Hi! It is a blog spreading Japanese uniqueness, How Unique Japan!
On the front page, Japan has many differences in lifestyle compared to any Western country. It is sometimes due to those based on religions, characters, and geographical features.
It must lead to other curiosities. How different are Japanese lifestyles?
For example, if you visit a Japanese friend’s house, you can see the unique entrance space where we must take our shoes off before entering the house, which is called Genkan. Besides, greeting other people with a vow also has unique manners. They are odd for people from another country, aren’t they?
The entrance Genkan
So then, see “Genkan (Japanese entrance)” as an example for this page.
As it said, any Japanese house has an entrance where we take our shoes off and hop up the higher floor like one step up the stairs. Why is the Japanese first/grand floor higher than the surface?
It is concerned with the religion Buddhism. In the lecture, any entrance should be significant to separate from outside and inside (our living area/territory).
However, it has another function.
It is for VENTILATION.
As the front page said, Japan always gets so humid in every summer season. Such humidity is a problem because many kinds of molds and fungi, some ones are not harmful though, would be born anywhere and start to ruin any building consisting of wood. (If you want to know about good fungi or molds in Japan, please look here.)
Taking shoes off is the same reason. Please come to think of it.
Do you want to keep yourself wearing shoes on a very humid day?
Of course, you do not because your feet would get a bad smell, and bacteria born on your soles would cause any worse effects on your health.
That is the Genkan. Japan has a unique entrance where we take our shoes off.
So, this is just one example. In this page, I will try to explain such unique behaviors and lifestyles in these articles.
Let’s see some unique furniture next!
(It has little information yet. I am going to upload more gradually. I am sorry! Please wait!)
Funiture (almost traditional)
As it said, the entrance Genkan is for ventilation. The idea to make our lives comfortable is not over.
In this section, I will introduce more daily things of furniture. They are traditional/old but respectable due to the invention of the ancestor’s idea.
Take a look at such creations.
Irori (Japanese fireplace)
Everybody will feel cozy when they are close to a fireplace. However, we Japanese don’t have it in each house due to its structure.
Instead, we used to have a small pit filled with ash in the middle of the living room in old time.
It is the irori, which works with several purposes – heating and cooking. Click here for more details.
Kotatsu table
There are various ways to warm us in Japan because every winter is unbelievably cold, comparing the summer season.
This funny-looking table is the invention for the situation. It is Kotatsu, still popular now.
Let’s see more with the article.
Hanko (Stamps)
The stamp is inseparable from us, the Japanese, whenever we make some official contract (for example, Bank contracting) to ensure our ID.
Why do we still use such an analog system? Check here!
Tatame seat
You might have seen the green seats from grass in the living room in the old style in Japan.
It is Tatami (seat). Why are they made from plants?
Take a look here!
Souvenir Jacket
It is a unique jacket born from a combination. They are an army uniform in the US and Kimonos (Japanese traditional clothes).
What does looks like? And how was it born? Check here!
The events in Japan
Japan also has many special holidays and periods for events. In the springtime (April), all official businesses, even education systems, admire the time as the beginning of the next season to start.
Around summertime, there is a unique period/season (about one week) when we Japanese need to treat our past ancestors gently with food, dance, and fire, which is called the “Obon” season.
These are just a few examples of common behaviors in Japan. It is sometimes annoying for Japanese citizens because there are so many special and unique events in each area or prefecture, and they usually have complicated procedures.
However, each manner, behavior, event, and architectural feature has a reason/cause from a long history that we should appreciate.
OK! Let’s see what’s more else!
Carp streams (Koinobori)
Everyone around each country should have a festival or celebration event for their kid’s healthy growth.
Yes. Japan also has a special day called Kid’s Day (Kodomo no hi). Its feature is CARP (flags) flowing through the sky. Why do we raise the flags for the celebration?
Obon season
As the Kid’s Day, we Japanese also admire the loved past people, for example, family, friends, and even pets.
The season while we re-think about them is called Obon season. We believe that such past beloved will return from heaven. They will say “Hi! How is it going?” to us and stay during the season.
Let’s see more with this article!
Lion dance “Shi shi mai”
Every event held around shrines or temples usually has this unique dance. In the activity, the protagonist is a spiritual monster, Shi shi.
Why do they dance? Who are they?
Look at this article!
Activities and sports
What do you imagine when you hear Activities? Baseball or soccer?
In Japan, modern, even traditional, games are simple and small for communicating with neighbors, but official games like Sumo wrestling.
So, we separated them into Activities and Sports to avoid complications.
Let’s follow the below.
Activities
Beigoma
Everyone loves competition. It is baseball, basketball, soccer, cricket, and a spinning top. Wait. Tops?
Yes. Japanese (especially boys) used to play/compete with their opponents using the spinning tops. On a small stage, they fought by hitting each other.
What are more rules? Take a look here!
Gacha (toy capsules)
It should be a well-known Japanese activity/toy, looking like a gummy machine.
However, the box machine contains small toys instead of the gums. The feature is the number of kinds. Seriously, there are enormous and various capsule toys in Japan.
Do you want to feel the air? Click here!
Menko card game
Any card game should be a mind game. It is for the strategies upper head of the opponents, and it is a common rule, right?
However, Japan has a card game that uses our physical power, smashing!
Do you want to know more? Please take a look here!
Mini Bonsai (miniture Bonsai)
Have you heard the word, Bonsai?
This activity is for more adults because it is a little similar to gardening. The feature is the plants themselves. They are sometimes ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD, although it is small.
One problem with this hobby is price. Any costs of it should be expensive, for example, a pot, soil, and scissors.
It is why the miniature version was born. It is easy to take care of due to the much lower cost. Let’s see more details.
Goldfish in Japan
As you know, the activity is not only a physical game. Reading a book, watching a movie, or listening to music can be that.
So, how about looking at goldfish in an aquarium or pond? We Japanese have been keen on that beautiful fish for a long. Thus, there are various kinds of goldfish.
Do you want to see more tips? Click here!
Sports
Sumo wrestling
That unique wrestling shall be one famous official sport in Japan with a long history.
Occasionally, it has unique rules and attitudes of Sumo players. In this section, I tried to touch on several points of the Sumo we should see.
If you are interested in this sport, take a look here!
Kemari
It looks like Juggling a soccer ball with each other players, although the sport was born in the UK. However, this game has been a traditional game in Japan for over 1000 years!
Let’s have a look at this!
To close
Thank you so much for reading these articles. But it is not yet. This blog also has another category, Japanese food and What is the Edo era. If you are interested in them, please take a look there.
OK! time to go! See you for the next article about Japanese Uniqueness!