale, which is often translated as “Golden Boy.” There are a number of versions of the Kintaro story, all of which have him raised by either his natural mother or an adopted mother alone in the mountains, where he became superhumanly strong. Kintaro’s strength includes the ability to uproot trees, smash rocks barehanded and bend tree trunks even as a toddler. He is most famously depicted in his chubby toddler stage, wearing only a large bib with the kanji for “gold” on it. He becomes friends with the mountain forest animals and eventually, as he grows older, he attracts the attention of a regent of the emperor.Kintaro moves to Kyoto to become one of the legendary Shitenno (“four braves”) who serve alongside this regent, Minamoto no Yorimitsu. At this time, Kintaro takes the name Sakata Kintoki.

Come back next week for a look at two more Japanese fairy tales!

Have you ever heard of Momotaro or Kintaro? What do you think the morals of these stories may be—if there are any? What other Japanese folktales have you heard of?

All Posts / Language — No Comments
7
Jun 10

Japanese Suffixes, Part 2

Today we’re continuing our lesson on Japanese suffixes by going over a couple more important suffixes in the Japanese language.

Sensei

Sensei is a suffix used only with family names as a term of respect. More polite than san, sensei is primarily used with those who have earned a wide level of respect in their fields. It’s used for all teachers and doctors, at least when addressed by their co-workers and students and patients. It can also be used when referring to successful professionals in a variety of fields, such as scientists, politicians, religious figures, lawyers, accountants and even mangaka (comic artists), authors, artists, and musicians.

*Nakamura (family name) Kenji (given name) = Nakamura-sensei, Nakamura Kenji-sensei*

An English translation may include “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Miss,” “Ms.,” “Dr.,” “Professor,” “Father (as in priest),” or something similar, depending on the exact context. Unlike other suffixes, sensei can actually stand on its own as well, meaning that you can directly address these professionals or people whom you respect with “Sensei” without even stating their names. This use of the word is similar to that in English when you think of calling a college professor “Professor.”

A little less formally, but still in a way that demonstrates respect, students may even use the term when addressing their tutors, who may not be that much older than them. If you visit Japan, you might use the term when coming in contact with any of the abovementioned professionals or someone from whom you expect to learn a lot. You may also find yourself addressed with the suffix if you tutor someone or teach English or are a professional in one of these fields.

Sama

Not extremely frequently used in day-to-day conversations, sama is still an important suffix that you’ll find in entertainment, media, and sometimes in customer service interactions. Sama is traditionally only used with family names, but it may be used with given names depending on the context.

*Nakamura (family name) Kenji (given name) = Nakamura-sama, Nakamura Kenji-sama, Kenji-sama*

Sama demonstrates that the person being addressed with this suffix is being regarded with one of the highest levels of esteem. The suffix is traditionally only used when there is a great level of hierarchal disparity in the relationship between the speaker and the addressee, such as a servant speaking to his or her employer. Its English translation varies depending on the context, but could be as elegant as “Lord,” “Lady,” “Master,” or “Mistress,” or as normal as “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Miss,” or “Ms.,” or have no translation at all.

Businesses often employ this suffix when addressing their customers to demonstrate how important the customers are to them. Official forms or mailings traditionally give everyone the title of sama over san.

Perhaps less traditionally but fun nonetheless is the fact that people also use the term (most often with given names) for people whom they worship—not quite literally, but people with whom they are enamored, but whom they consider far beyond their reach. Fans shouting out to or making signs for celebrities are the most frequent examples, but even students might (somewhat jokingly) use the suffix for popular boys and girls whom everyone in class wishes to date.

Whom in your life might you address with sensei or sama if you were speaking Japanese? Would you deserve the title sensei yourself?

All Posts / Language — 2 Comments
4
Jun 10

Japanese Suffixes, Part 1

In Japan, where politeness in language is so important, suffixes are quite essential. What are suffixes? They’re words that come after other words—in this case, these suffixes are titles of address. A rough English equivalent could be the prefixes “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Ms.,” etc., but you’ll see that it’s not so straightforward as that.

Below are some of the Japanese language’s most common suffixes. As you may know from studying the language, differences in level of politeness are more common than gender differences.

San

San is by far the most common Japanese suffix. It’s a polite suffix that’s not overly polite and works in nearly any situation. When you’re not sure which suffix is appropriate, fall back on san.

*Nakamura (family name) Kenji (given name) = Nakamura-san, Kenji-san, or Nakamura Kenji-san.*

San can be used with both family names and given names, but you’ll be exhibiting an extra level of politeness by using it with family names and only addressing someone by his or her given name when given permission. When used with a family name, it can be translated as “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Miss,” or “Ms.,” depending on the person’s gender and marriage status. (There is no differentiation.) However, unlike in the U.S., co-workers, business associates and the like are more likely to address each other by each other’s family names, even after knowing each other for years, so even if in the English translation, using “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Miss,” or “Ms.” would sound weird, it’s correct in Japanese.

When used with a given name, there’s no English translation. However, you should use san with people who have given you permission to address them by their given names but with whom you’re not extremely close, especially if the person is older than you. For example, if you live with a host family, they may give you permission to use their given names, but it would be polite for you to add the suffix san to the names of all of the family members who are about your age or older.

Chan

Another common suffix is chan. You should not use chan to address anyone unless you know the proper context because chan does not demonstrate any level of politeness or respect. Instead, it’s closer to a term of endearment.

*Nakamura (family name) Kenji (given name) = Kenji-chan*

Chan is used only with given names and has no direct English translation. Very close friends, particularly girlfriends who are teenage or younger, may choose to address each other with this suffix added to their names. It is also sometimes used in a romantic, cutsey way between couples (for both males and females, but especially females). Most commonly, it’s used by anyone speaking to a young child, particularly young girls. (But it may also be used with very young boys.)

If you speak to a young child in Japan, you may use chan. Otherwise, wait until you’re invited to address a close friend with this term (you can usually tell if they address you with the term). If you’re older than high school age, you probably won’t use chan for anyone but young children.

Kun

Somewhat similar to chan, but less cutely endearing, is kun, which has no direct English translation.

*Nakamura (family name) Kenji (given name) = Nakamura-kun, Kenji-kun*

Kun is most often, but not always, used with given names by people to address younger boys (elementary to middle school age especially). It may also be used with family names for boys and even girls by those in a hierarchical relationship with the youths, such as teachers or mentors addressing their students. (Teachers don’t address their students by given names.) It may also be used with family names by students, particularly girls, to address the fellow male students in their class with whom they’re not especially close.

Come back Monday to learn a few more Japanese suffixes!

How would you address the people whom you encounter in your daily life if you were speaking Japanese? Decide which suffix is most appropriate.

All Posts / Culture / Places — No Comments
31
May 10

Kyoto: The Original Capital of Japan

With nearly 1.5 million residents, the city of Kyoto in the Kyoto Prefecture is the 7th largest city in Japan, but it’s also one of the nation’s most important cities, in terms of history and culture. The city, located about 300 miles southwest of Tokyo (and accessible from Tokyo in around 3 ½ hours by train), is centrally inland, so you can’t see the Pacific Ocean or the Sea of Japan from the city limits. The large population’s water needs are met by the plethora of locations at which a water table breaks through the ground’s surface, leading to attractive ponds and small lakes. There are also three rivers surrounding the city: the Kamogawa, the Katsuragawa, and the Ujigawa.

Home to historic locations such as the Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion Temple), Kyoto was once Japan’s capital city for a period of almost 1100 years from 794 CE to 1868 CE. (There was a brief time in the 1180s CE, however, in which it was not the capital.) During this time, Kyoto was known as Heian-kyo. Kyoto was home to the imperial family for all of these years, even when the imperial family lost much of its power to the shoguns (military leaders), so it served as the nation’s capital, at least on paper. In fact, the label of “capital” was never officially transferred from Kyoto to Tokyo in the 1800s even after the imperial family moved, so there are some who believe that Kyoto remains the capital officially, despite the modern government being seated in Tokyo.

Originally modeled after the Chinese city of Xi’an (at the time the capital of the Tang Dynasty), the city of Kyoto retains much of its imperial and historical significance. There are plenty of modern buildings, but there are far more historic buildings per square mile than you would find in Tokyo and much more of the traditional history is preserved in Kyoto culture. For example, the most prestigious area of geisha culture remains in Kyoto, not Tokyo. Other sites of interest include the Heian Shrine, the Shimogamo Shrine, the Daigo-ji, Ninna-ji, and much more.

The American military knew about Kyoto’s rich cultural and historical significance to Japan and strongly considered Kyoto as a target for the atomic bomb during World War II, hoping to devastate the Japanese people’s morale by destroying so much of their history at once. However, it was spared from the atomic bomb and even from the rest of the bombings thanks to Edwin O. Reischauer, a “Japan expert” liaison to the U.S. military (and later ambassador to Japan), who had been to Kyoto and wanted to preserve its beauty.

Have you ever been to Kyoto? What’s your favorite historical site in Kyoto? Do you agree with America’s World War II decision to spare Kyoto in favor of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tokyo (which was devastated by firebombing), and other cities? Why or why not?

← Older Entries