The document discusses aspects of Japanese culture from the perspective of someone who grew up in Japan until age 15. It defines culture and then examines various elements of Japanese culture, including how rice and characters were imported from China. It explores criteria like perceptions, beliefs, values, attitudes, language, and contextual influences. Specific examples are provided for many of these criteria. The document closes by reflecting on learning more about one's own culture and the influence of religions like Shintoism and Buddhism.

1. Conceptual Application
~Japanese
COMM 215 M a ay a L o ng o

3. Definition of Culture
Culture is practices, beliefs, and
types of people as a whole.
Everything that people do and think
are part of their culture.

5. Japanese
◆ I am a member of Japanese culture. I was born and grew
up in Japan until 15 years old.
◆ Japan developed its original and distinctive culture, but
some of Japanese cultures are originally from China. For
example, rice and Japanese characters called kanji are big
part of our culture, yet they were imported from China
and effected our culture greatly. According to Jirousek,
Japan developed unique culture because Japan was
isolated from rest of the world during 17th to 19th
centuries.

7. Criteria
• Perception
• Beliefs
• Values
• Attitudes
• Language
• Contextual Influences

9. Perceptions
• Perception is how individuals choose,
view, and receive meanings and make
thoughts about the situation.
• In Japan, people don’t wear shoes in
the house; therefore, they most likely
will think it’s rude if someone steps in
the house without taking shoes off.
• If Japanese people see Americans
eating sunflower seeds, they might
think it’s strange because it’s not
common snack in Japan.

11. Beliefs
• Beliefs are thoughts and ideas toward
object and event that people have
within individuals, and what make each
of us unique.
• Japanese people often stay where they
live for whole life because they believe
in passing down the family property.
• Japanese people often pray to their
ancestor because they believe that their
ancestors are watching down from the
heaven.

13. Values
• Values are the scale that
individuals have, and it helps us
to decide what is more
important than the other.
• Japanese people find
importance in unity, so they
prefer to be like everyone else.
• Japanese men often value their
social status. They might choose
to socialize with their boss, and
rely on wife to take care of the
family.

15. Attitudes
• Attitudes are depend on beliefs and
values, and it’s how we respond and
act to surroundings.
• Some teenager boys stop having
close relationship with mother
because they don’t want to be
considered as mommy’s boy.
• Relationship between employees
and their boss might seem like cold
and unfriendly, but it’s part of
showing respect to their boss.

17. Language
• Language represents and defines
its culture and unites people and
culture together.
• When parents give name to the
child, they consider the meanings
that each characters have. ( -Ai-
love)
• Some area in Japan developed
their own language including
accents, and it represent them as
their unique culture.

19. Contextual Influences
• Contextual influences are rules that
each culture sets for people to behave
in certain way.
• In japan, students are taught to respect
older people. Starting in junior high
school, it is almost required to say
“hello” when you pass by people who
are above your grade.
• At occasions like wedding and funerals,
guests are usually treated with gifts for
the sign of appreciation from the
family.

21. Nonverbal Behavior
• Nonverbal behavior is ways that we
give and receive meanings by
physical expression.
• Japanese people bow to show
respect, and it’s often to older
people and at formal places.
• When calling someone, fingers
toward ground and move them
back and forth. This hand signal
means “go away” to Americans, but
it means “come” in Japanese
culture.

23. Religious
• Often people’s worldview forms based on their
religion.
• Most Japanese people believe in it’s called
“Shinto” and “ Buddhism,” and they believe in
nature and spirits. Unlike Christians, most
people might say they don’t belong in any
religion, but their beliefs, values, and attitudes
are originated in these religions.
• “Obon” is one of event that people believe their
ancestors’ spirits return to the world and come
visit their families during this time.

25. Closing

26. • I didn’t realize that there are so many unique things about
my culture, and I appreciate more for being part of
Japanese culture. In this project, I was able to see my
culture from different angle which allowed me to have
opinions in my own culture. I found that Japanese culture
has some different perspective toward communication and
how people behave. It was interesting to see that our
beliefs, religions, and all of components effect on forming
perception and that’s what make us unique. By examining
how people behave, I realized that there are differences
between individuals, but all of us belongs to our culture in
some way.

27. • One of my biggest finding was about the religions. I was
one of Japanese who says I don’t have any religion, but by
learning deeper, I found myself belong to religion in some
way. I learned that our common beliefs are actually
originated in religions even most of us don’t realize the
fact. I also realized that reasons for our behaviors can be
found in our original beliefs that are different from other
cultures.

28. • After completing this project, I now know that Japanese
culture has many unique behaviors more than I ever
imagined. Although, I didn’t realize that those are original
and unique even many of them I practiced in my daily
basis. I can now appreciate more for knowing the
meanings behind our culture.

29. • Samovar, Larry A., Porter, Richard E., and McDaniel, Edwin R. Intercultural
Communication Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009.
• Jirousek, Charlotte. “Japan: Historic Background.” Art, Design, and Visual
Thinking 1995. <http://char.txa.cornell.edu/nonwest/japan/japanhis.htm>
• Wood, Monika D. A Brief Introduction to Japanese Society <http://
crab.rutgers.edu/~deppen/Japan.htm>
• Wikipedia. Japanese language <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language>
• B. A. Robinson. “Shinto, an ancient Japanese religion.” Religious Tolerance.org
1995. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/shinto.htm>

30. Work Cited
• Samovar, Larry A., Porter, Richard E., and McDaniel, Edwin R. Intercultural
Communication Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009.
• Jirousek, Charlotte. “Japan: Historic Background.” Art, Design, and Visual
Thinking 1995. <http://char.txa.cornell.edu/nonwest/japan/japanhis.htm>
• Wood, Monika D. A Brief Introduction to Japanese Society <http://
crab.rutgers.edu/~deppen/Japan.htm>
• Wikipedia. Japanese language <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language>
• B. A. Robinson. “Shinto, an ancient Japanese religion.” Religious Tolerance.org
1995. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/shinto.htm>

32. Where I belong...