Japanese Culture

An Japanese Culture is an East Asian national culture that is attributed to Japan.

• Context:
  • It can (typically) be influenced and influence Japanese Regional Cultures, such as Tokyo culture, Osaka culture, Kyoto culture.
  • It can (often) include Domain Japanese Culture, such as: Japanese music culture, Japanese visual art culture, Japanese cuisine culture, Japanese literary culture, Japanese architectural culture, Japanese fashion culture, Japanese religious culture, Japanese educational culture, Japanese business culture, Japanese entertainment culture, Japanese sports culture, Japanese technology culture, Japanese martial arts culture, Japanese crafts culture, Japanese theatrical culture.** It can range from being a Modern Japanese Culture to being a Traditional Japanese Culture.
  • It can manifest distinct cultural values, such as:
    • Prioritizing leisure time over work culture
    • Emphasizing social security over individual freedom
    • Balancing environmental protection with economic growth
    • Valuing media trust and information consumption
  • …
• Example(s):
  • Historical Japanese Culture Periods, such as:
    • Jōmon Period Culture (prehistoric)
    • Yayoi Period Culture (1000 BCE - 300 CE)
    • Chinese Influence Period Culture (ancient - middle ages)
    • Sakoku Period Culture (isolation period)
    • Meiji Period Culture (western influence)
    • Modern Period Culture (global influence)
  • Japanese Social Values, such as:
    • Japanese Honor Culture (especially its obligation and duty)
    • Japanese Collective Culture (especially its interdependence and social obligation)
    • Japanese Situational Ethics (especially its contextual morality)
    • Japanese Religious Practices (especially its ancestor worship)
  • Traditional Japanese Culture, such as:
    • Shinto Culture.
    • Buddhism in Japan Culture
    • Japanese Tea Ceremony Culture.
    • Kabuki Theater Culture.
    • Japanese Calligraphy Culture.
    • Ikebana Culture. (Japanese flower arrangement)
    • Kimono Culture.
    • Japanese Culture in the Edo Period
    • Japanese Culture in the Meiji Era
    • ...
  • Modern Japanese Culture, such as:
    • Japanese Post-World War II Culture.
    • Japanese Culture, 2024
    • Japanese Anime and Manga Culture.
    • Japanese Pop Music Culture (J-Pop)
    • Japanese Video Gaming Culture
    • Japanese Cinema Culture.
    • Japanese Technology Culture.
    • ...
  • Japanese Fashion Cultures, such as:
  • Japanese Cuisine Cultures, such as: sushi culture (Sushi), ramen culture (Ramen).
  • Regional Japanese Cultures, such as: Okinawan culture, Ainu culture, Ryukyuan Culture.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Western Culture;
  • Chinese Culture;
  • Korean Culture;
• See: Japanese Value, Japanese Way of Life, Japanese Language, Jōmon Period, Yayoi People, Honshū, Jōmon Culture, Kanji.

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References

2021

• https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSNewsShow.jsp?ID=439
  • Japan’s 9 Distinctive Trends as Revealed by Cross-national Comparison
    1. . Work: Leisure time is prioritized. The importance of “work” is comparatively low.
    2. . Gender: Level of acceptance of “homosexuality” is high, ranking just after those in Europe and other developed countries.
    3. . Value of Freedom: The most importance is attached to “security,” followed by “freedom” then “equality.” Respondents feel they have a low level of “control” over their lives.
    4. . Media: High trust in the mass media. Japan ranks 1st of 48 countries in terms of respondents who “obtain information daily” from a “daily newspaper” or “TV news.”
    5. . Science and technology: 80% agreed that “because of science and technology, there will be more opportunities for the next generation.”
    6. . Politics: Despite a high level of importance placed upon “politics,” political matters are not discussed. There is a tendency to expect the “government” to provide security but dislike “authority.”
    7. . Environment vs. economy: Many people struggle to choose between “protecting the environment” and “economic growth.”
    8. . Family: There is a tendency to trust “family” and consider it important, but a low sense of duty to provide long-term care for parents.
    9. . Next generation: Emphasis is placed on children learning qualities such as “determination” and “imagination.”

2020

• (Wikipedia, 2020) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Japan Retrieved:2020-9-15.
  • The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon Period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia, Europe, and North America. Japan's indigenous culture originates primarily from the Yayoi people who settled in Japan between 1000 BCE to 300 CE. Yayoi culture quickly spread to the main island of Honshū, mixing with the native Jōmon culture. Modern Japanese have an estimated 80% Yayoi and 20% Jōmon ancestry. Japanese culture was influenced from ancient times to the Middle Ages primarily by multiple Chinese dynasties and to a lesser extent by other Asian countries. For example the Japanese language uses Chinese characters (kanji) for writing, but Japanese has no genetic relationship with Chinese. Since the Meiji period Japan has been primarily influenced by western countries. The inhabitants of Japan experienced a long period of relative isolation from the outside world for over 220 years during the Tokugawa shogunate until the arrival of the “Black Ships” and the Meiji period. Today, the culture of Japan stands as one of the leading and most prominent cultures around the world, mainly due to the global reach of its popular culture.

2019

• https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g298566-s202/Osaka:Japan:Culture.html
  • … Osaka, along with Japan, considers itself a stand-alone society with a culture unlike that of any other. Even after the centuries-long infiltration of China's societal mores, affirmation of uniquely Japanese culture was reclaimed in the 18th and 19th centuries.

    Morality is guided more by "situational ethics" than by broad, general assumptions of right and wrong, as is common in western cultures. Honor, obligation, and duty are high on the Japanese priority list and, traditionally, shame is seen as a more effective motivator of behavior than guilt.

    Interdependence and social obligation are highly valued and instilled in the collective mind from earliest childhood, thus individuality is looked down upon as selfish. Many Japanese, upon relocating, have difficulty adjusting to the individualistic mindsets of other countries.

    Because of these standards within the Japanese culture, the rate of suicides is high. In fact, suicide is considered an act of honor, performed as penitence for shortcomings. Tragically, The Perfect Suicide Manual is a book that has been on Japan's bestseller list for over five years.

    Religion plays a large part in the culture of Japan as well. Ancestor-worship is based on the belief that the dead still affect the living, but there is also an element of fear of their dead and retribution by them.

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