Japan

Japan

Japan has a very fascinating and multifaceted culture. On one side it has immersed itself in traditions that date back over thousands of years. On the other Japan’s society is in a continual state of constant change, with constant changes in fads and fashions as well as technological development. Over the years culture of Japan has greatly evolved (Saha, 1990). Japan has absorbed many different ideas from different countries around the world throughout the country’s history. Ideas include different forms of cultural expression, customs, as well as technology (Saha, 1990). Japan was able to develop a very unique culture based off these ideas as well as integrating these imports (Saha, 1990). Today, the Japanese lifestyle is a harmonic blend between Asian-influenced traditional culture and Western influenced modern culture.

Religion is a strong tradition in Japanese culture and has been for many centuries. The two main religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism (Rowe, 2011). Buddhism, which originated in India in the sixth century B.C, consists of the teachings of Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha (Rowe, 2011). Shinto, which means the ways of the gods, is the native faith of the Japanese people and can be traced back to the time Japan was founded (Thal, 2006). These two major religions have been co-existing for several centuries and they have even complemented each other. Most people in Japan believe themselves to be either Buddhist or Shintoist, while others considers themselves to be both (Thal, 2006). Although religion is a strong tradition in Japan, today religion does not have a big role in the everyday lives of many of the Japanese people (Thal, 2006). Most Japanese people only practice religious rituals at ceremonies such as weddings, births, and funerals. Christianity, which is one of the primary religions in Western culture, is hardly practiced in Japan. Today, there are approximately one to two million Japanese people who are Christians (Rowe,...