The new Meiji Period was the starting point for Japan’s isolation from foreign countries. During the end of Edo period, Matthew C. Perry came to Japan and established the Nichi-Bei Washin Joyaku, the Japan-US Treaty of Amity and Friendship, allowing Japan to be fully open to the United States of America. Soon after, foreign officials from other countries came to Japan to make similar friendship treaties, changing Japan to be one of the global nations. From the treaty, Foreigners started to build homes and live in one of the ports opened to them, creating cultural influence on the people who had never seen foreigners. Through the opening of Japan during the Meiji Period, Westerners were able to enter and create a positive influence on Japan.
With emerging Western culture, Japanese foods expanded to accommodate the use of meat to fit the preference of Japanese. New industrial technology from America and Europe provided the base of Japan’s technology, leading to today’s modern and developed country with the continuous improvement. With major changes in Japanese diet and technology from emerging Western culture, Japan gained social and economic benefits, allowing the country to be the great powerhouse it is today.
During the Meiji restoration, selected members of Japanese were dispatched to the United States and Europe to learn about Western laws and cultures. Western cuisine was one of the practices they achieved throughout the tour. During the visit, what astonished the Japanese was a significant height difference compared to American and European. Japanese were typically small because the traditional Japanese food culture based on fish didn’t provide enough nutrients like meat essential for healthier physical growth. Aft...
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Initially Japan’s objective for industrializing was to avoid being overtaken by Western superpowers, however during the process of industrializing the Japanese government realized that industrialization is key in order to remain a dominant force in the market during this new contemporary era. Thus the Japanese began to promote industrialization in order for national prestige, power, and wealth just as Germany did. In the end both countries were successful from modernizing and industrializing. Thus promoting the increase of power and wealth for members of the higher classes. While having generally negative effects on the members of lower classes.
Reischauer, Edwin O., and Albert M. Craig. Japan, Tradition & Transformation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1978. Print.
In the early 1800’s, Japan had blocked off all trade from other countries. Foreign whaling ships could not even reload or repair their ships in Japan territory. This offended many other countries. In 1852, Matthew Perry was sent to Japan to negotiate open trade. Japan felt threatened by the United States, and gave in to their demands. Japan was frightened by their stipulations, and immediately began to reform. They developed a new education system that was similar to America and Europe’s. They also developed a Western style judiciary system.
Within a short period of time, Japan had caught up with many Western technologies; having established universities, founded telegraph and railroad lines, as well as a national postal system being created. Shipping and textile industries were a huge success an exports rose.
One of the things Japan advanced in was technology and that includes weapons. When the samurai fought against the Emperor’s soldiers, the samurai suffered an honourable defeat because even though they lost, they helped start a new era where the worldviews could live together in peace. Weapons were not the thing they advanced in. They also designed and created the bullet train in the future.In the Edo Period, Japan progressed greatly. One of the ways they did that was to use western technology and improve it and add their own touches. In the west they created the railroads and that inspired the Japanese to create a better one. Technology improved over time and that led to great new inventions, including the bullet train. They also advanced in their
...ty for one that better suited its capitalistic tendency. That opportunity came in1868 when the Meiji imperial rule was able to overthrow the Tokugawa regime, setting off a political, economic, social and cultural change that transformed Japan. As Japan embraced modernity with full force, some began to realize the negative impact of modernization on the rural life, social structure and most importantly on its culture, blaming it on the western influence on its modernization. Thus as Japan neared World War II, it embraced a new sense of modernization, one that was separate from westernization, creating a nationalistic and fascist government policy. Japanese society is characteristic of plurality and opposing value systems coexisting. As new ideals and institutions arise, Japan sees itself transforming and changing at the hands of internal and external forces.
In conclusion, I have talked about many diverse topics on the ethnicity of Japan. I also mentioned a great number about how their ethnicity is not much distinctive from our own, which I talked about throughout this paper. I only can only anticipate that after reading the culture awareness paper that you have erudite something new. I have also talked about how their ethnicity has predisposed our own and has reached numerous levels of accolades. Japan is an inimitable and distinct ethnicity that is one of the countries is leading our world in education.
...high power status, Japan had to have a self-reliant industrial common ground and be able to move all human and material resources (S,195). Through the Shogun Revolution of 1868, the abolition of Feudalism in 1871, the activation of the national army in 1873, and the assembly of parliament in 1889, the political system of Japan became westernized (Q,3). Local Labor and commercial assistance from the United States and Europe allowed Japan’s industry to bloom into a developed, modern, industrial nation (Q,3). As a consequence production surplus, and food shortage followed (Q,3). Because of how much it relied on aid of western powers, Japan’s strategic position became especially weak. In an attempt to break off slightly from the aid of the west Japanese leaders believed that it would be essential for Japan to expand beyond its borders to obtain necessary raw materials.
To confirm their belief, the authors collected data by means of free listing, interviews, or simply practicing naturalistic observations in several Japanese cities including Mizusawa, Morioka, and Tokyo. The authors found that Japan had long had its own fast food culture as long ago as 1899, when a Japanese food chain, Yosh...
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.
It is vital to recognize the value of a certain culture in the country through a common “tool” such as food. Located in Ohio, in Oberlin College’s newspaper, a number of students complained about the cultural appropriation on Asian food. Among many students, a Junior Japanese student, Tomoyo Joshi, criticizing the college’s serving of sushi, stated: “When you’re cooking a country’s dish for other people, including ones who have never tried the original dish before, you’re also representing the meaning of the dish as well as its culture” (Dunham & Friedersdorf). The unique taste and characteristic in a country’s dish reveals a meaning of its culture. Through common accessibilities like Japanese food, for instance, many people are able to understand and learn the Japanese culture. However, many misunderstand the Japanese culture due to the modification of Japanese food in the West. Without the same tasting, Westernization of Asian food corrupt originality in the culinary world. As a matter of fact, “the traditional cuisines of Japan is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes such as soba or udon or meat based products called tonkatsu… Japan has simmered many dishes such as fish products in broth called oden or beef in sukiyaki and nikujaga” (Wikipedia). In comparison to the original Japanese food sold in Japan, Japanese
Western people influenced Japanese people to follow the American culture. The western culture had a huge impact in the Japanese people because American’s were in Japan’s territory so they decided to follow the western culture. ‘’After Japan surrendered in 1945, ending World War II, Allied forces led by the United States occupied the nation, bringing drastic changes. Japan was disarmed, its empire dissolved, its form of government changed to a democracy, and its
Japan is one of the greatest countries in the world and it has offered many things as well. The Japanese have given the world a better understanding of their culture and history along with a good look at the future from a technological standpoint. They have developed and created the future for their country that has allowed them to be prosperous and powerful. They once isolated themselves from the rest of the world, but now they share their knowledge with other countries in order to create a better understanding of the world. Through their trade and creative thinking they have become one of the world’s largest and powerful countries and have allowed their economy to flourish and prosper.
The small island country of Japan is rich in a culture that has developed over thousands of years. It is very difficult to analyze another culture without some knowledge of that culture first. During my two year residency in Japan, my eyes were opened to the culture of Japan and its people and I grew to love it as much as my own. (The ideas expressed in this essay mainly consist of my own knowledge and observations of Japan). The Japanese are a very traditional people. But this should not be confused with a primitive people, because the Japanese are not primitive by most dictionaries' definitions of the word. Japan has been changing in recent years in its view of its own economy, in its social interactions, in its thoughts about religion, and in its overall view of its place in the world and among other nations.
My interest for Japan and its culture was first sparked in 2003 at the age of 8 years old. Picking up my first pair of chopsticks to eat homemade sushi was a unique experience and led to Japanese cuisine becoming my favourite. Since then I have made sushi on a regular basis and attended a sushi cooking class to further my knowledge of more technically complex dishes and the traditions that pair with them. This part of Japanese culture, alongside the fascinating contrast of ancient customs with state of the art technological advances, is what continues to fuel my interest in the country.