In Japan, spring is the season for renewal, rebirth, life and growth. When you think of spring in Japan, you would usually think of the cherry blossoms that bloom all throughout this country. The cherry blossoms are a symbol of “human life, transience, and nobleness.”(Spring, JNTO) There is more to spring than just the cherry blossom viewing. All throughout Japan, different prefectures are celebrating festivals to welcome the coming of spring and to pray for good health. Some of the festivals that might occur in Japan are: Dai Himonjiyaki, Yayoi Festival, Hina Matsuri, Kodomo no Hi, and Aoi Matsuri. To begin with, the Hina Matsuri is celebrated all around Japan. The name Hina Matsuri means “Doll’s Festival”. The family prays for their daughter that they grow up to be in good health and blissful life. During this event, the …show more content…
This festival is one of the three popular festivals celebrated in Kyoto. The main attraction of this festival is the large parade that occurs on this day. Various people dress up in aristocratic attire during the Heian period. The parade begins at the Imperial Palace and ends at the Kamo Shrines. The word “Aoi” in Aoi Matsuri means Hollyhock in Japanese. The people participating in the parade wear Hollyhock leaves, so this festival was named after it. The Aoi Matsuri predates to the 7th century. The people of the time suffered from natural disasters, who believed were caused by the gods of the Kamo Shrines. These disasters faded away after the Emperor made an offering to the Kamo Shrine. To this day, the official name of this festival remains Kamo Matsuri because of its relation to the Kamo Shrines. At parades, you might see men on horseback, massive bouquets of flowers, elaborately designed ox-drawn carts, and the chosen Saio of the year. Saio was a priestess of the imperial family, who served for the Kamo Shrines. During these festivals, Saio performed various
-Nara’s Buddhist temples were another result of cultural diffusion, Buddhist began in India in 500s B.C.E. about 1,000 years later, it came to Japan from China by way of Korea.
Japantown, in San Francisco, is an ethnic enclave to the Japanese who migrated to the US and it is a space created by themselves for themselves to practice their old traditions and remind them of home. The Kinokuniya building in Japantown is home to many generations of Japanese and they would often celebrate traditional festivals and more than often there are many subculture groups within the Japanese here in San Francisco. One subculture that is evident is the Ikebana group located in Japancenter where they display flower arrangements called Ikebana. Being an outsider, the need to observe and research is very important to understand this art form flourishing in San Francisco. The empirical evidences I have gathered allowed me to dwell deeper into the history of Ikebana and the Ikebana group as well as the importance of this group to its fellow members.
The dolls which contain the kachina spirits are often given to children to remind them of their heritage and of their Gods. However, the Kachina Dolls are not just toys, but objects to be treasured and studied. Through these dolls they learn about Kachinas as part of their religious training and background.
The geisha of Japan were more than entertainers they were a part of the bigger picture of the Japanese society from the early 1600s to today, their role as an entertainer for men was respected at a point in which man that had time with geisha were praised and they were even respected by the wives of the clients. One of the most significant historical contexts of geisha in Japanese society is the empowerment of women, they were the only women in the history to create a set of norms and social tradition for themselves, and the group of women to have control of men. Geisha are the representation of Japanese tradition and
Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke is a development of Japanese animation that can be seen as a romantic fable of two characters that were brought together through one cause; however, Miyazaki’s film can be seen as a Japanese cultural production. It is seen as a cultural production because it shows elements of Shinto through the Kami and the use of water for purification, as well as the female stereotype reversal that was quite dominant in the time of the Heian period. The characters in Princess Mononoke interact with the kami (gods or spirits) when they are in sacred sites or areas that assist in the contact. In Princess Mononoke, the mountain is the place where the characters make contact with the kami, which is their Shinto shrine because
Denison. B. (2002, January 1). A Basic Overview of Japanese Culture . . Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://www.mizukan.org/articles/culture.htm
Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. Founded in 660 B.C., it traces back to the very first people to settle in Japan. Shinto focuses on ancestral worship and is deeply immersed in Japanese culture. Even though it is as ancient as Japan itself, Shinto is still very widely practiced by Japanese people today. However, over the years, it gained some influence from Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Over 50 percent of the Japanese population still practice Shinto.
Kawaii is a fast growing phenomenon worldwide. Kawaii by translation just means cute. This phenomenon first emerged in Japan. The cute culture is so surprising due to the fact that it is so different from the roles and the typical Japanese look which is that of the Japanese Salaryman. It is also extremely different from the lifestyle of the Salaryman. Other than the Kawaii look there have also been various subcultures that have recently emerged that aim to subvert the mainstream culture this include the Gothic Lolita which is the cute look mixed into a goth as well as the Ganguro girl which resembles a Malibu Barbie with light hair and extreme tans.
Shinto has long been a life of Japan’s culture. As long as Japanese culture exists, Shinto will continue to be a meaningful part of it. The religion bases itself on the basic goodness of human nature and of the world. It is apparent that it will continue to do so through the ways of its ethical principles of worship and of the
Did you know that most of the cartoon shows that are on television come from Japan? Japanese popular culture has made a huge hit all over the world. There are many forms of popular art in Japan. Some know forms are anime, music, and manga. These are the most notable ones and are also what makes up most of their fan base for pop culture. Some other forms include cosplaying, contemporary art, and fashion. Cosplaying is short for “costume play” and it means to dress up as a character from sources like anime, manga, film, and games. There are a few places in Japan where people usually cosplay, including Akihabara, Harajuku and Shibuya. In present day, it is almost impossible to not see some form of Japanese pop culture in our country. There are even festivals and conventions held just for it which happens in many places over the world every year. Most people who attend these events will often cosplay as a character from something most people would know. Japanese pop culture is also one of the biggest exports of Japan. Japanese popular culture is the most attractive part of Japan, which has created a big impact around the world.
Many of us, if not everyone, has heard of the country of Japan through various means. Possibly through popular films such as Godzilla or the renowned horror films which the country produces. Perhaps through the various anime TV shows that have been dubbed in English creating a massive fan base here in the United States, or the massive franchise Nintendo that has filled our child memories with countless hours spent in front of a screen playing Mario or Pokémon. One way or another the Japanese have shared their culture with a huge audience but thats only scratching the surface of the Japanese culture. The country of Japan wasn’t always the islands that we see there today, the formation of the islands occurred during 50,000 BC and ended in 10,000 BC following the end of the last ice age. This is when we find the first signs of civilization in Japan but they are nowhere near the modern day Japanese culture today. The early beginnings of today’s Japanese culture dates back to the year 538 AC with multiple time periods slowly building up to today. The Japanese culture of today shares a few aspects with our American culture we are familiar with, both cultures love baseball, we both have representative democracies as a form of government, and both cultures do not label outsiders differently and accept them just as equally. Even though we may share aspects of our culture with the Japanese our cultures couldn’t be anymore different from each other.
The Japanese culture is quite harmonious, respectful, and hardworking. Their culture is made up highly of being respectful of others, family, and nature. They value their elders, history, tradition, religion, family, government, nature, education, and work.
Anime is an art form as it expresses cultural phenomena about Japan and its people. Like most other countries, cartoon has existed in Japan throughout the 20th century and onward, which began with traditional drawings and comics that dealt with political, social, and historical themes. However, what separates anime from the rest is that the anime included a huge portion of Japanese culture within it. In every series that aired, they include special holidays like Natsu Matsuri—summer festival, tea ceremony, traditional clothing such as kimono, etc.
To begin with, the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival is held in Fukuoka from July 1st to the 15th. This festival is known for the large floats carried by men. These floats are called yamakasa, and they can weigh up to one ton. This festival is viewed by over one million people. “The men carrying the yamakasa with all their might captures the heart of the people.”(Hakata Gion Yamakasa, Japan: The Official Guide) There are two types of floats, the kazariyama and kakiyama. The Kazariyama are floats that only serve the purpose as decorations. They are displayed all throughout the streets. These floats are around ten feet tall and are elaborately decorated with samurai and anime characters. Before, men would carry these floats, but it would be troublesome today due to the cables. In order to get electricity to light up the kazariyama floats, the people had to connect cables to them. The kakiyama are the floats that are being carried during the festival. Various groups of men compete against one another in a five kilometer race, in the time period of thirty minutes. The men that participate in this event must ...
Every country in the world has its own festival and celebration. People all around the world love joining together and sharing good time through the festivals and celebrations. Festivals are great way to experience local culture. Sometime they even offer a glimpse into past. There are hundreds of festivals across the world. So are you ready to experience of fun and colorful festivals? Below are some of festivals from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.