2. JAPANESE CUIZINE
Side dishes often consist of fish, pickled
vegetables, and vegetables cooked in
broth. Seafood is common, often grilled, but
also served raw as sashimi or in sushi.
Seafood and vegetables are also deep-fried in
a light butter, as tempura. Apart from rice,
staples include noodles, such as soba and
udon.
3.
4. CHARACTERISTICS
Expressing the seasons. Not only by rigorously
cooking with seasonal ingredients, but by
presenting these foods to reflect the time of the
year.
Enjoying the texture of foods . But by doing so, you
create "kinship" between yourself and the sushi chef
-- an almost spiritual connection expressed
through this food.
Enjoying the colors of foods. Red and yellow
symbolize warmth and stimulate your appetite.
Green is a stable, safe, quieting colour.
7. SOME TYPES OF
JARANESE ART
• Japanese art covers a wide range of art
styles and media, including ancient pottery,
sculpture, ink painting and calligraphy on
silk and paper, ukiyo-e paintings and more
recently manga which is modern Japanese
cartoons and comics along with a myriad of
other types. It has a long history, ranging
from the beginnings of human habitation in
Japan, sometime in the 10th millennium BC,
to the present-day country.
8.
9. THE MOST RECENT TYPE OF
JARANESE ART: MANGA
• Manga are comics or graphic novels created
in Japan or by creators in the Japanese
language, conforming to a style developed in
Japan in the late 19th century. They have a
long and complex pre-history n Japan. The
medium includes works in a broad range of
genres: action, adventure, business,
comedy, detective, drama, historical, horror,
mystery, romance, science fiction and
fantasy, sports and suspense, among others.
12. Haruki Murakami(writer);
Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto, Japan, in January
12, 1949. Since childhood, Murakami, has been heavily
influenced by Western culture, particularly Western as
well as Russian music and literature. He grew up
reading a wide range of works by European and
American writers, such as Franz Kafka, Gustave
Flaubert, Charles Dickens, Kurt Vonnegut, Fyodor
Dostoyevsky, Richard Brautigan and Jack Kerouac.
These Western influences distinguish Murakami from
the majority of other Japanese writers. He studied
drama at Waseda University in Tokyo where he met his
wife, Yoko. Murakami began to write fiction when he
was 29. "Before that", he said, "I didn't write anything. I
was just one of those ordinary people. I was running a
jazz club, and I didn't create anything at all.“ His most
popular books are; A wild sheep chase, Norwegian
Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Cheronicle, Kafka on the
13.
14. Patrick Leukadio Hearn;
Patrick Leukadio Hearn was born in Leukada, Greece, in
September 26 1850. He was also known as Koizumi
Yakumo (小泉 八雲), was a writer, known best for his
books about Japan, especially the ones of Japanese
legends and ghost stories. In 1890, Hearn went to Japan
with a commission as a newspaper correspondent, which
was quickly terminated. It was in Japan, however, that he
found a home and his greatest inspiration. Through the
goodwill of Basil Hall Chamberlain, Hearn gained a
teaching position during the summer of 1890 at the
Shimane Prefectural Common Middle School and
Normal School in Matsue, a town in western Japan on
the coast of the Sea of Japan. Hearn married Koizumi
Setsu, the daughter of a local samurai family, with whom
he had four children and he became a naturalized
Japanese, assuming the name Koizumi Yakumo, in 1896
after accepting a teaching position in Tokyo. After having
been Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and, later on,
15. During late 1891, Hearn obtained another teaching
position in Kumamoto, Kyūshū, at the Fifth Higher Middle
School, where he spent the next three years and
completed his book Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan (1894).
In October 1894, he secured a journalism job with the
English-language newspaper Kobe Chronicle, and in
1896, with some assistance from Chamberlain, he began
teaching English literature at Tokyo Imperial University
until 1903. In 1904, he was a professor at Waseda
University. While in Japan he encountered the art of ju-
jitsu and encountered judo at the end of the nineteenth
century. Leukadio died in September 26, 1904.
16.
17. Akira Kurosawa;
Akira Kurosawa (Kyūjitai: 黒澤 明, Shinjitai: 黒沢 明) was
born in March 23, 1910 and he was a Japanese film
director and screenwriter, who directed over 30 films in a
career which lasted for 57 years. Kurosawa entered the
Japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a
painter. After years of working on numerous films as an
assistant director and scriptwriter, he made his debut as
a director during World War II with the popular action
film, Sanshiro Sugata (a.k.a. Judo Saga). After the war,
the critically acclaimed Drunken Angel (1948), in which
Kurosawa casted the then-unknown actor Toshiro Mifune
in a starring role, cemented the director's reputation as
one of the most important young filmmakers in Japan.
The two men would go on to collaborate on another 15
films. In 1990, he accepted the Academy Award for
Lifetime Achievement. Posthumously, he was named
18. Century" in the "Arts, Literature, and Culture" category by
AsianWeek magazine and CNN, cited there as being
among the five people who most prominently contributed
to the improvement of Asia in the 20th century.
19.
20. Katsushika Hokusai;
Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎) was born in October 31,
1760 in Edo(now Tokyo) and was a Japanese artist,
ukiyo-e painter and printmaker. In 1839, a fire destroyed
Hokusai's studio and much of his work. By this time, his
career was beginning to fade as other younger artists
became increasingly popular. But Hokusai never
stopped painting and completed Ducks in a Stream at
the age of 87. His most famous artwork are; The Great
Wave at Kanagawa, Fine Wind, Clear Morning, The
waterfall in Ono on the Kisokai-road, A Tour of the
Waterfalls of the Provinces, Whaling Off Goto, Oceans
of Wisdom, Hokusai Manga, The Ghost of Oiwa from
One Hundred Ghost Tales, Dream of the Fisherman’s
Wife, Phoenix and Tenma Bridge in Setsu Province.
Constantly seeking to produce better work, he
apparently exclaimed on his deathbed, "If only Heaven
21. years ... Just another five more years, then I could
become a real painter." He died on May 10, 1849 and
was buried at the Seikyō-ji in Tokyo (Taito Ward).
24. Setsubun (The Bean-Throwing Festival):
Setsubun is an old tradition that has evolved into a televised
event hosted by national celebrities. Along with the big
productions, small stages are set up around the country,
many at shrines and temples. Candy and money are thrown
into the crowds which cheer and try to catch the small gifts.
At home, families throw beans (usually soybeans) in mame-
maki ceremonies to drive away evil spirits that could foul up
things later. One member of the household dons a demon
mask and plays the "bad guy" as everyone else shouts "get
out!" and throws beans until he leaves. The door is
symbolically slammed shut on the evil spirit.
When: February 3 or 4
Where: Major temples and shrines
throughout Japan
25.
26. Hanami (Cherry Blossom Festival):
An ancient tradition, the word hanami actually means "flower viewing"
and that's exactly what thousands of people do during the spring
Cherry Blossom Festival. What could be more enjoyable than sitting
under beautiful blooms with food and drinks?
Families, friends, and coworkers compete for quiet spots in busy parks
to enjoy picnics and parties. Events happen day and night. A little
revelry takes place beneath the blooms that are celebrated for their
fleeting, impermanent nature.
Some festival goers may appreciate the sake more than the flowers
themselves, but all enjoy the time outside in fresh spring air!
Tea ceremonies are held under trees; folk songs, traditional dances,
beauty pageants, and even parades add to the festive atmosphere.
When: Dates range between March and May, depending on how far
north or south in Japan. Blooms begin appearing in the south first as
winter gives up. Officials predict and forecast the northern progress
of blooms on government websites.
Where: Nationwide
27.
28. Obon:
Although technically not an official national
holiday, Obon (sometimes just bon) is the most widely
observed of Japanese festivals in the summer.
Obon is a three-day celebration of ancestors' spirits that come
home to rest. People visit shrines, temples, and family graves
during Obon. Fires are lit in front of homes and lanterns help
guide the spirits. Much like the Hungry Ghosts Festival
observed in other parts of Asia, Obon is about keeping spirits
happy in the afterlife.
Obon is an important time for families; many head back to
their ancestral homes, causing long transportation delays and
some business closures. Shrines will certainly be busier
during Obon.
When: Obon is based on the lunar calendar. Dates vary from
region to region, but the festival is always in the summer.
Some regions celebrate on July 15, others on August 15 or the
15th day of the seventh lunar month.
Where: Throughout Japan
31. Japanese history
Japan has a history that begins thousands of years ago. Scientists
believe that the Japanese as a whole come from many groups that
migrated to the islands from other parts of Asia, including China
and Korea. Archaeological research, however, suggests that the
Japanese islands were already inhabited by 30,000 BC.
