Japanese culture１ Overview

Overview

The word culture refers to something with a high degree of accomplishment created by humans such as arts and academics (high culture), and also refers to the custom and behavior system that human society has formed over the years. In the latter sense, the categories are very broad, ranging from customs related to daily life in general, such as clothing, food and housing, social structures such as entertainment, morality, religion, politics and economics. Japanese culture can not be simplified simply, it includes various elements, from the ancient times to the medieval times the neighboring countries of Asia, mainly China, and in the modern to the after Meiji from the West It has been affected, repeatedly absorbed and sorted out, and has undergone a unique development with various hands added.

The traditional Japanese culture has been shifting with the times, incorporating foreign cultures as the basis of Shinto, but even if it changes drastically on the surface, it can point out extremely Japanese elements and trends consistent within it There is also a surface (eg, even if the residence changes from a Japanese-style room to a Western-style, it does not change in terms of taking off the shoes inside the room).

As a concept that characteristically shows Japanese culture, the word "Waka" is often used (eg Japanese, Japanese, Waka, Japanese clothes, Japanese cuisine, Japanese style inn). "Washi" is a word that refers to Japan for a long time and is used in contrast to things from foreign countries such as Han (China) and Western (Western Europe). The word "Yamato (Yamato)" may also be used (eg Yamato, Yamato, Yamato, Yamato etc). "Yamato" originally refers to the Nara region, but it is also an old word indicating the whole of Japan at the same time. Often we refer to events that are considered immutable in this country from ancient times.