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For example, as Ruth Benedict pointed out in her classic study ''The Chrysanthemum and the Sword,'' Japan has a Shame culture (external reference standard) rather than the Guilt culture (internal reference standard) that is more familiar in the West. In Japan, inter-relationships between people are heavily influenced by concepts of "honor," "obligation," and "duty" in a way that is no longer true in the more individualistic and free-wheeling West. Finally, generalized conceptions of Morality and desirable behavior are relatively underdeveloped in Japan, where particular obligations to family, school, and friends tend to guide behavior. The Japanese Language has always played a significant role in Japanese culture. '' Nemawashi '', for example, indicates consensus achieved through careful preparation. It reflects the harmony that is desired and respected within Japanese culture. Although the Japanese are better known for their physical comedy outside of Japan, they have intricate humor and jokes. Because this humor relies so heavily on Japanese language, culture, religion, and ethics, it is generally considered to be very difficult to translate. ]] CLOTHING See Also: Japanese clothing Kimonos (Japanese: 着物 literally "something one wears") are the traditional garments of Japan. Originally, the word "kimono" was used for all types of clothing, but eventually, it came to refer specifically to the full-length garment also known as "naga-gi" (長着, literally "long-wear"), that is still worn today on special occasions by women, men, and children. CREATIVE ARTS Literature Illustration of ch.20 -- 朝顔 Asagao ("The Bluebell"). Credited to Tosa Mitsuoki ( 1617 - 1691 ).]] See Also: Japanese literature Books, Manga , magazines, and newspapers are also a part of the Japanese culture. Even though TV, the Internet , and other forms of entertainment have led to a general decline in time spent reading, bookstores are everywhere and public libraries offer a huge selection of books. Local municipalities offer reading sessions of famous works such as ' Genji Monogatari ' ("The Tale of Genji") as well as poem classes. There are also many second-hand shops dedicated exclusively to selling used books, magazines, and music software cheaply. The Kanda district in downtown Tokyo has been famous for selling second-hand books for more than 80 years. Music See Also: Music of Japan Popular Japanese singers include Ayumi Hamasaki , Utada Hikaru , Kumi Koda , Namie Amuro , Gackt , Eikichi Yazawa and Kyosuke Himuro . Styles popular in Japan today are commonly referred to as J-Pop and J-Rock , more specifically, Visual Kei . However, there are many distinct styles and innovative artists experimenting with varied genre such as folk and classical music; others play unique forms of rock, electronic music, hip hop, punk rock, grindcore, or country music. Examples include famous punk rockers Boredoms led by Eye Yamitaka , garage rockers Guitar Wolf , noise pioneers Masonna and Merzbow , native Japanese Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda's duo Cibo Matto , mainstays such as Loudness , Yellow Magic Orchestra , The Alfee and Hound Dog . FOOD See Also: Japanese cuisine Through a long culinary past, the Japanese have developed a sophisticated and refined cuisine highly sensitive to the change of seasons. Modern Japanese enjoy a variety of traditional Japanese food, including many seafood dishes ( Sushi and Sashimi for instance), as well as a multitude of foreign dishes. One can easily find Chinese, Korean, and Thai dishes as well as non-regional American, French, and Italian foods. Japanese cuisine is a product of its environment and people. The ease of acquiring fresh ingredients led to Sushi , high temperature and humidity led to varieties of pickled and fermented food like Natto and Soy Sauce , and an adaptation of foreign cuisines led to Ramen . LANGUAGE See Also: Japanese language Understanding the Japanese language is essential to understanding Japanese culture. Both traditional Japanese culture as well as the modern popular culture is based on spoken and written Japanese language. Fushimi-Inari Paveway to the Shrine]] Japanese is known to be related to the nearby Ryukyuan Languages , forming the Japonic Language Family . An earlier theory that it is a Language Isolate related to no surviving tongues is generally deprecated by scholars. However, beyond that, its classification remains controversial. The most widespread theory is that the Japonic languages are not related to any other language family; however, other theories have tied it to extinct languages from Manchuria and the Korean peninsula, to a Ural-Altaic super family (along with Korean and the Uralic Languages such as Finnish , Hungarian , and Samoyedic ), or to the Austronesian Languages of the South Pacific. Although it is not thought to share a common linguistic ancestor in Chinese, it has borrowed a great deal of vocabulary from that language. The Japanese writing system itself was developed from transmittance of Chinese classical writing from Korea in 400 CE. The habit of modifying Chinese symbols to better fit in with Japanese symbols, has resulted in what the Japanese call '' Wasei Kanji '', and continues today as they modify English (or words from European languages in general) words, which they refer to as '' Wasei Eigo ''. The , which are Logogram s adopted from Chinese writing; the two Kana Syllabaries , Hiragana and Katakana , which developed from kanji; and the Latin Alphabet , called Romaji when used to write Japanese, is also common. MEDIA See Also: Japanese Television and Radio In Japan, about 100 million Television sets are in use, and television is the main form of home entertainment and information for most of the population. The Japanese have a wide variety of programs to choose from, including the various dramas ( Police , Crime , home, and Jidaigeki — " Samurai " dramas), Anime , News , Game , Quiz , and sports shows provided by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (Nippon Hoso Kyokai--NHK) general station, the NHK Educational Station , and numerous commercial and independent stations. The violence of samurai and police dramas, and the satirical humor of the cartoons as well as many depictions of sexuality have drawn criticism from mothers and commentators. POPULAR CULTURE written by Toriyama Akira ]] Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Popular Film s, Television Program s, Comic s, and Music all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation can be traced to traditional art forms. Contemporary forms of popular culture, much like the traditional forms, provide not only entertainment but also an escape for the contemporary Japanese from the problems of an industrial world. When asked how they spent their leisure time, 80 percent of a sample of men and women surveyed by the government in 1986 said they averaged about two and one-half hours per weekday watching Television , listening to the Radio , and reading Newspapers or Magazine s. Some 16 percent spent an average of two and one-quarter hours a day engaged in hobbies or amusements. Others spent leisure time participating in sports, socializing, and personal study. Teenager s and Retired People reported more time spent on all of these activities than did other groups. In the late 1980s , the family was the focus of leisure activities, such as excursions to parks or shopping districts. Although Japan is often thought of as a hard-working society with little time for pleasure, the Japanese seek entertainment wherever they can. It is common to see Japanese commuters riding the Train to work, enjoying their favorite Manga or listening through earphones to the latest in Popular Music on portable music players. A wide variety of types of popular entertainment are available. There is a large selection of music, films, and the products of a huge comic book industry, among other forms of entertainment, from which to choose. Game centers, bowling alleys, and Karaoke are popular hangout places for teens while older people may play Shogi or Go in specialized parlors. Kawaii See Also: Kawaii Kawaii (可愛い) is a Japanese term which means " Cute ". Cuteness seems to be a highly valued aesthetic quality in Japanese society and particularly Japanese pop culture, and overpowering cuteness seems to carry less of the stigma of infantilization as it does in many other cultures. Kawaii is pronounced // (not to be confused with "kowai", // the Japanese term for "scary"). "Kawaii" can be used to describe animals and people, including fully grown adults; while attractive women are usually described as "kawaii," young men are more likely to be described as ''kakkō-ii'', meaning "good looking". "Kawaii" is also used to describe some men who are considered to have "cute" personalities. Geinōkai The Geinōkai (芸能界) is the world of Japanese entertainment, encompassing everything from Movies and Television (including Talk Shows , Music Shows , Variety Shows , etc.) to Radio and now the Internet . Geinojin (芸能人) is a term, often used interchangeably with Tarento , which refers to members of the Geinōkai. Tarento is an adaptation of the English word 'talent' and refers to a rather large group of people who appear on television from night to night, but cannot be quite classified as actors, singers, or models (and are thus given the more vague appellation of "talent" instead). Tarento usually appear on variety shows and talk shows and may later move into acting or singing if they are successful and become popular. Many non-Japanese tarento have also appeared on Japanese programs. Notable non-Japanese tarento are Dave Spector ( United States ), Thane Camus (United States), Bobby Ologun ( Nigeria ), Adogony Baudouin Euloge ( Benin ), Osuman Youla Sankhon ( Guinea ), Kent Gilbert (United States), Kent Derricott (United States) and Peter Barakan ( United Kingdom ) etc. SPORTS See Also: Japanese sports Popular professional sports in Japan can be categorized into either traditional sports like Sumo Wrestling or imported sports like Baseball and Football (soccer) . In addition, many amateur sports are popular in Japan, such as Tennis , Volleyball , Basketball , Golf and Rugby . Popular amateur sports native to Japan include martial arts like Kendo and Judo . Professional Wrestling is also very popular in Japan. SEE ALSO
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