Japanesehistory
When you hear the word yokai(strange apparition), the first thing that might pop into your head is a turtle-looking kappa or the shapeshifting kitsune fox. Many of the creatures, ghosts and ghoulies you’ve heard of in Japan can fall under the umbrella term yokai. In Japanese (妖怪), yokai refers to something strange, mysterious or unexplained. Before contact with China, the Japanese yokai were formless and obtuse, much like Japanese gods, demons and assorted deities. However, yokai grew popular during the Edo period when Toriyama Sekien wrote his book Night Procession of One Hundred Demons, whic...
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When thinking of Japanese art and artists, our minds tend to follow the usual suspects, such as Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Hokusai’s views of Fuji, the writings of Haruki Murakami and collections of Haiku poetry. However, Japan’s artistic traditions have been shaped by many artists that have yet to receive as much international attention. Here are five Japanese artists you probably haven’t heard of and where to start if you want to know more. 1. Sion SonoSuicide Club, Love Exposure and Why Don’t you Play in Hell? are niche but successful movies made by the brashest auteur to ever come from Japa...
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Despite being cute, relatively unassuming animals, rabbits and hares are found in the myths and tales of a surprising number of countries. From the ancient Greek tales of the foolish hare losing a race to a tortoise because of its arrogance to the cunning trickster rabbits of Native American culture, the carrot-munching creatures are found throughout the world’s cultures and lore. Of course, Japan is no exception; in these isles, the lovable furballs symbolize longevity, good luck and prosperity. In this, the year of the rabbit, GaijinPot goes down the rabbit hole and looks at five ways that t...
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Jinja (shrines) are everywhere in Japan—more than 100,000! They’re not hard to spot. The entryway to a shrine is marked by a large torii (gate). This is in contrast to Buddhist temples that do not have torii gates. Once you pass through the torii, you’ll know you’re in a sacred space. But what kind of sacred space? And what do all the structures and markings mean? With almost 2,000 years of history, there’s too much to cover in one post, but we’ll give you enough to make a shrine visit a little more interesting. Of course, even a casual visit with no prior knowledge can be rewarding. Shrines a...
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For sports fans, when the Japanese women’s volleyball team played their Chinese rivals for the bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics, it culminated in an amazing Olympics for volleyball in Asia. However, for language fans like myself, the one thing that was as exciting as the game was the outfit worn by the Japanese athletes: their outfits said ‘Nippon’ instead of ‘Japan’. The choice to wear Nippon shirts resulted in an influx of queries to the Japanese volleyball association about why Japan had chosen this name. However, for people living in Japan, this may seem strange. After all, Japan is an An...
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Himeji Castle is the largest and perhaps one of the most beautiful castles in Japan. If you’re there during the day, ghost stories might be the furthest thing from your mind. However, summer is traditionally a time for such stories thanks to the Japanese holiday of Obon, when spirits walk the earth. Exploring the castle grounds leads you to the impressive main keep, which looks out over the city and has earned the nickname the White Heron Castle for its appearance. On the way down, you might see people gathered around a fenced-in well, looking down through the grate over it. It’s one of the la...
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Around July in Japan, you’ll start seeing ads for unagi (freshwater eel) everywhere. This is because of a special holiday called doyo no ushi no hi or “midsummer day of the ox” in English—a day in mid-July to celebrate the transitional period between spring and summer. To celebrate, people eat unagi, thought to be filled with healthy vitamins and nutrients to enhance their stamina so they can get through Japan’s hot summer days. Typical dishes include unagi kabayaki, skewered and cooked over charcoal, then dipped in a sweet sticky sauce and unaju (broiled eel on rice). It’s a long-honored trad...
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On July 7, the Japanese Hoshi Matsuri (star festival) called Tanabata is celebrated. The streets of Hiratsuka in Kanagawa Prefecture will be lined with food carts visited by young women in yukata (traditional summer clothes) and the young men escorting them. Millions of Japanese people all over Japan will enjoy one of the first festivals of the summer. Children will hang tanzaku (wishes written on strips of paper) on tree branches, and adults will nostalgically recall the summer festivals of their own youths. If the sky is cloudless, those with romantic inclinations will look expectantly at th...
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Pets in rich countries are increasingly pampered and treated as prized family members. On the streets of Japan, this contemporary phenomenon manifests daily in the form of people pushing a stroller occupied by one or more furry family members wearing warm sweaters and perhaps even diapers. This almost human treatment has progressed so far that pets are being afforded funeral rites previously limited to human beings within the last couple of decades. Is there not something within the doctrines of the native religion Shinto, or else the imported but more dominant religion Buddhism, that might ex...
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In 1569, a port was established in Nagasaki to harbor Portuguese merchant ships, which brought not only trade but Christianity to Japan. Catholic influence grew so strong that Nagasaki was referred to as “Little Rome.” However, once Christianity was banned in 1614, the threat of persecution led Japanese followers to practice their faith in secret and form Kakure Kirishitan, the hidden Christians of Japan. In 2018, twelve sites linked to the Kakure Kirishitan culture were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, bringing this dark, enthralling part of Japan’s history into the light. It’s taken ...
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