culture of Japan

{{Main|History of Japan|Genetic and anthropometric studies on Japanese people}}

There are two competing hypotheses that try to explain the lineage of the Japanese people.{{cite journal |display-authors=6 |vauthors=Cooke NP, Mattiangeli V, Cassidy LM, Okazaki K, Stokes CA, Onbe S, Hatakeyama S, Machida K, Kasai K, Tomioka N, Matsumoto A, Ito M, Kojima Y, Bradley DG, Gakuhari T, Nakagome S |date=September 2021 |title=Ancient genomics reveals tripartite origins of Japanese populations |journal=Science Advances |volume=7 |issue=38 |pages=eabh2419 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.abh2419 |pmc=8448447 |pmid=34533991 |bibcode=2021SciA....7.2419C |doi-access=free}}{{cite web|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP9K55ZJP9JULBJ00Z.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311152406/https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP9K55ZJP9JULBJ00Z.html|script-title=ja:日本人の「完成」は古墳時代だった？ DNAを分析、ルーツに新説|language=ja|publisher= The Asahi Shimbun|date=18 September 2021|archive-date=11 March 2022}}

The first hypothesis proposes a dual-structure model, in which Japanese populations are descendants of the indigenous Jōmon people and later arrivals of people from the East Eurasian continent, known as the Yayoi people. Japan's indigenous culture originates primarily from the Yayoi people who settled in Japan between 1000 BCE and 300 CE. Yayoi culture spread to the main island of Honshu, mixing with the native Jōmon culture.{{cite web|url=http://ejournal.anu.edu.au/index.php/bippa/article/viewFile/255/245|title=Eastern Japanese Pottery During the Jomon-Yayoi Transition: A Study in Forager-Farmer Interaction |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923052256/http://ejournal.anu.edu.au/index.php/bippa/article/viewFile/255/245 |archive-date=2009-09-23 |url-status=dead |author=Seiji Kobayashi |publisher=Kokugakuin Tochigi Junior College}} Modern Japanese have an estimated 80% Yayoi and 20% Jōmon ancestry.{{cite journal|title=A partial nuclear genome of the Jomons who lived 3000 years ago in Fukushima, Japan |journal = Journal of Human Genetics|volume = 62|issue = 2|pages = 213–221|date=2016-06-01|pmc = 5285490|last1 = Kanzawa-Kiriyama|first1 = H.|last2 = Kryukov|first2 = K.|last3 = Jinam|first3 = T. A.|last4 = Hosomichi|first4 = K.|last5 = Saso|first5 = A.|last6 = Suwa|first6 = G.|last7 = Ueda|first7 = S.|last8 = Yoneda|first8 = M.|last9 = Tajima|first9 = A.|last10 = Shinoda|first10 = K. I.|last11 = Inoue|first11 = I.|last12 = Saitou|first12 = N.|pmid = 27581845|doi = 10.1038/jhg.2016.110}}

The second hypothesis proposes a tripartite model of genomic origin. This hypothesis proposes that contemporary Japanese people are from three distinct ancestral groups: Jōmon, Yayoi and Kofun, with 13%, 16% and 71% of genetic ancestry, respectively. During the Kofun period, it is said that migrant groups from China came to Japan and settled on the island, bringing with them various cultural advances and centralized leadership. The migrants who came to Japan during the Kofun period appear to have had ancestry that mainly resembles the ancestry of the Han Chinese population of China.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/study-rewrites-understanding-modern-japans-genetic-ancestry-2021-09-17/|title=Study rewrites understanding of modern Japan's genetic ancestry|first=Will|last=Dunham|date=17 September 2021|work=Reuters}}{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=Harry |date=20 September 2021 |title=Ancient bones reveal previously unknown Japanese ancestors |url=https://www.livescience.com/ancient-bones-reveal-japanese-ancestery.html|website=Live Science}} The Jomon people were hunter-gathers; the Yayoi people introduced rice cultivation; and the Kofun migrants introduced imperial state formation.

Japanese culture was influenced from ancient times to the Middle Ages primarily by multiple Chinese dynasties, with substantial derivation from the Tang dynasty,{{cite web | url=https://www.brookings.edu/on-the-record/chinas-role-in-east-asia-now-and-the-future/#:~:text=Japan%27s%20culture%20is%20substantially%20derived,by%20China%27s%20art%20and%20religion. | title=China's Role in East Asia: Now and the Future | date=30 November 2001 }} and to a lesser extent by other Asian countries. For example, one of the scripts for writing in the Japanese language is Chinese characters (kanji), but Japanese has no genetic relationship with Chinese.{{cite book |last=Deal |first=William E. |title=Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-8160-7485-3 |page=242 |quote=Japanese}} Since the Meiji era, Japan has been primarily influenced by Western countries.

The inhabitants of Japan experienced a long period of relative isolation from the outside world for over 220 years during the Tokugawa shogunate until the arrival of the "Black Ships" and the Meiji era.

Today, the culture of Japan stands as one of the most influential cultures around the world, mainly because of the global reach of its popular culture.{{cite magazine|title=How Japan became a pop culture superpower |magazine=The Spectator|date=31 January 2015|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-japan-became-a-pop-culture-superpower/}}{{cite web|last1=Tamaki|first1=Taku|title=Japan has turned its culture into a powerful political tool|website=The Conversation|date=26 April 2017 |url=http://theconversation.com/japan-has-turned-its-culture-into-a-powerful-political-tool-72821|language=en}}{{Cite news|title='Pure Invention': How Japan's pop culture became the 'lingua franca' of the internet|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2020/07/18/books/pure-invention-jpop-culture/|work=The Japan Times|date=2020-07-18}}{{Cite news|title=How Japan's global image morphed from military empire to eccentric pop-culture superpower|url=https://qz.com/1806376/japans-image-has-changed-from-fierce-to-lovable-over-the-decades/|publisher=Quartz|date=2020-05-27}} In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked Japan's cultural influence as the highest in Asia and 4th worldwide.{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/influence-rankings|title=Influence Rankings|publisher=USnews |date=2021 |access-date=2021-05-24}}

{{Main|Japanese language|Japanese dialects}}

Japanese is the national and primary language of Japan. The language is a lexically distinct pitch-accent system. Early Japanese is known primarily by its state in the 8th century when the three major works of Old Japanese were compiled. The earliest attestation of the Japanese language was found in a Chinese document from 256 CE. However, the Japanese language has no genetic relationship with Chinese, nor any clear affiliation with any other language. While there are a number of theories about the origins of Japanese, the strongest arguments for affiliation are with Korean on the basis of similar syntax. More controversially, it has also been paired with Altaic languages due to a similar number of systems and verb forms. While Japanese is the only official language of Japan, other languages such as Ainu{{Cite journal |last=Shiraishi |first=Hidetoshi |date=January 2022 |title=Ainu: An urban-rural indigenous language of the north |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/38834/chapter/337725778 |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=Oxford Academic |doi=10.1093/oso/9780198856610.003.0007}} and Ryukyuan{{Citation |last=Pellard |first=Thomas |title=Handbook of the Ryukyuan Languages |chapter=1. The Linguistic archeology of the Ryukyu Islands |date=2015-02-17 |chapter-url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781614511151.13/html |pages=13–38 |access-date=2023-10-25 |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |language=en |doi=10.1515/9781614511151.13 |isbn=978-1-61451-115-1|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01289257/file/Pellard_2015_The_linguistic_archeology_of_the_Ryukyu_Islands.pdf }} are spoken on the Japanese islands.

Written Japanese uses a combination of three scripts: Chinese characters pronounced as "kanji" {{nihongo||漢字}} in Japanese, hiragana, and katakana. Japan had no writing system prior to adopting kanji from China in 751 CE,{{Cite book |last=Yamagiwa |first=J. K. |title="Literature and Japanese Culture" in Twelve Doors to Japan |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=1965 |isbn=9780070256101 |edition= |location=New York |pages=233 |language=English}} and like Chinese, kanji are used extensively in Japanese as logograms.{{Citation |last1=Chandler |first1=Daniel |title=writing systems |date=2011-01-01 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199568758.001.0001/acref-9780199568758-e-3033 |work=A Dictionary of Media and Communication |access-date=2023-11-29 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/acref/9780199568758.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-956875-8 |last2=Munday |first2=Rod}} Presently, there is a notable number{{clarify|date=October 2020}} of kanji in modern Japanese with a different meaning from the corresponding {{transliteration|zh|hanzi}} character used in modern Chinese. Modern Japanese also features far fewer simplified Chinese characters in comparison to modern Chinese as Japanese typically uses fewer kanji, mainly for nouns, adjective stems, and verb stems.{{Cite journal |last=Takayama |first=K. Peter |date=1995 |title=Adaptation and Resistance to Chinese Literary Hegemony: Korea and Japan |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20007203 |journal=International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=468 |doi=10.1007/BF02142896 |jstor=20007203 |issn=0891-4486}} Both hiragana and katakana are phonetic syllabaries derived from the Chinese {{transliteration|ja|man'yōgana}} of the 5th century.Yookoso! An Invitation to Contemporary Japanese 1st edition McGraw-Hill, page 13 "Linguistic Note: The Origins of Hiragana and Katakana" Hiragana and katakana were developed from simplified kanji; hiragana emerged somewhere around the 9th century{{Cite web |last=Burlock |first=Ben |date=2017 |title=How did katakana and hiragana originate? |url=http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/originofkana.html |access-date=26 July 2017 |website=sci.lang.japan}} and were mainly used by women for informal language while katakana was mainly used by men in formal language. By the 10th century, both systems were used commonly by everyone.{{Cite web |last=Ager |first=Simon |date=2017 |title=Japanese Hiragana |url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/japanese_hiragana.htm |access-date=26 July 2017 |website=Omniglot}}

Japanese vocabulary consists of 49% words of Chinese origin, 33% words of Japanese origin, and 18% loanwords from other languages, including European languages, words of mixed origin, and the made-in-Japan pseudo-English known as wasei-eigo.{{Cite web |date=24 May 2016 |title=Are Loanwords a Threat to the Japanese Language? |url=https://www.nippon.com/en/column/g00195/ |website=nippon.com}} The Latin alphabet is often used in modern Japanese, especially for company names, logos, advertising, and when inputting Japanese into a computer. The Hindu–Arabic numerals are often used for numbers and can be read in either Japanese or English, but traditional Sino–Japanese numerals are also common.{{Cite journal |last=Schourup |first=Lawrence |date=2000 |title=Japanese Number Mnemonics |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/489551 |journal=The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=132 |doi=10.2307/489551 |jstor=489551 |issn=0885-9884}} The influence of Japanese culture in the Western world over the past few centuries has led to many of its terms, such as origami, tsunami, karaoke, and pop cultural terms like shonen and shōjo being incorporated into the English language. Words like these have also been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.{{cite web |date=4 August 2021 |title=From anime to zen: Japanese words in the OED |url=https://public.oed.com/blog/japanese-words-in-the-oed/ |website=Oxford English Dictionary}}{{cite web |date=16 August 2012 |title=New Words September 2011 |url=https://public.oed.com/blog/september-2011-update-new-words-notes/ |website=Oxford English Dictionary}}

File:Japan-1454396 640.jpg, Kyoto]]

File:Kamakura_Budda_Daibutsu_front_1885.jpg ]]

File:Jesus Statue Yokohama Japan.jpg]]

{{Main|Religion in Japan}}

Shinto and Buddhism are the primary religions of Japan. According to the annual statistical research on religion in 2018 by the Government of Japan's Agency for Culture Affairs, 66.7 percent of the population practices Buddhism, 25.6 percent practices Shintoism, 7.7 percent other religions. According to the annual statistical research on religion in 2018 by the Government of Japan's Agency for Culture Affairs, about two million or around 1.5% of Japan's population are Christians.{{cite book|title=宗教年鑑 令和元年版|trans-title=Religious Yearbook 2019|url=https://www.bunka.go.jp/tokei_hakusho_shuppan/hakusho_nenjihokokusho/shukyo_nenkan/pdf/r01nenkan.pdf#page=49|page=35|year=2019|language=ja|publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan}} Other religions include Islam (70,000) and Judaism (2,000), which are largely immigrant communities with some ethnic Japanese practitioners.{{cite news|url=http://japanfocus.org/-Kawakami-Yasunori/2436/article.html|title=Local Mosques and the Lives of Muslims in Japan|last=Yasunori|first=Kawakami|author2=JapanFocus.org|date=30 May 2007|publisher=JapanFocus.org|access-date=27 December 2008|archive-date=14 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114234815/http://japanfocus.org/-Kawakami-Yasunori/2436/article.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite book | last=Takigawa | first=Yoshito | author2=滝川義人 | title=Zukai Yudaya shakai no shikumi : gendai Yudayajin no hontō no sugata ga koko ni aru | publisher=Chūkei Shuppan | publication-place=Tōkyō | date=2001 | isbn=4-8061-1442-1 | oclc=85376993 | language=ja}}

{{Main|Shinto}}

Shinto is an ethnic religion focusing on ceremonies and rituals. In Shinto, followers believe that {{transliteration|ja|kami}} – Shinto deities or spirits – are present throughout nature, including rocks, trees, and mountains. Humans can also be considered to possess a {{transliteration|ja|kami}}. One of the goals of Shinto is to maintain or strengthen the connection between humans, nature, and {{transliteration|ja|kami}}. The religion developed in Japan prior to the 6th century CE, after which point followers built shrines to worship {{transliteration|ja|kami}}.{{Cite web|url=https://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/docs/japanese_religions|title=Japanese Religions|last=Watt|first=Paul|date=October 2003|website=FSI {{!}} SPICE|language=en|access-date=2017-09-28}}

{{Main|Buddhism in Japan}}

Buddhism developed in India around the 6th and 4th centuries BCE and eventually spread through the Sinosphere and South East Asia. It arrived in Japan during the 6th century CE, where it was initially unpopular. Most Japanese people were unable to understand the difficult philosophical messages present in Buddhism; however, an appreciation for the religion's art is believed to have led to Buddhism later growing in popularity.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

Buddhism is concerned with the cycle of rebirth and karma. In Buddhism, a person's status in society is considered unimportant, instead their good or bad deeds are valued, as every person eventually becomes ill, ages, dies, and is eventually reincarnated into a new life, a cycle known as {{transliteration|sa|saṃsāra}}; the suffering people experience during life is considered to be one way for people to ensure a better future, with the ultimate goal of Buddhism being to escape the cycle of death and rebirth by attaining true insight.

{{Main|Christianity in Japan}}

Christianity was introduced in the 16th century.{{cite web | title=Centuries-old Christian painting found in Japan- News – NHK WORLD – English | website=NHK WORLD | date=19 November 2018 | url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181119_08/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119095103/https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181119_08/ | archive-date=19 November 2018 | url-status=dead | access-date=27 March 2023}}{{cite AV media |date=29 November 2021 |title=The hidden religion banned in Japan for 200 years – BBC REEL |type=Video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td0Mw5hccs8 |access-date=27 March 2023 |location=UK |publisher=British Broadcasting Company}} When the religion was banned during the 17th century, a group of hidden Christians blended Christian theology with Shinto and Buddhist practices.{{cite web | title=Japanese religious sect | website=Encyclopædia Britannica | date=20 July 1998 | url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kakure-Kirishitan | access-date=27 March 2023}} Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region have become World Heritage Sites, and the unique style of Christian art is now recognized.

Despite being a minority religion in Japan, Christian chapel marriage ceremonies are a popular wedding style in Japan.{{cite journal | last=Fisch | first=Michael | title=The Rise of the Chapel Wedding in Japan: Simulation and Performance | journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies | publisher=Nanzan University | volume=28 | issue=1/2 | year=2001 | issn=0304-1042 | jstor=30233676 | pages=57–76 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/30233676 | access-date=27 March 2023}}

{{Main|Islam in Japan}}

A minority of Japanese are Muslims. Cultural differences and a predominantly non-Muslim society present unique challenges for Japan's Muslim community, mostly immigrants from Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iran.

Muslims are scattered in Japan. Mosques and halal food are scarce due to their dispersion. Family-linked long-term residents are assimilating into Japanese society despite language and cultural barriers. Analysts say the small Muslim community and cultural differences between Islam and Japan reduce future conflicts. Syncretic Sufi Islam may increase Japan's Muslim population.{{Cite journal |last1=A. Nakhleh |first1=Emile |last2=Sakurai |first2=Keiko |last3=Penn |first3=Michael |date=5 January 2008 |title=Islam in Japan: A Cause for Concern? |url=http://asiapolicy.nbr.org |journal=Asia Policy |pages=44 |via=muslim population}}

{{Main|Nihonjinron}}

The Japanese "national character" has been written about under the term {{transliteration|ja|Nihonjinron}}, literally meaning 'theories/discussions about the Japanese people' and referring to texts on matters that are normally the concerns of sociology, psychology, history, linguistics, and philosophy, but emphasizing the authors' assumptions or perceptions of Japanese exceptionalism; these are predominantly written in Japan by Japanese people,Peter N. Dale, The Myth of Japanese Uniqueness (London: Routledge, 1990; {{ISBN|0-415-05534-2}}), passim. though examples have also been written by foreign residents, journalists and even scholars.

{{Clear}}

File:Kokin Wakashu Genei.jpg}}, an early anthology of the {{transliteration|ja|waka}} form of Japanese poetry, National Treasure; early twelfth century; at the Tokyo National Museum]]

{{Main|Japanese literature}}

Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Eventually, Japanese literature developed into a separate style in its own right as Japanese writers began writing their own works about Japan. The Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu during the Heian period, is known worldwide as a unique Japanese literature. Since Japan reopened its ports to Western trading and diplomacy in the 19th century, Western and Eastern literature have strongly affected each other and continue to do so.

File:Tigres et dragons par Kanō Sanraku.jpg}} with a leopard, tiger and dragon by Kanō Sanraku]]

File:Kunimasa - taikan, The actor Ichikawa Ebizo in a shibaraku role, 1796.jpg based on kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjūrō V, by Utagawa Kunimasa]]

{{Main|Japanese art}}

Japanese calligraphy, rendered using flowing, brush-drawn strokes, is considered to be a traditional art form, as well as a means of conveying written information. Typical calligraphic works can consist of phrases, poems, stories, or even characters represented by themselves; the style and format of the calligraphy can mimic the subject matter through aspects such as the texture of the writing and the speed of the brush strokes. Several different styles of Japanese calligraphy exist, with considerable effort put into the outcome; in some cases, it can take over one hundred attempts to produce the desired result of a single character. This form of calligraphy is known as {{nihongo||書道|shodō}}, literally meaning 'the way of writing or calligraphy', or more commonly, {{nihongo||習字|shūji}}, 'learning how to write characters'. Commonly confused with calligraphy is the art form of {{nihongo||墨絵|sumi-e}}, literally meaning 'ink painting', which is the art of painting a scene or object using diluted black ink.

Painting has been an art in Japan for a very long time: the brush is a traditional writing and painting tool, and the extension of that to its use as an artist's tool was probably natural. Japanese painters are often categorized by what they painted, as most of them constrained themselves solely to subjects such as animals, landscapes, or figures. Chinese papermaking was introduced to Japan around the 7th century. Later, {{transliteration|ja|washi}} was developed from it. Native Japanese painting techniques are still in use today, as well as techniques adopted from continental Asia and from the West. Schools of painting such as the Kano school of the 16th century became known for their bold brush strokes and contrast between light and dark, especially after Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu began to use this style. Famous Japanese painters include Kanō Sanraku, Maruyama Ōkyo, and Tani Bunchō.{{Cite book|title = On the Laws of Japanese Painting|last = Bowie|first = Henry P.|publisher = Dover Publications, Inc.|year = 1952|pages = 4, 16–19}}

Ukiyo-e, literally means 'pictures of the floating world', is a genre of woodblock prints that exemplifies the characteristics of pre-Meiji Japanese art. Because these prints could be mass-produced, they were available to a wide cross-section of the Japanese populace – those not wealthy enough to afford original paintings – during their heyday, from the 17th to 20th century.

Japanese lacquerware and ceramics have historically gained international fame, and lacquerware has been actively exported since the Muromachi period and ceramics since the Edo period. Japanese crafts became known in Europe after Nanban trade.{{Cite web|title=Namban & Enconchado: Japan and Mexico Meet|url=https://japan-and-mexico-meet.tumblr.com/?og=1|access-date=2021-01-19|website=japan-and-mexico-meet.tumblr.com|language=en|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416014842/https://japan-and-mexico-meet.tumblr.com/?og=1|url-status=dead}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20191225065626/http://en.urushi-joboji.com:80/urushi Urushi once attracted the world] urushi-joboji.com

{{transliteration|ja|Ikebana}} is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It has gained widespread international fame for its focus on harmony, color use, rhythm, and elegantly simple design. It is an art centered greatly on expressing the seasons and is meant to act as a symbol to something greater than the flower itself.

{{main|Japanese clothing}}

{{see also|List of items traditionally worn in Japan}}

File:Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako in formal wedding robes.jpg, then Crown Prince, wearing a {{transliteration|ja|sokutai}} and Empress Masako, then-Crown Princess, wearing a {{transliteration|ja|jūnihitoe}}. Costumes of these styles have been worn by the Imperial family since the Heian period, when a unique Japanese style developed.]]

File:Stylish person at Fukuoka City Hall.jpg at Fukuoka City Hall]]

The kimono is the national garment of Japan, having developed from Chinese court clothing in the Nara period following the exchange of diplomatic envoys between the two countries at that time. The word kimono translates literally as 'thing to wear on the shoulders'; however, this term developed some time around the Edo period, before which most kimono-like garments were referred to as the {{transliteration|ja|kosode}} ({{gloss|short sleeve}}), with longer-sleeved garments being known as {{transliteration|ja|furisode}} ({{gloss|swinging sleeve}}).

The earliest versions of the kimono were heavily influenced by traditional Chinese clothing, known today as {{transliteration|zh|hanfu}} ({{nihongo||漢服|kanfuku}} in Japanese). This influence was spread through Japanese envoy missions to China, resulting in extensive Chinese cultural adoption by Japan as early as the 5th century CE.Dalby, Liza (2001). Kimono: Fashioning Culture. Seattle: University of Washington Press. {{ISBN|9780295981550}}. OCLC 46793052. It was during the 8th century, however, that Chinese fashions came fully into style, and following the cancellation of the 20th mission to Tang dynasty China, these fashions developed independently, with the overlapping, V-shaped collar becoming women's fashion and the precursor to the modern kimono.

Kimono, alongside all other items of traditional Japanese clothing, are known collectively as {{transliteration|ja|hepburn|wafuku}}, meaning 'Japanese clothing', as opposed to {{transliteration|ja|hepburn|yōfuku}}, Western-style clothing. Kimono come in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes. Men mainly wear darker or more muted colors, while women tend to wear brighter colors and pastels, and, especially for younger women, often with complicated abstract or floral patterns.

In previous decades, married women wore short sleeved kimono, whereas unmarried women wore long sleeved kimono to both formal and informal occasions; however, the rise in both the average age of marriage and the numbers of women never marrying in Japan has led to the divide between sleeve length becoming one more of age, with most women in their early twenties wearing long sleeved kimono only to formal occasions, and most women past their early twenties wearing short sleeved kimono to formal events, regardless of marriage status. Other developments include the abandoning of layered kimono and the standardisation of the length of short sleeved women's kimono to a range of roughly {{convert|49–52|cm|in}} in length, both developments driven by fabric shortages in WWII.

The {{transliteration|ja|happi}} coat is another form of traditional clothing. A {{transliteration|ja|happi}} (commonly Anglicised as "happy") coat is a straight sleeved coat typically decorated with a family crest and/or kanji along the collar. In previous centuries, {{transliteration|ja|happi}}-style coats known as {{transliteration|ja|hikeshi sashiko banten}} or simply hikeshi banten were commonly worn by firefighters; the coats would be constructed from several layers of heavy cotton stitched together, and would be soaked in water to provide protection from fire.

Alongside traditional clothing, Japan also has distinct footwear; {{transliteration|ja|tabi}}, ankle-length split-toed socks, are commonly worn with the kimono, and are designed to be worn with traditional shoes such as geta and zōri. Geta are thonged sandals mounted on wooden blocks extending from the base of the shoe to the floor, and are worn by men and women with kimono or {{transliteration|ja|yukata}}; zōri are flat-based or sloping sandals made of a number of different materials, and are considered to be more formal than geta.

Fashion trends and consumer apathy have hurt the Japanese kimono industry. Kimono sales and traditional tailors suffered after WWII due to Western fashion. Innovative and diverse kimono makers have revived the declining industry. Internationally, the industry has tried casual styles. Cultural appropriation is hard. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts' "Kimono Wednesdays" led to cultural appropriation debates. Asian-American protesters cited Orientalism, racism, and cultural appropriation. Protests sparked global cultural debate and appropriation. The protests lacked Japanese and Japanese-American representation, say critics. Scholars say Edward Said's "Orientalism" may not always apply.

Cultural appropriation could harm kimono exhibitions. War can hinder cultural exchange and Japanese fashion abroad. Japanese mainstream media and cultural commentators rarely mention it. Cultural appropriation may lead to kimono experimentation, say Japanese commentators. Cultural appropriation and Japanese fashion remain hot topics. Globally, the industry must balance cultural integrity and innovation.{{Cite journal |last=O'Dwyer |first=Shaun |date=August 5, 2015 |title=Of kimono and cultural appropriation |url=https://www.academia.edu/33224842 |via=Academia.edu |journal=The Japan Times |pages=4}}

{{Main|Japanese architecture|Japanese garden|Japanese sculpture}}

Japanese architecture was originally heavily influenced by Chinese architecture and later developed many unique aspects indigenous to Japan. Examples of traditional architecture are seen at temples, Shinto shrines, and castles in Kyoto and Nara. Some of these buildings are constructed with traditional gardens, which are influenced by Zen ideas. Some modern architects, such as Yoshio Taniguchi and Tadao Ando are known for their amalgamation of Japanese traditional and Western architectural influences.

Traditional Japanese garden architecture is considered to hold the same importance as traditional building architecture, and both are influenced by similar historical and religious backgrounds. A primary design principle of a traditional garden is the creation of the landscape based on, or at least greatly influenced by, the style of three-dimensional monochrome ink ({{transliteration|ja|sumi}}) landscape painting known as {{transliteration|ja|sumi-e}} or {{transliteration|ja|suibokuga}}; as such, garden landscaping is elevated to the status of an artform in Japan.{{Cite book| last = Kuitert | first = Wybe | title = Themes, Scenes, and Taste in the History of Japanese Garden Art. | publisher = J.C.Gieben, Publisher, Amsterdam | year = 1988 |isbn =978-90-5063-021-4}}

Traditional Japanese sculptures mainly focused on Buddhist images, such as Tathagata, Bodhisattva, and Myō-ō. The oldest sculpture in Japan is a wooden statue of Amitābha at the Zenkō-ji temple. In the Nara period, Buddhist statues were made by the national government to boost its prestige. These examples are seen in present-day Nara and Kyoto, most notably a colossal bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana in the Tōdai-ji temple.

Wood has traditionally been used as the chief material in Japan, along with traditional Japanese architecture. Statues are often lacquered, gilded, or brightly painted, although there are commonly few traces of this on the surface. Bronze and other metals are generally not used. Other materials, such as stone and pottery, have had extremely important roles in traditional sculpture.

File:Horyu-ji45s2s4500.jpg|Hōryū-ji is widely known to be the oldest wooden architecture existing in the world.

File:Ritsurin.JPG|Ritsurin Garden

File:NaraTodaijiStatue0214.jpg|Guardian in Tōdai-ji, Nara

File:Fumie Hihara, au shamisen (danse du Kabuki, musée Guimet).jpg}}, Guimet Museum, Paris]]

{{Main|Music of Japan}}

The music of Japan includes a wide array of styles both distinctly traditional and modern. Traditional Japanese music is quite different from Western music and is based on the intervals of human breathing rather than mathematical timing;{{Cite book |last=Galliano |first=Luciana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XLpKhGojCLsC&q=Japanese++cultural+music+aesthetics&pg=PP2 |title=Yogaku: Japanese Music in the 20th Century |date=2002-11-19 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1-4616-7455-9 |pages=12 |language=en}} traditional music also typically slides between notes, a feature also not commonly found in Western music. The word for music in Japanese is ongaku (音楽), combining the kanji on (音, "sound") with the kanji gaku (楽, "enjoyment").{{Cite book |title=Kenkyusha's new japanese-english dictionary |date=1998 |publisher=Kenkyusha |isbn=978-4-7674-2015-8 |editor-last=Masuda |editor-first=Kō |edition=4th ed., 37th impr |location=Tokyo}} Major aesthetic concepts are jo-ha-kyū and ma. Jo-ha-kyū (序破急) roughly translates to "beginning, break, rapid", it essentially means that all actions or efforts should begin slowly, speed up, and then end swiftly. Ma literally means a space or interval between two points (in space or time). In music, it refers to rhythm. In nagauta (長唄, literally "long song") (played on the shamisen and used in kabuki theater),{{Cite journal |last=Malm |first=William P. |date=1960 |title=A Short History of Japanese Nagauta Music |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/595588 |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=80 |issue=2 |pages=124–132 |doi=10.2307/595588 |jstor=595588 |issn=0003-0279}} uki-ma implies a slight lengthening of the first of a pair of beats, while tsume-ma implies the reverse.{{Cite book |last=Hughes |first=David W. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781315172354/ashgate-research-companion-japanese-music-alison-mcqueen-tokita-david-hughes |title=The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music |date=2017-02-09 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-17235-4 |location=London |pages=26 |doi=10.4324/9781315172354}} It is this meaning of timing that is seen as a unique aesthetic to explain otherwise inexplicable aspects of Japanese performing arts. Japanese music stresses sound quality and prizes the richness and complexity of each instrument's sound spectrum. Noise is also used in a highly formalized manner to imitate "nature" and the expressive energy and artistic potential of noise are accepted and incorporated.{{Cite book |last=Galliano |first=Luciana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XLpKhGojCLsC&q=Japanese++cultural+music+aesthetics&pg=PP2 |title=Yogaku: Japanese Music in the 20th Century |date=2002-11-19 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1-4616-7455-9 |pages=7 |language=en}}

Traditional Japanese music finds its first major historic periods in the Nara (710–794){{Cite book |last=Malm |first=William P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yn3VQbqywCsC&q=first+major+historic+periods&pg=PA11 |title=Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments |date=2000 |publisher=Kodansha International |isbn=978-4-7700-2395-7 |pages=7 |language=en}} and Heian (794–1185){{Cite book |last=Malm |first=William Paul |title=Japanese music and musical instruments |date=1983 |publisher=Tuttle |isbn=978-0-8048-0308-3 |edition=9th pr |location=Rutland}} periods. The two most common kinds of music during this time were the music of the court (Gagaku) and the music of Buddhist rituals (shōmyō). The music of the Nara period can be classified as belonging to the first international period in Japanese music history.{{Cite book |last=Malm |first=William P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yn3VQbqywCsC&q=international+period&pg=PA11 |title=Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments |date=2000 |publisher=Kodansha International |isbn=978-4-7700-2395-7 |pages=33 |language=en}} The court music was all of Chinese, Korean, or Indian origin and was played primarily by foreign musicians in its original style. Gagaku classical music has been performed at the Imperial court since the Heian period.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-08 |title=Gagaku, Imperial Court Music & Dance of Japan {{!}} Musicians of the Imperial Household {{!}} History of Gagaku |url=http://iha-gagaku.com/english/history.html |access-date=2023-12-09 |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508231541/http://iha-gagaku.com/english/history.html |url-status=dead }} At the same time, Buddhist ritual music exerted some influence on the native vocal style. While poetry anthologies indicate that folk music had continued its steady pace, the historical records and relics show us music that was primarily instrumental and often connected with dance. By the time of the Kamakura period, most traces of the international character of Japanese music had disappeared.{{Cite book |last=Malm |first=William P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yn3VQbqywCsC&q=Buddhist+ritual+music+exerted&pg=PA11 |title=Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments |date=2000 |publisher=Kodansha International |isbn=978-4-7700-2395-7 |pages=37 |language=en}} Court music in general was declining, while there was a steady growth of more theatrical arts. The indigenous folk ritual music of flute and drums here encountered the aristocratic aesthetic of poetry and literary tales.{{Cite book |last=Hughes |first=David W. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781315172354/ashgate-research-companion-japanese-music-alison-mcqueen-tokita-david-hughes |title=The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music |date=2017-02-09 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-17235-4 |location=London |pages=5 |doi=10.4324/9781315172354}} Japan's indigenous musical culture can still be found in much of folk music and the music of Shinto festivals in local communities.

Several traditional instruments were adopted and assimilated into Japanese culture from various sources.{{Cite book |last=Malm |first=William P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yn3VQbqywCsC&q=instrument&pg=PA11 |title=Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments |date=2000 |publisher=Kodansha International |isbn=978-4-7700-2395-7 |language=en}} They were further experimented with and developed by Japan. One of the imported end-blown bamboo flutes from China developed into the shakuhachi,{{cite web | url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%9B%85%E6%A5%BD%E5%B0%BA%E5%85%AB-1287571 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323122325/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%9B%85%E6%A5%BD%E5%B0%BA%E5%85%AB-1287571 | archive-date=23 March 2021 | title=雅楽尺八(ががくしゃくはち)とは？ 意味や使い方 }} which became the ritual instrument of the Fuke sect of Zen monks.{{Cite book |last=Hughes |first=David W. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781315172354/ashgate-research-companion-japanese-music-alison-mcqueen-tokita-david-hughes |title=The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music |date=2017-02-09 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-17235-4 |location=London |pages=6 |doi=10.4324/9781315172354}} By the middle of the eighteenth century, in secular performances, the shamisen lute and koto, invented in China and brought to Japan during the Nara Period,https://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/koto/koto01.html#:~:text=It's%20said%20that%20the%20koto,period%20(710%E2%80%93794) {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}} 13-string zither as used for genteel entertainment and professionally controlled by blind musicians who had the rights to heike narrative. The shamisen, modified from the Chinese sanxian introduced via the Ryukyu Islands in the late sixteenth century, came into its own in the theatrical contexts of bunraku puppet drama and kabuki drama.

Japan is the second largest music market in the world behind the United States, and is the largest in Asia,{{Cite journal |title=Fig. 5. Fragments of interferograms: a - from January 8, 2007– February 28, 2009, b - from January 11, 2008– January 16, 2010, c - from February 26, 2008– March 3, 2010, d - with a one-year interval from June 22, 2015–20.06. 2016. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.31857/s0205-9614201953-14-16405 |access-date=2023-12-09 |doi=10.31857/s0205-9614201953-14-16405 }}{{Cite book |last=Wyrwoll |first=Claudia |title=Social media: fundamentals, models, and ranking of user-generated content |date=2014 |publisher=Springer Vieweg |isbn=978-3-658-06983-4 |location=Wiesbaden |pages=87–100}} with most of the market dominated by Japanese artists.{{Cite journal |title="Global Music Report 2023 – State of the Industry" |doi=10.1553/0x0001d281 |doi-access=free }} Local music often appears at karaoke venues on lease from record labels.

Western music has been adopted and adapted to the Japanese context and has often in the process become Japanized (domesticated) and different from its model.{{Cite book |last=Hughes |first=David W. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781315172354/ashgate-research-companion-japanese-music-alison-mcqueen-tokita-david-hughes |title=The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music |date=2017-02-09 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-17235-4 |location=London |pages=4 |doi=10.4324/9781315172354}} Hybrid music has resulted, such as enka, J-pop, and ‘contemporary Japanese music’ (gendai hōgaku) or ‘new Japanese music’ (shin-hōgaku). Famous enka singers include Hibari Misora, Saburo Kitajima, Ikuzo Yoshi, and Haruo Minami. One notable contemporary influence on Japanese musical music came from Ainu music and the so-called nationalist composer Ifukube Akiraa (b. 1914 in Hokkaido) who brought the tonkori zither onto the World Music scene.

In the late 20th century Japanese music rose in popularity with Aidoru (Japanese Idols) with popular audition shows such as the Suta¯tanjo¯(A Star Is Born).{{Cite book |last=Hosokawa |first=Shuhei |title="Popular entertainment and the music industry." A Companion to the Anthropology of Japan. |year=2005 |pages=297–313}} Japanese music further evolved in the jazz, pop, R&B, and Rock music genres and continues into today. Popular artists of the 20th-21st centuries include Yoko Ono, Suzuka Nakamoto, Koji Tamaki, Hideto Takarai, Takahiro Moriuchi,{{Cite web |date=2022-03-08 |title=15 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Japanese Singers |url=https://hellomusictheory.com/learn/famous-japanese-singers/ |access-date=2023-12-09 |language=en-GB}} Kenshi Yonezu, and Haruomi Hosono.{{Cite web |last=Cunningham |first=Ed |date=2019-11-20 |title=7 Japanese Musicians that Influenced the World |url=https://www.tokyoweekender.com/entertainment/music/7-japanese-musicians-influenced-world/ |access-date=2023-12-09 |website=Tokyo Weekender |language=ja}} Popular groups of the same eras include The Oral Cigarettes, Yoasobi, Bump of Chicken, King Gnu, Mrs. Green Apple,{{Cite web |title=ROCKIN'ON JAPAN {{!}} 出版 {{!}} 事業内容 |url=https://www.rockinon.co.jp/business/publication/magazine?genre=rockinon-japan |access-date=2023-12-09 |website=ロッキング・オン・グループ (rockin’on group) |language=ja}} Fishmans, and Perfume.

{{Main|Theatre of Japan}}

File:春日神社ー篠山ー翁奉納P1011774.jpg play at traditional Noh theatre]]

The four traditional theatres from Japan are noh (or {{transliteration|ja|nō}}), {{transliteration|ja|kyōgen}}, kabuki, and {{transliteration|ja|bunraku}}. Noh had its origins in the union of the {{transliteration|ja|sarugaku}}, with music and dance made by Kan'ami and Zeami Motokiyo.{{cite web| last =Web| first = Japan| title = Japan Fact Sheet| work = Noh and Kyogen: The world's oldest living theater| url = http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/NOANDKYO.pdf| access-date = 1 March 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080409123933/http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/NOANDKYO.pdf |archive-date = 9 April 2008}} Among the characteristic aspects of it are the masks, costumes, and the stylized gestures, sometimes accompanied by a fan that can represent other objects. The Noh programs are presented in alternation with the ones of {{transliteration|ja|kyōgen}}, traditionally in numbers of five, but currently in groups of three.

The {{transliteration|ja|kyōgen}}, of a humorous character, had an older origin, in 8th century entertainment brought from China, developing itself in {{transliteration|ja|sarugaku}}. In {{transliteration|ja|kyōgen}}, masks are rarely used and even if the plays can be associated with the ones of noh, currently many are not.

Kabuki appears in the beginning of the Edo period from the representations and dances of Izumo no Okuni in Kyoto.{{cite web| last =Web| first = Japan| title = Japan Fact Sheet| work = Kabuki: A vibrant and exciting traditional theater| url = http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/KABUKI.pdf| access-date = 1 March 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080409123948/http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/KABUKI.pdf |archive-date = 9 April 2008}} Due to concerns over the number of actresses engaged in selling sex, the participation of women in the plays was forbidden by the government in 1629, and the feminine characters had passed to be represented only by men ({{transliteration|ja|onnagata}}). Recent attempts to reintroduce actresses in kabuki had not been well accepted. Another characteristic of kabuki is the use of makeup for the actors in historical plays ({{transliteration|ja|kumadori}}) and the performance of {{transliteration|ja|nagauta}} ballads.

Japanese puppet theater ({{transliteration|ja|bunraku}}) developed in the same period as kabuki, in both competition with and collaboration with its actors and authors. The origin of {{transliteration|ja|bunraku}}, however, is older, beginning in the Heian period.{{cite web| last =Web| first = Japan| title = Japan Fact Sheet| work = Bunraku: Puppet theater brings old Japan to life| url = http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/BUNRAKU.pdf| access-date = 1 March 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080409123942/http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/BUNRAKU.pdf |archive-date = 9 April 2008}} In 1914, the Takarazuka Revue was founded, a company solely composed by women who introduced the revue to Japan.{{cite web |url=http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/history.html |title=Takarazuka History |publisher=Takarazuka Revue |access-date=1 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225043432/http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/history.html |archive-date=25 February 2008 }}

File:剣魂 広島大学体育会剣道部 2005 (9014981997).jpg at Hiroshima University]]

{{Main|Sport in Japan}}

In the long feudal period governed by the samurai class, some methods that were used to train warriors were developed into well-ordered martial arts, in modern times referred to collectively as {{transliteration|ja|koryū}}. Examples include {{transliteration|ja|kenjutsu, kendo, kyūdō, sōjutsu, jujutsu}}, and sumo, all of which were established in the Edo period. After the rapid social change in the Meiji Restoration, some martial arts changed into modern sports, called {{transliteration|ja|gendai budō}}. Judo was developed by Kanō Jigorō, who studied some sects of jujutsu. These sports are still widely practiced in present-day Japan and other countries.

Baseball, association football, and other popular Western sports were imported to Japan in the Meiji period.{{cite book |last1= Edelman|first1=Robert |last2=Wilson |first2= Wayne|author-link= |date=2017 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sports History |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vwJLDgAAQBAJ |location= |publisher= Oxford University Press|page= 275|isbn= 9780199858910}} These sports are commonly practiced in schools, along with traditional martial arts. Baseball, soccer, football, and ping pong are the most popular sports in Japan. Association football gained prominence in Japan after the J League (Japan Professional Football League) was established in 1991. Japan also co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Korea.{{cite book |last= |first= |editor-last1=Horne |editor-first1=John |editor-last2= Manzenreiter|editor-first2=Wolfram |author-link= |date=January 11, 2013 |title= Japan, Korea and the 2002 World Cup|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WJhbNc39GW0C|location= |publisher= Taylor & Francis|page= |isbn=9781135140212}} In addition, there are many semi-professional organizations, which are sponsored by private companies: for example, volleyball, basketball, rugby union, table tennis, and so on.

File:Breakfast at Tamahan Ryokan, Kyoto.jpg

{{Main|Japanese cuisine}}

Through a long culinary past, the Japanese have developed sophisticated and refined cuisine. In more recent years, Japanese food has become fashionable and popular in the United States, Europe, and many other areas. Dishes such as sushi, tempura, noodles, and teriyaki are some of the foods that are commonly known. The Japanese diet consists principally of rice; fresh, lean seafood; and pickled or boiled vegetables. The Japanese diet is often believed to be related to the longevity of Japanese people.{{Cite journal |last1=San Gabriel |first1=Ana |last2=Ninomiya |first2=Kumiko |last3=Uneyama |first3=Hisayuki |date=Feb 2018 |title=The Role of the Japanese Traditional Diet in Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Patterns around the World |journal=Nutrients |volume=10 |issue=2|page=173 |doi=10.3390/nu10020173 |pmid=29401650 |pmc=5852749 |doi-access=free }}

Despite the traditional cuisine (和食 washoku) being very important and present, western cuisine (洋食 yōshoku) has influenced Japanese eating culture tremendously.

{{Main|Japanese popular culture|Japanese youth culture|Japanese pop culture in the United States}}

Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present day but also provides a link to the past. Popular films, television programs, manga, music, anime and video games 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. Many anime and manga series are very popular around the world and continue to become popular, as well as Japanese video games, fashion, and game shows.[http://www.asianweek.com/2008/09/13/cool-japan-why-japanese-remakes-are-so-popular-on-american-tv-and-where-we%E2%80%99re-getting-it-wrong/ "Cool Japan: Why Japanese remakes are so popular on American TV, and where we're getting it wrong"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915232726/http://www.asianweek.com/2008/09/13/cool-japan-why-japanese-remakes-are-so-popular-on-american-tv-and-where-we%E2%80%99re-getting-it-wrong/ |date=15 September 2008}}. AsianWeek. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.

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 leisure, 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. A wide variety of types of popular entertainment are available. There is a large selection of music, films, and the products of a huge manga and anime 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 {{transliteration|ja|shogi}} or {{transliteration|ja|go}} in specialized parlors. Together, the publishing, film/video, music/audio, and game industries in Japan make up the growing Japanese content industry.{{cite web |url=http://www.dcaj.org/ |title=Digital Content Association of Japan |publisher=Dcaj.org |date=27 January 2012 |access-date=2 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106163157/http://www.dcaj.org/ |archive-date=6 January 2012 |url-status=dead}}

{{Main|Cultural Landscape (Japan)}}

There are 51 official {{nihongo|cultural landscapes|文化的景観|bunkateki keikan}} in Japan. These landscapes evolved with the way of life and geocultural features of a region, and which are indispensable for understanding the lifestyle of the Japanese people.{{cite web |url= http://www.bunka.go.jp/bunkazai/pamphlet/pdf/pamphlet_en_01.pdf |title= Our Treasure Cultural Landscapes to future generations |year= 2009 |work= Administration of Cultural Affairs in Japan ― Fiscal 2009 |publisher= Agency for Cultural Affairs |access-date= 2010-01-03 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101026052545/http://www.bunka.go.jp/bunkazai/pamphlet/pdf/pamphlet_en_01.pdf |archive-date= 2010-10-26 |url-status= dead}}{{Cite web| last = The Agency for Cultural Affairs| script-title = ja:国指定文化財 データベース| publisher = Database of National Cultural Properties| access-date = 2009-04-16| date = 2008-11-01| url = http://www.bunka.go.jp/bsys/index.asp| language = ja| archive-date = 30 March 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090330140022/http://www.bunka.go.jp/bsys/index.asp| url-status = dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.bunka.go.jp/english/about_us/policy_of_cultural_affairs/pdf/2015_policy.pdf |title=Policy of Cultural Affairs in Japan |year=2015 |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513192139/http://www.bunka.go.jp/english/about_us/policy_of_cultural_affairs/pdf/2015_policy.pdf |archive-date=2016-05-13 |url-status=dead

}}{{cite web | url= http://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/keikan/| title= 文化的景観| language= ja| trans-title= Cultural Landscapes| year=2015| publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs}}{{cite web | url= https://www.nabunken.go.jp/org/bunka/land-list.html| title= 重要文化的景観選定地一覧| language= ja| trans-title= Important Cultural Landscapes Sites| year= 2015| publisher= Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties}}

The {{nihongo|Three Views of Japan|日本三景|Nihon Sankei}} is the canonical list of Japan's three most celebrated scenic sights, attributed to 1643 scholar Hayashi Gahō.{{cite web |url=http://www.amanohashidate.jp/rekishi.html |title=Amanohashidate – History |publisher=Amanohashidate kankokyokai |access-date=14 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717114213/http://www.amanohashidate.jp/rekishi.html |archive-date=17 July 2011}} These are the pine-clad islands of Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture, the pine-clad sandbar of Amanohashidate in Kyoto Prefecture, and Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture. In 1915, the New Three Views of Japan were selected with a national election by the {{nihongo|Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha|株式会社実業之日本社|Kabushiki Kaisha Jitsugyō no Nihon Sha}}. In 2003, the Three Major Night Views of Japan were selected by the {{nihongo|New Three Major Night Views of Japan and the 100 Night Views of Japan Club|新日本三大夜景・夜景100選事務局}}.

File:Matsushima miyagi z.JPG|Pine-clad islands of Matsushima

File:Amanohashidate view from Mt Moju02s3s4592.jpg|Sandbar of Amanohashidate

File:20131012_07_Miyajima_-_Torii_(10491662566).jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Torii}} at Itsukushima Shrine

{{Main|National symbols of Japan}}

File:Lake_Kawaguchiko_Sakura_Mount_Fuji_3.JPG and {{transliteration|ja|sakura}} (cherry blossoms) are national symbols of Japan]]

The Japanese archipelago is located to the east of the Asian continent. Japan is regarded as the most eastern Asian country, because east of Japan is the vast Pacific Ocean. Minamitorishima is Japan's easternmost island. Thus Japan is the land where the sun rises before the Asian continent. The kanji that make up the name of Japan literally mean {{nihongo|'sun origin'|日本}}. It is pronounced as {{transliteration|ja|'Nihon'}} or {{transliteration|ja|'Nippon'}} in Japanese,{{cite web|title=Where does the name Japan come from?|url=http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/japan.html|access-date=29 January 2017}} and is often referred to by the epithet "Land of the Rising Sun".{{cite book|title=The emergence of Japanese kingship|first=Joan R. |last=Piggott|year=1997|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-2832-4|pages=143–144|url={{Google books|BruaJSZmjHcC|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} }} The {{nihongo3|"sun-rise flag"|日章旗|Nisshōki}} is the national flag of Japan. It symbolizes the rising sun and corresponds with the name of Japan. The earliest accounts of the rising sun flag is in the 7th century CE. In 607, an official correspondence that began with "from the Emperor of the rising sun" was sent to Chinese Emperor Yang of Sui.{{Harvnb|Dyer|1909|p=24}} Thus the central importance of the sun in Japanese culture is represented in the national flag and other cultural goods. Similarly, the Japan Self-Defense Forces have flags that symbolize the sun.

The Sun also plays an important role in Japanese mythology and religion as the emperor is said to be the direct descendant of the Sun goddess Amaterasu, the personification of Japan. She is seen as the goddess of the Sun and the universe in Shinto religion. The emperor is "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people." {{nihongo|Emperor Jimmu|神武天皇|Jinmu-tennō}} is the national founder of Japan.

The national animals are the green pheasant, koi fish and the great purple emperor butterfly. The Imperial Seal of Japan is one of the national seals and a crest ({{transliteration|ja|mon}}) used by the Emperor of Japan and members of the Imperial Family. The cherry blossom (Prunus serrulata) & chrysanthemum morifolium are de facto national flowers of Japan. Japan's de facto national dish is sushi,{{cite web|url=http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/attractions/dining/food/jfood_01.html|title=Traditional Dishes of Japan|publisher=Japan National Tourism Organization|access-date=24 June 2014}} Japanese curry{{cite web |script-title=ja:『カレーライス』に関するアンケート |publisher = ネットリサーチ ディムスドライブ |url = http://www.dims.ne.jp/timelyresearch/2008/081014/ |language= ja |access-date=16 October 2008}} and ramen.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/18/ramen-japan-national-dish|title=Ramen: Japan's super slurpy noodles|access-date=5 June 2011 | location=London|work=The Guardian|first=Justin|last=McCurry|date=18 June 2010}} The de facto national liquor is {{transliteration|ja|sake}}.[http://blog.ratestogo.com/best-national-drinks-i/ RatesToGo: Best National Drinks Part I] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091102165847/http://blog.ratestogo.com/best-national-drinks-i/ |date=2009-11-02}}

{{Nihongo|Mount Fuji|富士山|Fujisan}} is the national mountain of Japan. It is one of Japan's {{Nihongo|"Three Holy Mountains"|三霊山|Sanreizan}} along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku. It is also a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and one of Japan's Historic Sites.[http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/japan-s-mt-fuji-granted/720700.html]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627003540/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/japan-s-mt-fuji-granted/720700.html|date=27 June 2013}}. The summit is considered a sacred place since ancient times. As a national symbol of the country, Mount Fuji has been depicted in various art and media such as painting, woodblock prints (such as the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji), poetry, music, theater, film, manga, anime and pottery.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sunritz-hattori-museum.or.jp/masterpieces/index.html|title=収蔵品のご紹介 | サンリツ服部美術館|website=sunritz-hattori-museum.or.jp|access-date=16 October 2019|archive-date=7 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307215353/http://www.sunritz-hattori-museum.or.jp/masterpieces/index.html|url-status=dead}}

{{clear}}

File:Hasegawa Tohaku - Pine Trees (Shōrin-zu byōbu) - left hand screen.jpg|Left panel of the Shōrin-zu byōbu, by Hasegawa Tohaku, {{circa|1595}}, six-fold screen, ink on paper, National Treasure

File:Wind God and Thunder God Screens by Tawaraya Sotatsu hi-res.png|{{transliteration|ja|Fūjin-raijin-zu}} by Tawaraya Sōtatsu, with Raijin shown on the left and Fūjin right, 17th century

File:壽字吉祥文蒔絵印籠 - Inrō with the Characters for Longevity and Good Fortune and the “Seven Lucky Treasures” on Checkerboard Ground.jpg|{{lang|ja-Latn|Inro}} in {{lang|ja-Latn|maki-e}} lacquerware

File:Hexagonal Jar, Imari ware, Kakiemon type, Edo period, 17th century, flowering plant and phoenix design in overglaze enamel - Tokyo National Museum - DSC05329 (retouched).jpg|Kakiemon Imari ware hexagonal jar, flowering plant and phoenix design in overglaze enamel

File:Kamidana with kagamimochi offering by shig2006 in Hitachinaka.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Kamidana}} (home shrine) with {{transliteration|ja|kagamimochi}} and {{transliteration|ja|ofuda}}

File:Daruma dolls.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Daruma}} of various sizes

File:Hamaya.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Hamaya}} at Ikuta Shrine

File:Fan of Japanese Cypress ITUKUSHIMA shrine.JPG|Japanese foldable fan of late Heian period (12th century)

File:Noh5.jpg|Traditional Japanese ceremony at Itsukushima Shrine

File:Jissoin-Temple-Stone-Garden.JPG|Jissō-in rock garden in Iwakura (Kyoto), reformed in 2013

File:Hitomi (19522048512).jpg|Lolita fashion is a fashion subculture that is highly influenced by Victorian and Edwardian from the Rococo period.

{{Portal|Japan|Society}}

{{Div col|colwidth=14em}}

• Sinosphere
• Cool Japan
• History of Japan
• Marriage in Japan
• National symbols of Japan
• List of World Heritage Sites in Japan
• Imperial House of Japan
• Tourism in Japan
• Japanese language
• Etiquette in Japan
• Religion in Japan
• Japanese cuisine
• Japanese aesthetics
• Japanese music
• Japanese performing arts
• Science and technology in Japan
• Japanese martial arts
• Japanese influence on Korean culture
• Korean influence on Japanese culture
• Chinese influence on Japanese culture
• {{transliteration|ja|Yamato damashii}}

{{div col end}}

• {{Cite book| last = Cwiertka| first = Katarzyna J.| year = 2007| title = Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power and National Identity| publisher = Reaktion Books| isbn = 978-1-86189-298-0

}} [http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fb20070311dr.html Review]

• [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html Japan] {{Country study}}
• {{Cite journal | last = Goldstein-Gidoni| first = Ofra| title = Kimono and the Construction of Gendered and Cultural Identities| journal = Ethnology| volume = 38| issue = 4| pages = 351–370| date = Fall 1999| doi =10.2307/3773912

|jstor=3773912}}

• {{Cite journal| last = Martin| first = Richard| title = Our Kimono Mind: Reflections on 'Japanese Design: A Survey since 1950'| journal = Journal of Design History| volume = 8| issue = 3| pages = 215–223| year = 1995| doi =10.1093/jdh/8.3.215

}}

• {{Cite journal| last = Nakagawa| first = Keiichirō| author2 = Rosovsky, Henry| title = The Case of the Dying Kimono: The Influence of Changing Fashions on the Development of the Japanese Woolen Industry| journal = The Business History Review| volume = 37| issue = 1/2| pages = 59–80| date = Spring–Summer 1963| jstor = 3112093| doi = 10.2307/3112093

| s2cid = 154748596}}

• {{cite book|title=Japan in World Politics: A Study in International Dynamics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oXxCAAAAIAAJ&q=japan+rising+sun+607&pg=PA24 |author=Dyer, Henry|year=1909|publisher=Blackie & Son Limited|ref={{harvid|Dyer|1909}}}}
• Varley, Paul. Japanese Culture, 4th edn. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2000.
• Nippon: The Land And Its People, 3rd edn. Tokyo: Nippon Steel Human Resources Development, 1988.

{{Reflist}}

• Ruth Benedict. The chrysanthemum and the sword: patterns of Japanese culture. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1946 (repr. 1974, 2005).
• Victoria Lyon-Bestor, Theodore C. Bestor, & Akiko Yamagata, eds. Routledge Handbook of Japanese Culture and Society. Abingdon: Routledge, 2011.
• Albert M. Craig. The heritage of Japanese civilization, 2nd edn. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2010.
• Joy Hendry. Understanding Japanese society, 5th edn. Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.
• {{cite book | title=Momoyama, Japanese art in the age of grandeur| location=New York | publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art | year=1975 | isbn=9780870991257 | url=http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/84980/rec/1 }}
• John Nathan. Japan Unbound: A Volatile Nation's Quest for Pride and Purpose. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.
• {{cite journal|last1=Kamei|first1=Shunsuke|title=The Kiss and Japanese Culture after World War II|journal=Comparative Literature Studies|date=June 1981|volume=18|issue=2|pages=114–123|jstor=40246247|issn=0010-4132}}
• Yoshio Sugimoto. An introduction to Japanese society, 5th edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021.
• Noriko Takada & R. Lampkin, eds. The Japanese way: aspects of behavior, attitudes, and customs of the Japanese, 2nd edn. NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011.
• Hiroko Takeda & Mark Williams, eds. Routledge handbook of contemporary Japan. Abingdon: Routledge, 2021.

{{Commons category|Culture of Japan}}

• [http://www.japanese-city.com Japanese-City.com] Japanese Cultural Events by Japanese Organizations throughout America.
• [http://www.beyondcalligraphy.com/japanese_calligraphy.html The History of Japanese Calligraphy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530111345/http://www.beyondcalligraphy.com/japanese_calligraphy.html |date=30 May 2019 }} In English, at BeyondCalligraphy.com
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091212010714/http://www.japansociety.org/ Japan Society – New York City] North America's single major producer of high-quality content on Japan for an English-speaking audience.
• [http://www.bunka.go.jp/english/index.html Agency for Cultural Affairs]
• [http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-culture/ Traditional Culture – The Imperial Household Agency]
• "[https://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/japanese/index.shtml Working with the Japanese]," BBC
• [http://edb.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/exhibit-e/index.html Rare Materials Exhibition – Kyoto University Digital Library(貴重資料画像--京都大学電子図書館)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401080552/http://edb.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/exhibit-e/index.html |date=1 April 2017 }} Image files of rare materials related to culture of Japan
• [https://rankanime.com/editors-choice/how-do-people-from-japan-see-anime/ How The People of Japan See Anime Culture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806135445/https://rankanime.com/editors-choice/how-do-people-from-japan-see-anime/ |date=6 August 2022 }} .
• [http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/ Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System]
• [http://web-japan.org/ Web Japan]

{{Japan topics}}

{{Culture of Asia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Culture of Japan}}

kk:Жапон өнері