Japan

by yawara in Society, January 11, 2011

Quick facts of Japanese Etiquette, Land Marks, Writing, and Martial Arts.

Japan

Japanese Etiquette

Japan is a wonderful place with peaceful landmarks that attracts so many tourists and the food that brings joy to many, but like many other country Japan has norms and frowned upon when the proper etiquette is not being used. Some etiquette you should know before you visit Japan is:

Do not cross chopsticks.
Do not stick chopsticks vertically into a bowl.
Do not pass food using chop sticks.
Slurping noodles and soup are allowed in restaurants.
It is ok to pick up bowl to eat. (Japanese people do not use spoon so they generally pick up the bowl to drink.)
Seiza (a traditional formal sitting position), if possible, should be used when drinking traditional tea from stores that has mat instead of chairs.

Land Marks in Japan

If you are looking for peace and harmony in Japan, Kyoto is the place to go. In Kyoto there are many places to explore such as the Golden Pavilion, a three-story building on the grounds of the Rokuon-ji temple complex, and is covered in pure golden leaf. Near the golden pavilion, there is a tea garden, were they serve traditional Japanese tea with a golden flaked sweets.

Image via Wikipedia

The Japanese Writing

In Japan we use Hiragana, (The basic component of Japanese writing) Katakana, and kanji (Are Chinese symbols that are used in modern Japanese Writing.) in our writing.

Martial Arts

Martial Arts became popular during the medieval period. During the medieval period Samurais would use Martial Arts, but now martial arts are practiced by Japanese children and greatly respected. Some martial arts include: