Cultures of the World: Japan

For my book of Nonfiction/informational book, I chose a book about Japan. Since, I was younger Asian cultures have always fascinated me, so I decided to learn more about a very unique and different culture, Japan. As you all may know, Japanese culture is very different from other Asian cultures. Japan runs on a democratic government with a titular monarch, the Emperor. Every emperor, or ruler, of Japan is a descendant of the previous. Japan imperial family descends from an unbroken lineage of nearly two thousand years, longer than any royal family in history. Japan has one of the highest economies in the world, higher than the U.S. The average Japanese family consists of a constantly working father, a stay at home mother, and kids that go to school to get a good education for a future of success. Japanese people are very disciplined and are focused on acting as one, and fitting in. Like many other Asian cultures, Japanese people are very respectful to their elders and peers. Unlike in America, depending on your social status, might I say, or age, you have to use specific adjectives for specific people. Here's one that I'm sure most people know, the sempai-kohai relationship, or the senior-junior relationship. Japanese are extremely observant people. Body language is a very important key in communicating. Like I said previously, Japanese are very disciplined people, meaning they also must be good mannered. Examples of this are bowing when you greet people out of respect and manners. Some manners are as simple as wrapping a gift a specific way for someone. Speaking directly or straight-forward to someone is considered rude in Japan. Japanese people mainly have two religions: Shinto and Buddhism. There are other religions in Japan though, such as Christianity. The Japanese culture is also very involved in art and literature, such as poetry, theatre, music, and more. Japanese people definitely have plenty of interesting characteristics and views on life. If you like to learn about different and unique cultures, I recommend you to definitely read about the Japanese culture. Some things that you will learn may surprise you. Some things definitely surprised me. Did you know that Japan has special festivals to celebrate ones gender basically? Hinamatsuri, or "girls' day" and Boys' day, which is now referred to as just "Children's day." I hope you can learn some about a culture that fascinates you, like I have.