Japanese Customs and Habits
Japan is known as a "land of etiquette", and it is the custom of the Japanese to pay attention to etiquette. Usually when people meet, they always bow to each other and say "hello", "goodbye", "please take care of me", etc.
Japanese people attach great importance to exchanging business cards when they meet for the first time. If you don't bring a business card to your first meeting, it's not only rude but the other person will think you're not easy to get along with. When exchanging business cards, bow first and pass the business card with both hands. After receiving the other party's business card, you should read it carefully to see clearly the other party's identity, position, and company, and nod to indicate that you know the other party's identity. The Japanese believe that business cards are a representative of a person and treat business cards as if they are themselves. It is considered impolite to just put the business card into your pocket without reading it. If you are going to participate in a business negotiation, you must deliver business cards to everyone in the room and accept their business cards without leaving out anyone. Although this takes a lot of time, it shows mutual friendship and respect. a way.
When visiting a Japanese home, you must make an appointment with the host in advance and ring the doorbell to announce your name before entering. If the house does not have a doorbell, never knock on the door. Instead, open the sliding door and ask: "Excuse me, is there anyone inside?" After entering the house, take the initiative to take off your clothes and hat, and take off your scarf (but be aware that even The weather is hot, and you cannot wear a vest or bare feet, otherwise it will be rude), put on spare slippers, and give the gifts you brought to the host. When you sit in the house, it is polite to sit with your back to the door. Only with the persuasion of the host can you move to a distinguished position (referring to the seat in front of the alcove with various artworks and decorations). Specially prepared for VIPs). Japanese people are not used to letting guests visit their homes, so don't make requests to look around. Japan is particularly taboo about men breaking into the kitchen. You must also ask for the owner's permission to use the toilet. When eating, if you don't know how to eat a certain meal, you should ask the host for advice. When picking up food, you should turn your chopsticks over and use them. When saying goodbye, the guest should first propose it and express his gratitude to the host. When you return to your residence, call the person to tell them that you have returned safely and thank them again. When you meet your owner again after a while, don’t forget to express your gratitude.
When the Japanese hold a banquet, the traditional way of toasting is to place a bowl filled with water in the middle of the table and place a piece of clean white gauze in front of each person. Before pouring the wine, the host first Rinse the wine glass in clean water, press the rim of the glass down on the gauze so that the water droplets are absorbed by the gauze, then fill the glass with wine and pass it to the guests with both hands. After the guests have finished drinking, they do the same to show the friendship and intimacy between the host and guest.
Japanese people bring gifts whether they are visiting relatives or friends or attending banquets. A family spends 7.5% of its monthly income on gifts. When visiting a Japanese home, you must bring gifts. The Japanese believe that sending a gift is much more meaningful than saying "thank you" because it expresses gratitude with practical actions. When giving gifts to Japanese people, you must grasp the "value sense". The gifts should be neither too heavy nor too light. If it is too heavy, he will think that you are asking for something from him, and thus infer that your goods or services are not good; if it is too light, he will think that you despise him. When going to a Japanese home for a general visit, it is more appropriate to bring some packaged food, but do not give flowers, because some flowers are used when people are courting or doing funerals. The Japanese pay attention to packaging of gifts. The gifts must be wrapped in several layers and tied with a beautiful ribbon or paper rope. The Japanese believe that the soul of someone at the knot marks the sincerity of the sender. Those who accept gifts usually give gifts in return. Japanese people do not open gifts in front of guests. This is mainly to avoid embarrassing the guests due to the discomfort of the gifts. Gifts that you don't need can be given to others, and Japanese people don't mind this. Japanese people generally do not use even numbers when giving gifts. This is because the "four" in even numbers has the same pronunciation as "death" in Japanese. In order to avoid bad luck, "four" is not used in many occasions. Over time, even numbers such as two, four, and six are simply not given. . They love to send odd numbers, especially three, five, and seven. But "Nine" should also be avoided, because "Nine" and "bitter" have the same pronunciation in Japanese.
Customs:
Japan’s unique geographical conditions and long history have given birth to unique Japanese culture. Cherry blossoms, kimonos, haiku and samurai, sake, and Shintoism constitute two aspects of traditional Japan - chrysanthemums and swords. There are famous "three ways" in Japan, namely the Japanese folk tea ceremony, flower arrangement and calligraphy.
The tea ceremony, also called tea soup (tea tasting party), has been extremely popular among the upper class as an aesthetic ritual since ancient times. The tea ceremony is a unique tea drinking ceremony and social etiquette. Nowadays, the tea ceremony is used to train concentration, or to cultivate etiquette and behavior, and is widely accepted by the general public. There are many schools in Japan that teach techniques of various schools of tea ceremony, and many hotels also have tea rooms where you can easily enjoy tea ceremony performances. But the Japanese tea ceremony was eventually introduced to Japan during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty in China. In ancient times, Japan and China had contacts. During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Japan sent a large number of envoys to China and was deeply influenced by China. The Japanese people say that "China is the hometown of Japanese tea ceremony".
Ikebana was born as a technique for recreating flowers blooming in the wild in a tea room. Depending on the rules and methods of display, ikebana can be divided into more than 20 schools. There are many schools in Japan that teach the techniques of each school. In addition, you can enjoy the art of beautifully decorated flower arrangements in various places such as hotels, department stores, and the lobbies of public facilities. Lotus is taboo and considered to be a funeral flower. Avoid using camellias, chrysanthemums are the symbol of the royal family.
Sumo wrestling originates from Japanese Shinto religious rituals. People hold competitions in temples for the God of Harvest, hoping to bring about a good harvest. During the Nara and Heian periods, sumo was a court spectator sport, and by the Kamakura Warring States period, sumo became part of samurai training. Professional sumo wrestling emerged in the 18th century, and it is very similar to today's sumo competition. Shinto rituals emphasize the sport of sumo wrestling. The purpose of the foot stamping ceremony (looking around) before the game is to drive away evil spirits in the venue and also to relax the muscles. Salt is also sprinkled on the site for purification purposes, because Shinto teachings believe that salt can drive away ghosts. Sumo wrestling matches take place on the stage. The entire platform is square with a circle in the middle, and its diameter is 4.55 meters. During the competition, the two warriors tied their hair in a bun and wore a belt on their lower bodies, making them compete on stage almost naked. During the competition, any part of the wrestler except the soles of his feet may not touch the surface of the platform, and shall not exceed the circle. The game can be decided within a minute or two or even seconds. The sumo referee*** consists of 6 people. The chief referee is "Xingsi" holding a folding fan on the stage, and the other five people are on the front, east, west and referee seats respectively. The highest level of strongman is "Yokozuna". Below are Ozeki, Sekiwaki, Komusubi, and Neck. These four levels are called "Makuuchi" and belong to the upper level of rikishi. Again, there are Juryō and Makushita. In addition, there are even lower level 3rd paragraphs and 3rd paragraph prologue. Students who are in the preface and second stage can only do some odd jobs such as fetching water and sweeping the floor. Only when they reach the third stage, the master will teach some techniques, and those who reach the 12th stage are professional sumo wrestlers. Known as "strong men", not only are they paid, but they can also participate in various competitions to win prizes. There are very few players who can reach the Sekiyeon and Ozeki gates. Once a sumo wrestler reaches yokozuna, it can almost be said that he is standing at the top of the Japanese sumo world and will have the supreme glory for life. There are currently only 68 yokozuna in the history of Japanese sumo wrestling; sumo wrestling is different from many sports in that its level is uncertain, and the level will decline due to failure to participate in the competition or failure.
Kimono is the name of Japan’s traditional national costume. It is also called "a thing" in Japan. Kimono is modeled after Chinese Sui and Tang Dynasty clothing and Wu clothing, so it is called "Wu clothing" and "Tang clothing" in Japan. Kimono is the Western name for Wu clothing. Now the Japanese have accepted this title, but many sellers Kimono shops still say "Wufu". From the eighth to ninth centuries AD, "Tang style" clothing was once popular in Japan. Although there were changes in the future to form Japan's unique style, it still contains some characteristics of ancient Chinese clothing. The difference in style and color of women's kimonos is a sign of age and marriage.
For example, unmarried girls wear tight-sleeved outer clothes, and married women wear wide-sleeved outer clothes; they wear "Shimada" hairstyle (one of the Japanese hairstyles, in the shape of a bowl), and girls who wear red-collared shirts have round hair. The one wearing a bun and a plain shirt is a housewife. The kimono does not have buttons, just a knotted obi. There are many types of belts, and the methods of knotting are also different. One of the more widely used knotting methods is called "Taiko Knot". There is a core made of paper or cloth placed inside the waistband at the knotted point on the lower back, which looks like a square box. This is the decoration behind the kimono that we often see. Since knotting was very troublesome, after the war, "improved belts" and "cultural belts" with ready-made knots appeared. Although today's daily clothing of Japanese people has long been replaced by suits, kimonos are still recognized as must-wear dresses in weddings, celebrations, traditional flower arrangements, tea ceremonies and other grand social occasions.
Judo has a wide reputation around the world. The basic principle of judo is not to attack, but to use the opponent's strength to protect himself. The level of the judoka is represented by the color of the belt (beginner: white/advanced: black). Judo is a development of Chinese boxing and originated from Shaolin. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Yuanzan, a Chinese martial arts master, spread Chinese traditional martial arts to Fuso (today's Japan), becoming the first judo that is popular in the modern world.
Kendo refers to the Japanese fencing sport derived from the important martial art of swordsmanship. Competitors follow strict rules, wear special protective gear, and use a bamboo knife to stab each other in the head, body, and fingertips.
Karate is a combat sport introduced to Japan from China via the Ryukyu Kingdom (now Okinawa). Karate does not use any weapons, only fists and feet. Compared with other combat sports, it is a form of sports with considerable practical significance.
Aikido was originally just an exercise used to practice "form". Its basic concept is to resist force without using force. Compared with sports such as judo and karate, Aikido, which is less rough and less rough, is popular among the elderly and women as a mental exercise and fitness exercise.
Calligraphy, when it comes to calligraphy, I believe many people will think that it is an art unique to China. In fact, calligraphy is not only popular in Japan, but also one of the ways for people to cultivate their character. In ancient Japan, calligraphy was called "Rokudo" or "Bido". It was not until the Edo period (seventeenth century) that the term "calligraphy" appeared. In Japan, the use of brushes to write Chinese characters and calligraphy became popular should be after the introduction of Buddhism. Monks and Buddhists imitated China and used brushes to copy scriptures.
Noh drama is a traditional Japanese drama and one of the oldest extant dramas in the world. Noh theater has its roots in ancient dance drama forms and various festival plays held at shrines and temples in Japan in the 12th or 13th century. "Can" means talent or skill. Actors use facial expressions and body movements to hint at the essence of the story rather than show it. This type of drama still has strong vitality in Japan.
Kabuki, like Noh drama, is one of the most representative traditional operas in Japan. Like Peking Opera in China, it is also a comprehensive stage art centered on music and dance, consisting of lines, songs, martial arts scenes, etc. Kabuki originated from a woman named "Izumo no Aguo" in the early 17th century. She was very good at performing the social customs of the time and was greatly welcomed by people. However, as times changed, Kabuki changed to all roles being played by men, even women, and this tradition continues to this day.
Sushi is a kind of food that is made from sashimi (さしみ), raw shrimp, raw fish meal, etc., mixed with white rice, vinegar, seafood, horseradish, etc., and is kneaded into rice balls and eaten. There are many types of sushi, no fewer than hundreds, and sushi in various regions also has different characteristics. Most of them are made with rice and vinegar, then fish, meat, eggs are wrapped in seaweed or tofu skin. When eating raw fish sushi,