Preview

Japan Social Aspects

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1716 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Japan Social Aspects
The Japanese culture is unlike any other in the world. It has long been known for it's excellence in education and it's strong background of family and religion. The Japanese way of life is an assortment of art, literature, music and more; it is nothing short of spectacular. I will explain about some of the different aspects of the Japanese life style as well as take a cultural look into the life of the Japanese.

Finding a place to live in Japan isn't easy. Limited supply and high demand result in tiny, hutch size homes with high rent rates. On average, dwellings in Japan have 91.92 square meters (about 989 square feet) of floor space, which is not very much compared to the average house sold in the United States. By Western standards, the Japanese home is very small. In the major cities, most families live in tiny apartments. One third of the housing in Tokyo averages only 121 square feet while the average Japanese home is 989. Land is hard to find and thus extremely expensive. For this reason there are many cultural differences between west and east.

The Japanese do not entertain in their homes as they feel that their houses are not worthy enough to bring in visitors. In fact, typical entertaining for men is in a convenient city location, generally, close to where they work. In the cities, it is not at all unusual for people to travel at least one and a half hours to work in each direction.

Good table manners and good manners in general is a key to the Japanese lifestyle. Eating is considered a very formal activity and is treated with the greatest amount of prestige. Just after you sit down at a table, you are given a hot (or sometimes in the summer cold) damp, white towel called an o-shibori. In a restaurant it is generally wrapped in plastic or is often served on a small oblong tray specifically made to place the o-shibori on. The towel is used to wipe your hands. In less formal situations, Japanese men often wash their faces with the towels, but it is

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    This was a time of ennui for Japanese society. Many people felt locked in to a meaningless existence, in which they just sought out the pleasures of earthly entertainment as they waited to pass on to the next…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In “Confucius Lives Next Door” the author, T. R. Reid, was a bureau chief for Washington Post’s Tokyo bureau. He wrote about his family’s experiences and observations while living there. He saw their culture as a social miracle when he stated “We found a general state of civility, of stability, of public safety.” (Reid 7) I was intrigued by the information provided about things about the culture that allowed people to thrive.…

    • 1768 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The physical land features of Japan reveal the nature, values and religious beliefs of its people. While, Japan’s history is the life and backbone of the present and the power of the future.…

    • 1442 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anth 338 Research Paper

    • 1783 Words
    • 8 Pages

    As the name would suggest, Little Tokyo is fairly little, with its borders spanning a radius of only a few blocks. Walking from one end of the town to the other took no more than five minutes. That afternoon, we started our trip right in the middle of all the activity, into the mouth of a little alley known as the Japanese Village Plaza. People were walking in and out of cosmetic stores, bakeries, bars, gift shops, a brightly lit Sanrio store, cafes, a market, and a number of restaurants serving sushi, shabu shabu, ramen, even Korean barbeque. Many of these shops were playing traditional Japanese music, and interestingly, almost all of the employees that worked in these shops were women. The same could be said about the restaurants, as many of the servers were also women. The chefs on the other hand were all men, which may be one aspect of gender roles in the neighborhood. The Japanese had great pride in serving the food they prepared, something my sister and I noticed while eating at one of the more traditional ramen houses. There was a mixture of different kinds of people that afternoon: several Caucasians and Hispanics, a handful African-Americans, and of course plenty of Asians. There was also a sense of fusion about the Plaza between the East and West. For example, price tags were typically displayed…

    • 1783 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Having a brother in law who married a Japanese girl, Japan seemed a fitting choice for this assignment. The Japanese culture is a world apart from the United States literally and figuratively.…

    • 1991 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Japanese proverb, “Deru kui wa utareru” literally means “The stake that sticks up gets hammered down”. In other words, you should not stand out within the community in Japan. This proverb seems to imply Japanese collectivist society which is very different from Western countries’ more individualistic society. Japan has its own unique cultural history. Japan is an island nation and had been chosen to isolate themselves, even going so far as to shut their borders for any international trade and communication from 1639 to 1854. Because Japanese people have lived in such a small community since long ago, group orientation was widely recognized. The group, such as family, friend, and company is seen as being more important than the individual.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Geishas, Anime, Manga, J-Pop, what do they all have in common? Japanese culture. Japanese culture combines influences from Asia, Europe, and North America. In my opinion, Japanese culture is more unique than the others. They have similar interest as the United States. Geisha’s, sports, Anime, and music are the defining elements when one thinks about Japanese culture.…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Social Reform of Japan

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages

    After its capitulation to the Allied powers in August 1945, Japan underwent a series of vigorous reforms that changed the socio-economic spectrum in many respects. The U.S. initiated such reforms in hopes of democratizing and demilitarizing the nation of Japan, and while the occupation forces may have taken an integral role in initiating the reforms, the Japanese people made them possible.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    People in Japan have so little space for their homes almost everyone lives in apartments. These apartments are so tiny that they usually don’t have enough space for bedrooms. People in Japan will typically convert their living rooms to sleeping quarters by setting out futons. The lack in space for living is also evident in the hotels in Japan. There are some hotels where all you get when you stay at one is a little capsule with a mattress a little TV with headphones and a…

    • 310 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Japanese Culture Essay

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Japan’s culture is rich in history that dates back as far as 100,000 years ago by historians, however official studies dating back to 8,000 years ago. Roughly the size of California, located in the Pacific Ocean, Japan consists of four major islands; Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku as well as thousands of much smaller islands. The general landscape of Japan’s four main islands are mountainous that are sometimes snow covered, the largest being MT. Fuji located on the island of Honshu. In all, two thirds of Japan’s overall landscapes are mountains with forest slopes, short flowing rivers, irregular lakes, and small rich plains that experience the four major seasons. Japan averages temperatures of 79 degrees throughout the year with the coldest…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Journal

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Agricultural society: interior decoration is added, because permanent housing is a norm. Japanese middle or upper class housewives seek to express their status by abandoning three traditional features in Japanese architecture: tatami, shoji, and fusuma.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Analysis Of Gung Ho

    • 4114 Words
    • 17 Pages

    Everyone has a certain place and it’s not questioned, nor does it need to be justified.…

    • 4114 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Japan is a constant discipline culture. You should never think big of yourself. You should always consider, "What will others think of the things that I do?" (qtd. in Richey 2). Everything is ritualized with other human interaction (bowing, honorific speech, serving tea, etc).…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ethnic Gardening

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages

    According to “A guide to the wines of Japan”, alcohol consumption has been apart of the Japanese culture since its early history. The Japanese found that drinking has become a tool to strengthen business and social relationships, says Amanda Schuster.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Culture Shock in Japan.

    • 1443 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Culture is a condition of confusion and anxiety affecting a person suddenly exposed to an alien culture or milieu. There are many different ways to experience culture shock. It can be experienced across the world or as near as one's backyard. Many Americans would venture that they consider themselves very culturally accepting. Often, when these same Americans travel abroad, they experience culture shock. It is not always a negative thing. Often to some American coming to Japan and adjusting to life in Japan can be difficult, since even the most mundane things could be done differently than they would have been done in the U.S, so here are some basic facts of Japan. And remember be patient.…

    • 1443 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays