Culture & Society
Articles and resources on Japanese culture and society
Categories
Japanese cuisine, celebrated for its emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients, has become on of the most popular culinary delights all over the...
Kappa (河童, lit. “river-child”), also known as kawatarō (川太郎, lit. “river-boy”) or kawako (川子, “river-children”), are supernatural amphibious...
Gift giving in Japan involves complex and elaborate rules and is part of a more extensive system of social exchange. Gifts are given each time...
Omiyage (御土産 or お土産) are Japanese souvenir gifts travellers bring from their trips. Almost every destination in Japan has its specialities in...
Over the past several centuries, the institution of marriage in Japan has changed radically. The changes reflect new social realities and...
Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) is a festival for girls held on March 3. Tiered platforms for hina ningyō (雛人形, hina dolls) are set up at home, and families...
Japanese falconry (鷹狩 takagari) is said to have come to Japan from China around the 4th century CE and was practised by emperors, courtiers, and...
A traditional ceremony to dispel demons usually observed on the third of February. The practice of scattering beans (豆撒き mamemaki) to drive away...
This list with the initially 10,000 most common family names was generated by Tadashige Murayama of Kumamoto and published on his website Myojikan...
Hachiman (八幡神 Hachiman-jin or Yahata no kami) is a popular Shintō deity who protects warriors and generally looks after the well-being of the...
Kōban (交番), translated as “police box”, are the ubiquitous urban police stations in Japan usually located next to train stations, shopping...
Statistically, Japan is a country of Buddhists. More than six-sevenths of the population profess the Buddhist faith, though three-quarters claim...
Many Buddhist sects in Japan possess their distinctive rites. The rites can be divided into two main categories: those which religious...
Several characteristics of Buddhism that are distinctly Japanese can be observed. First, Japanese Buddhism tends to emphasise the importance of...
Noh (能 nō) or nōgaku (能楽) is an abridgment of sarugaku no nō, an aristocratic form of sung and danced performance developed from kagura (神楽...
Poet and Buddhist agro-revolutionary
A devout Buddhist, Miyazawa Kenji (宮沢賢治, 1896-1933) spent much of his life labouring to improve the material...
The tragic fate of the Japanese albatross
The controversial Senkaku Islands, under Japan’s de facto control and with both China and Taiwan also...
The major Japanese schools of Buddhism are the
Tendai School
Shingon School
Pure Land Buddhism
Nichiren
Zen
The Tendai School
The Tendai...