Japanese culture
Understanding the Japanese Culture better
Sunday, November 9th, 2008 | Cultures of Sydney, Japan, Life | No Comments
I’ll write on the following customs/habits, in this entry I’ll mention the first 5.
- Asking about your blood type
- Wearing Yukata
- O-bon
- Cleanliness
- Why Japanese things are very compact
- Kaizen - continuous improvement
- Mochi
- Behaviour in Public
1) Blood type - Some people may feel a bit strange when they first meet a Japanese person by some of the questions that may be asked. One question may be “What is your blood type”. Firstly, don’t think this is strange, as for Japanese it may be just the same as others asking what you star sign is.
Japanese TV and newspapers/magazines etc, provide daily readings as to what things will be like for that particular blood type, 0, A, B, AB etc. it would be quite interesting esp, if you are interested in star signs.
2) Yukata - The Yukata is a kind of Kimono, in recent times the yukata is becoming more popular than in the past, the most likely reason being that Kimono’s are labourious to put on. The Yukata used to only be worn as night wear, however these days people tend to wear them outdoors mainly during Summer festivals, as can be seen in the photo below.
3) Obon - Obon is one of the largest family gatherings of the year. It’s when people respect their ancestors, and visit their grave sites, to pay respect and clean the area. Obon is also like a Japanese version of Halloween, as it’s when spirits of the dead are meant to come back and roam the earth.
There are a number of traditional events, such as lighting a candle and floating it down a river on a boat to symbolise the souls returning back home. There is also an organised dance called Bon Odori, which many towns partake in. At the end of Obon, there are 5 large fires lit around Kyoto, “Gozan no okuribi” which represent 5 spirits that can be seen in heaven and on earth. O’bon is a Buddhist festival with roots supposedly from India.
4) Cleanliness - In general Japanese people are very clean. Like every country there are differences between families.. however the really clean here… go over the top. One friend stayed with a family in Shikoku, who were extra clean.. They wash their wooden floor every morning, and before you enter their house, you need to take off your shoes, your feet will be washed! then you wear slippers indoors. Luckily that’s only in extreme cases. However you do need to take your shoes off at the “Genkan” before entering almost all Japanese houses, then it depends on the custom of the house, they either have slippers or you can just wear socks around. Most Japanese slippers are a bit small for my size 11 (~30cm) foot. So socks are fine for me 
5) Compactness - Japanese have an art for fitting things in. If you look around Japanese houses, you may sometimes be amazed with how well things are stored, with very few spaces left unused. In apartments, you will often see garages with a rotating lift so you can store 6 or more cars, with an entrance for just 2. You’ll see many bicycles that can be folded in half 
and the average width of cars is less than in most western countries.
-Lindsay (currently in Osaka)
www.sydney-friends.com
Here is a link to my Japan Buying Service:
Rinkai - Japan Shopping Service
Introduction to Japanese culture in Sydney
Sunday, August 24th, 2008 | Cultures of Sydney | No Comments
Like many unique cultures, the Japanese culture can be brought with Japanese people wherever they roam. There are many unique and beautiful aspects to the Japanese culture. I am not an expert however I have studied Japanese for over 7 years, and have lived there for almost 3 years.
When I say culture, I mean that which gives others the impression that they are from their country. Japanese culture can be seen in the way people interact with each other, delicious Japanese food, unique clothing, literature, movies, arts, music and in many other areas.
Sydney is very fortunate to have many fine Japanese restaurants including Tetsuya, however that is more of a once in a lifetime dining event for the average person. There are many more affordable and delicious Japanese restaurants around and even a few nice Izakaya’s eg. Fujiya.
In my opinion, I think Australian women could learn a lot from the way Japanese women act. They are generally much more well spoken, polite, and sweet toned than the average Auzzie gal, and I’m sure many agree with me.
Japanese people have great work ethics, and people of Japan are overall very trustworthy people.
In this blog I hope to share some further research into the Japanese culture and will include updates to my Japanese lessons. The first can be found on the language page of SydneyFriends.
Yonde kurete arigatou.- Thank you for reading.
burogu wo yomu no ga tanoshinde kudasai- Enjoy reading blogs.
Lindsay Woolcott
www.sydney-friends.com