Cultures from Around the World

Japan

Staff member: Euan Downward

Welcome to the second edition of Cultures Around the World. If you weren’t here for the first edition of it, I’ll fill you in. Basically, this part of the newspaper is where I give my little take on a random and unique culture from around the world. There are multiple sections to this, each taking up one paragraph, and the sections are: Overview, Values, Language, and Cuisine. I love doing this because it's fun, and it gives a little bit more knowledge about other cultures each month. Now, with that out of the way, let's get started!

To start, I should probably mention the Culture I am doing this month, which is Japanese culture. They have a common spiritual practice that is a mix of Buddhism and Shinto. Some art forms they have are origami, ikebana (flower arranging), and calligraphy, also the Japanese are well known for anime and manga. Many famous people also originate from japan like Hayao Miyazaki the director of the dreamworks classic, Spirited Away, or Shohei Ohtani, one of if not the greatest basketball player of all time (though that can be up for debate). 

Now to start with values, one of the most important values is wa (harmony) which is peace, avoiding unnecessary conflict or making other people a part of it. And also omoiyari (empathy) which is thinking about other people's needs and helping them out with their struggles. Ganbari (perseverance) is vital to and it is the steadfast effort to continue to do something despite hardship or obstacles. Furthermore there is also kansha (gratitude) which is appreciation and thankfulness to others who help your problems.

Now for some facts about their language. They have one of the fastest spoken languages at 8 syllables per second, and it shares no relation to other languages spoken around it like Korean or Chinese. Also their period dots are a hollow circle. Japanese text combines 3 writing systems, Hiragana, katakana, and kanji. It is non-tonal meaning it does not rely on the tone of your voice, instead it relies on the pitch of your voice. The Japanese language has no legal backing declaring Japanese as its official language, and they put verbs at the ends of the sentences (example I apples eat).

Now finally, time to talk about their cuisine. Which is known for seafood, rice, and slow and careful preparation, it heavily focuses on umami flavor which is one of the five basic tastes and it means savory deliciousness. One of the many famous dishes of japan is sushi which is vinegared rice with seafood and vegetables and has many types like nigiri, uramaki, and maki. Another famous dish is ramen, which is chewy wheat noodles, the broth which is a flavorful base made by slowly cooking pork bones, chicken, seafood, and vegetables in water. It can have a lot of toppings but some common ones are, sliced eggs, sliced pork, bamboo shoots, and dried onions.