Mysterious and unpredictable for a European, Japan is a tasty morsel for those tourists who want to spend their vacation in perhaps the most unusual places on the planet. The homeland of samurai, anime and spectacular martial arts is annually among the most popular countries for tourism.
But what is it that more and more tourist groups find so attractive about Japan? For many, the reason is a unique and authentic culture that has developed over millennia; others are attracted by the modern world of skyscrapers, robotics and futuristic cars. And all this is one country occupying several small islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The Vipgeo portal has selected unusual and interesting facts about Japan for those planning a trip to this country.
Just a little bit of history
Culture is a reflection of historical events. Japan has been inhabited since ancient times, but it is separated on one side by the ocean and on the other by the impassable Himalayas. The history of Asia generally followed a separate path from Europe.
About Japan - also on an island, so the isolation was stronger. Plus, one of the emperors closed the country with an “iron curtain” for a very long time, artificially prohibiting communication with neighbors.
Until the 15th century, it communicated only with China, they took turns capturing each other, and during periods of peace they traded and borrowed traditions. Then we met the Europeans and... fenced ourselves off from them.
Until the 19th century, Japan lived without European culture; it was, in fact, a large village with internal political turmoil. In 1868, the Meiji Restoration began, transforming the country into a modern technological power in just 20 years. Since then, Japan has been part of the civilized world and the global economy.
Section 3. Japanese gestures
Interesting facts about Japan, of course, do not end with the traditions of the house. Let's talk about facial expressions and gestures. This language among the local population is very peculiar and unusual for other people. To avoid misunderstandings when communicating, you should know some of them:
- nodding your head does not at all mean the interlocutor agrees - this is how the Japanese show that they listen carefully and understand;
- the "V" shaped gesture is used when taking photographs;
- the thumb near the nose means “I”, and crossing the arms over the chest means “I’m thinking”;
- index fingers placed on the head in the form of horns indicate dissatisfaction;
- a figure of three fingers is considered an indecent sign; the usual “come here” gesture, but performed with both hands, will also be perceived poorly;
- A fist pressed to the head with an open palm means “stupid” in the Japanese, and waving the palm in front of the face expresses disagreement with something.
Language and writing
An interesting historical fact - initially all the people of the world wrote in “hieroglyphs”, where 1 character meant 1 word or concept. But Europe traded, traveled, and hieroglyphs could not cope; a more universal method was needed.
They came up with letters from which it is convenient to form any words. China and Japan communicated almost exclusively with each other; they did not have an urgent need to create a convenient alphabet. As a result, they still write in hieroglyphs, of which there are more than 3,000.
By the way, the Japanese language originated from Chinese, which they borrowed more than 2 thousand years ago. This is about pronunciation and writing. Here they also write from right to left and from top to bottom.
Relief, climate
The Japanese archipelago is part of the Pacific Volcanic Ring (an area along the borders of the Pacific Ocean with great seismological activity). The main relief is mountains, most of them are volcanic peaks. There are about 200 volcanoes on the islands, of which 67 are considered active. The highest (3776 meters) and famous mountain in Japan is Fuji. It is also a dormant volcano. Earthquakes often occur on the islands, which are accompanied by giant waves - tsunamis.
Mount Fuji on the island of Honshu. Photo: flickr.com/FreeImages
The fairly large extent of the archipelago determines its varied climate - temperate in the north and subtropical in the south. Monsoon winds have a great They change their direction depending on the time of year. In winter they blow from the mainland, in summer - in the opposite direction.
Religion and family
Japan has a special, very respectful attitude towards family, work and gods. First of all, unquestioning worship of elders in the family, and by class. The samurai historically had the right to kill any peasant, even for disrespect, so all survivors are very respectful people.
The Japanese are workaholics. This is a plus: most are happy to work 100 hours a week, making a dizzying career. But there is also a minus: not everyone wants to be a careerist, and the culture around is oppressive. So the suicide rate in Japan is quite high.
Well, about religion. In Japan there is Shintoism and Shinto Buddhism. To put it very roughly, Japan is a multi-religious country that took concepts close to itself from each religion and added them to Shintoism. Shintoism is the worship of nature and nature spirits.
The well-known Tanuki and Kitsune are Japanese nature spirits, usually not very kind to people. Features of Buddhism, very widespread and in its pure form, Christianity, Confucianism and other movements were added.
But Christianity did not particularly go well in Japan: it was because of Christianity that the Shogun isolated Japan for a whole century.
Work culture
The Japanese are workaholics, which is due to their mentality and character. Officially, in all companies, firms and enterprises, the working day begins at 9 am and lasts until 18 pm. But most employees work, on average, 12 hours a day. Employees perform their duties meticulously, clearly, in full accordance with their position and area of employment. This allows the Japanese to move up the career ladder quite quickly and receive a large salary. Promotion depends largely on what time an employee arrives and what time he leaves. If a person needs to quickly get a leadership position, then he must stay in the office for a long time, without going home while he is there as a boss. Despite such workaholism, the phenomenon of “imitation of vigorous activity” has become increasingly widespread in Japanese society in recent years. This is due to overwork and chronic fatigue syndrome from work, lack of days off; workers go on vacation even less often than they rest on Saturday or Sunday. Holidays are usually short, and group holidays that fall on national or public holidays are common.
Geisha and art
Art in Japan is the basis of all culture. Theatre, calligraphy, dance, poetry and art. And the guide to this wonderful world is a geisha - literally “man of art” in Japanese.
The geisha's job was to entertain men. They held a tea ceremony, danced and sang, played musical instruments and could carry on a conversation on any topic. They studied to become a geisha for more than 10 years, and the profession was very prestigious.
But women were not allowed into the theater; until recently, only men played in the theater. Noh theater and kabuki theater gained worldwide fame.
Paper: literature, drawing, calligraphy
Japanese paper is very ancient and very strong. It is so strong that walls of houses, clothes, and then balloons were made from it.
Origami is also made from paper and is sometimes used for its intended purpose. In the land of the rising sun they write poetry, draw engravings, and then they borrowed the art of calligraphy, and it also became part of the culture.
It is interesting to look at Japanese drawings. Initially, the overwhelming number of artists painted natural subjects, then religious ones, and last of all, secular drawings appeared.
Samurai and steel
The first samurai appeared in the 10th century, and the last samurai lost his title only after the Second World War. At first it was just a title for the highest class of warriors, then the Shogun, a samurai, sat at the head of the state, and the samurai became an aristocracy, just below the shogun and only three steps below the gods.
Samurai are magnificent warriors, brought up within the strict framework of honor and contempt for death; they are still the very symbol of honor. Samurai wielded a longbow and one or more swords.
The sword is a separate tale about Japan. There are no minerals there, especially no good steel. Therefore, the Japanese make swords from very poor ore, enriching it with skill and time and making it invincible. Japanese swords are still the best in the world, although they are created practically from earth and stone.
Martial arts
Martial arts are associated with the war that never stopped in Japan, samurai and monks. Samurai learned to fight with a sword and spear, shoot with a bow and not be afraid to be left without weapons.
Since men were more often on the battlefield than at home, samurai wives were a separate fighting unit, whose task was to preserve the castle or estate until their husband arrived. They were masters of the spear and bow.
As in China, there was a flourishing of various martial arts. By the way, this was used more often by monks, who were also often fanatics of their religion. So in medieval Japan it was better not to contradict a monk.
It’s worth mentioning separately about ninjas, who also came to our culture from Japan. These are silent assassins whose task was to quietly kill an unwanted aristocrat.
Geography
Based on this Japan-centric map of the world, it may seem that there is only one climate zone:
In fact, the northern edge of the country is close to our Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and the southern edge is already in a tropical climate with islands like those in the Philippines. But the warm current nearby makes the climate of the northern part of the country quite warm. A natural consequence is that almost throughout the entire country, low-rise residential buildings are built from sticks, plastic and plasterboard so that you can knock on the wall and break through it with your hand. That is, the temperature at home corresponds to the outside temperature.
Why? Because climate plus geological activity. There are several slabs here at once, so the activity is very strong and it shakes constantly. Of the country's six thousand islands, some disappear, some appear. The structures are made with this in mind: in some places they are earthquake-resistant and expensive, but in others, if the house collapses on you, you will dust yourself off and build a new one in two months. Heating, respectively, by air conditioning. There are old gas stoves, but they are magical: after them you need to ventilate them once every couple of hours. The consequence is that in winter people wear outerwear even at home.
Modern houses already have warm floors. Because most of life takes place on the floor - they sleep and sit there. Chairs came into use relatively recently by historical standards. But in a traditional house they sleep, pupating in full: a mattress, then a futon, then a blanket, then a Japanese blanket, then a blanket again, and a feather bed on top.
Houses are light, so someone long ago proposed building them on a cushion of air. A seismic sensor, a battery - and when the movers start from below, the house takes off. It seems like about a hundred houses have already been installed this way.
Architecture
Houses in Japan are recognizable all over the world and can only be confused with buildings in China. Japan is not rich in natural resources, but it is rich in forests, so until the 20th century, all buildings were made of wood.
Japan was famous for its architects, including military ones. Many castles are still impregnable, and even here the oldest wooden buildings still welcome tourists.
The houses were made asymmetrical, and every element of the house meant something. This is the path of a pilgrim in a monastery from north to south or an offering to a deity. Whatever, every protrusion of the building definitely means something. Japan is characterized by curved roofs.
Residential buildings were called minka, the roof was supported by columns and beams, and there was not a single load-bearing wall in the house itself.
Section 2. Traditions at home
Still, Japan is amazing and unique. Interesting things can open up here almost immediately, as they say, at the doorstep.
For example, when receiving an invitation to a Japanese home, you should take into account the following information:
- It is customary to walk indoors without shoes; they are left in front of the entrance to the house. In the toilet rooms there are always special slippers that you can change into.
- When visiting, it is permissible to sit only in the seats offered by the hosts. Traditionally, the Japanese sit on the tatami on their knees with their legs crossed. But now these rules are not so strict. Sitting with your legs crossed or stretched out is considered bad manners. You cannot step on or step over anything in the house.
- When going on a visit, you should take sweets or strong drinks with you. Chopsticks (hashi) are intended for eating only. They should not be waved or pointed at anyone. It is also inappropriate to stick them into food, as it is associated with death.
- At the end of the meal, it is customary to take the remaining food with you.
Cooking
And let's end our story with something delicious. Japan has long been an agricultural and fishing country. This means that the basis of their diet is rice, vegetables and fish. Naturally, no one eats sushi every day. Woki is most often served: a rice dish with meat and vegetables. Grilling and open fire cooking are common.
To quench thirst, they drink green tea, and for fun, beer or rice vodka - sake.
