Shinto and Buddhism 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

Most of Japanese people are either Buddist or Shinto! You must know of buddism, but whats Shinto? Shinto is a Japanese religion dating from the early 8th century and incorporating the worship of ancestors and nature spirits and a belief in sacred way ( kami ).

A typical Japanese meal usually involves a number of dishes on the table rather than a main course. Japan has its own identity of traditional cuisine there are early influences from Korea, China and South East Asia. Miso soup is a popular dish made from miso paste (fermented soya beans and barley) and containing various accoutrements such as tofu and/or vegetables. Sushi is also a popular Japanese meal which involves vinegared rice with seafood, raw fish or vegetables.

The dominant spoken language is Japanese (Nihongo) which is the sixth most spoken language in the world with more than 99% of the population using it!

Japan’s economy centred around agriculture, fisheries and forestry but the decline in this sector saw a move towards manufacturing, wholesale retailing and the service industry. Japan suffered considerable economic decline in the 1990s although they were able to maintain their economic power internationally. The devastating earth quake in 2011 had a catastrophic impact upon the infrastructure and economy. The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, embarked on an ambitious program of economic reform and in the first quarter of 2017 statistics suggest that Japan’s economic growth has increased.

(The photo reminds me of Time Square in New York!)

In Japan people have two names, the surname and the given name. The surname comes before the given name and is inherited from the father.

Greetings in Japan are very formal and ritualized. It is important to show the correct amount of respect and deference to someone based upon their status relative to your own. It is considered impolite to introduce yourself, even in a large gathering. While foreigners are expected to shake hands, the traditional form of greeting is the bow. How far you bow depends upon your relationship to the other person as well as the situation. The deeper you bow, the more respect you show. If your a foreign visitor ('gaijin') may bow the head slightly, since no one expects foreigners to generally understand the subtle nuances of bowing.

"San," "Kun," and "Chan" are added to the ends of names and occupation titles to convey varying degrees of intimacy and respect in the Japanese language.

• "San" - Is attached to the name of occupations and titles.
• "Kun" - Address men who are younger or the same age as the speaker.
• "Chan" - Is often attached to children's names when calling them by their given names.

If you ever stumble upon being invited to someones house, heres what to do!

Remove your shoes before entering and put on the slippers left at the doorway. Leave your shoes pointing away from the doorway you are about to walk through. Arrive on time or no more than 5 minutes late if invited for dinner. If invited to a large social gathering, arriving a little bit later than the invitation is acceptable, although punctuality is always appreciated. Unless you have been told the event is casual, dress as if you were going into the office. If you use the toilet, put on the available toilet slippers and remove them when you are finished. Do not wear them back out of the bathroom.