Shinto, is one the earliest and largest indigenous faith of the Japanese people, as old as Japan itself. Its name comes from the Chinese words, “shin tao.” In Japanese, Shinto means “the way of the Gods”. It is folkways and spiritual feeling toward the awesomeness, the purity, the beauty of unspoiled nature. Alongside Buddhism, Shinto is considered as one of the major religion of Japan. Shinto is also known as kami-no-michi. 

          As we know, Shinto is ancient Japanese religion. Unlike the Bible in Christianity or Qur’an in Islam, Shinto is without the core of sacred text. Shinto also has no real founder, no body of religious law, and only a very loosely-organized priesthood. Instead, there are books of lore and history such as “The Kojiki” and “The Rikkokushi”, to supply the stories and backgrounds to many Shinto beliefs. Starting about 500 BCE, Shinto was originally, “an amorphous mix of nature worship, fertility cults, divination techniques, hero worship, and shamanism.” The history of Shinto recorded dates back to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki period. Both are compilations of prior oral traditions. The Kojiki establishes the Japanese imperial family as the foundation of Japanese culture, being the descendants of Amaterasu Omikami. There is also a creation myth and a genealogy of the gods. 

          However, the Nihonshoki was more interested in creating a structural system of government, foreign policy, religious hierarchy, and domestic social order. There is an internal system of historical Shinto development that configures the relationships between Shinto and other religious practices over its long history, the inside and outside Kami, which are spirits. The inside or ujigami or clan Kami roles that supports cohesion and continuation of established roles and patterns, and the hitogami or outside Kami, bringing innovation, new beliefs, new messages, and some instability. Shinto was made Japan’s state religion in the Meiji period. Shinto priests became state officials, important shrines started to received governmental funding, Japan’s creation myths were used to foster an emperor cult, and efforts were made to separate and emancipate Shinto from Buddhism.

           In Shinto faith, “Shinto Gods” are called kami. They are the sacred spirits that take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility. Besides that, human are also considered to have become spirits after they have died and living human are surrounded by these spirits. These human spirits are revered by their families as ancestral kami. There are no absolutes in Shinto as there are many monotheist religions in contrast. Moreover, there is also no absolutes of right and wrong and the fact that there is nobody is perfect in this world. An optimistic faith as Shinto itself, human are thought to be fundamentally good, and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits.   Consequently, the purpose of most Shinto rituals is to keep away evil spirits by purification, prayers and offerings to the kami. Shinto shrines are the places of worship and the homes of kami. Most shrines celebrate festivals (matsuri) regularly in order to show the kami the outside world. In Shinto, there are usually Shinto priests perform Shinto rituals and often live on the shrine grounds. Shinto faith also allows both men and women to become priest, and there are also no rules that prevent them from marrying and have children as they are allowed. During any rituals and shrine tasks, priests are usually aided by young women, called miko. However, unlike the priests, miko must be unmarried, wear white kimono and often the priest’s daughters.   

          Today, Shinto is different from the olden days. Most people seek support from Shinto by praying at a home altar or by visiting shrines. A whole range of talismans are available at shrines for traffic safety, good health, success in business, safe childbirth, good exam performance and more. A large number of wedding ceremonies are held in Shinto style. Death, however, is considered a source of impurity, and is left to Buddhism to deal with. Consequently, there are virtually no Shinto cemeteries, and most funerals are held in Buddhist style.

          Shinto is indeed totally different from other religion. Because Shinto coexists with Buddhism and Confucianism and their ethical values, it’s hard, and not very useful, to isolate the distinctly Shinto elements in Japanese ethics. Confucian values in particular have inspired much of the Japanese ethical code. Unlike other religions, Shinto ethics are not based on a set of commandments or laws that tell the faithful how to behave, but on following the will of the kami. So a follower of Shinto will try to live in accordance with the way of the kami, and in such a way as to keep the relationship with the kami on a proper footing. But it’s important to remember that the kami are not perfect – Shinto texts have many examples of kami making mistakes and doing the wrong thing. This clear difference with faiths whose God is perfect is probably why Shinto ethics avoids absolute moral rules. The overall aims of Shinto ethics are to promote harmony and purity in all spheres of life. Purity is not just spiritual purity but moral purity of having a pure and sincere heart. 

          Shinto has no moral absolutes and assesses the good or bad of an action or thought in the context in which it occurs in a circumstances, intention, purpose, time, location, are all relevant in assessing whether an action is bad. Shinto ethics start from the basic idea that human beings are good, and that the world is good. Evil enters the world from outside, brought by evil spirits. These affect human beings in a similar way to disease, and reduce their ability to resist temptation. When human beings act wrongly, they bring pollution and sin upon themselves, which obstructs the flow of life and blessing from the kami. In Shinto, there are things which are usually regarded as bad such as, things which disturb kami, things which disturb the worship of kami, things which disrupt the harmony of the world, things which disrupt the natural world, things which disrupt the social order and things which disrupt the group of which one is a member.

          As a conclusion, Shinto is one of the urban religions that still existed in this world. There are still many people carrying on with this ancient tradition. 

I am starting my response paper by raising my complicatedness about Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. My complicatedness basically formed because of the curiosity to know about religion in the world, including Eastern Asian Religion. The very question that always comes up is, are Taoism and Confucianism considered as religion or just a philosophical teaching? Some people might think that I did not have to raise this question, because the meaning of religion is too broad and there is no exact definition about religion. But, ethically critic, If Lau Tse and Kung teaching can consider as a religion, then why Aristotle’s or Plato’s teaching not considered as religion.

Both Taoism and Confucianism were considered as basic Chinese religion. Their concept is almost the same. Their concept such as: Recognition of Multiple Gods and Spirits, Ying and Yang, Filial Piety and Ancestor Worship, Divination, Development of Belief in the Shang Ti and Decline of Feudal system.[1] But one of the most powerful teaches in Taoism or Confucianism is their philosophy of Ying and Yang.  It is the symbol that all the tings in this world created “berpasangan.” If there is a good thing, there is also a bad thing. Yin is characterized as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity and nighttime. In contrast, Yang is characterized as fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime.[2]

Shinto is a national religion in Japan. It’s a real native Japanese religion. However, many people got misunderstood thinking that Shinto is apart of Buddhism. And it wasn’t. Buddhism is Buddhism itself, while Shinto is Shinto itself. People might be confused because seeing how people in Japanese seem to combine between Shinto of Buddhism. It’s actually the reaction of syncretism. And this is what happened in Japan. Some people born as a Shinto but died as a Buddhism. It is because the concern about life in this world is served by Shinto, while the concern about life after death served by Buddhism.

In Indonesia itself, Only Confucianism that was recognized as religion by the State. The adherent of Confucianism could mention their identity as Confucianism. They are also finally got some budget from the government. But not for the Shinto and Taoism. Maybe someday the country will accept them. Who knows?

[1]  Read, Hopfe, Lewis M., and Mark R. Woodward. “Religions Originating in China and Japan.”Religions of the World. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2011. 170-73. Print.

[2] Osgood, Charles E. “From Yang and Yin to and or but.” Language 49.2 (1973): 380–412. JSTOR. 1 November 2011, jstor.org

Matsuri (祭, Matsuri) is a Japanese word that means within the meaning of Shinto rituals dedicated to the US, while the meaning of secularism means of festivals, feasts and celebrations. Matsuri is held in many places in Japan and are usually Jinja or temples, although there are also Matsuri held church and Matsuri are associated with religious institutions. In the Kyushu region, Matsuri, held in the fall called the Kunchi.

Most matsuri was carried out with the intention of praying for the success of the capture of fish and harvest (rice, wheat, beans, barley, maize) success, success in business, healing and immunity to diseases, disaster safety, and as a token of appreciation after successfully completing a heavy service. Matsuri is also to celebrate the traditions associated with the change of station or famous ghosts pray. The meaning of the ceremony and the time after the execution of various matsuri with the objectives of the matsuri. Matsuri which have the same objectives and intentions can have different meanings depending on the ritual area.

When implementing Matsuri almost always possible to find procession or parade of Mikoshi, Dashi (Danjiri) and Yatai all of which are the names of the vehicle or the object of worship of us. The Matsuri also found Chigo (small children in procession), Miko (ritual performer of girls), Tekomai (men dressed as women), Hayashi (a typical music Matsuri), dancers, actors and spectators who dress up and dressed, and shocked the market a wide range of food and games.

Mineral Water Springs:

America can be proud of its own, famous mineral water springs, such as Saratoga Springs, New York, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Hot Springs, Arkansas, and French Lick, Indiana. just as the ones in Bath. England, Aachen, Germany, and Aix-les-Bains, France.  Mineral waters are chemically analyzed to ascertain their content, prior to putting these into pure water.

Shinto:

The ancient, native religion of Japan is known as Shinto, with more than 51,000,000 adherents.  It means “the way of the gods.”  Ancients Japanese followers of Shinto believed in a plurality of gods, good and bad. Good gods were called Kami, meaning “superior,” propitiated with prayers and offerings.  However, years later, Shinto was combined with another ideology (way of life), namely, Buddhism. The combination was known as Ryobu-Shinto.  In spite of the combination, the gods of the Shinto religion  were not included with Buddhism. In the 18th century, there was a movement in Japan, opposing foreign influences, until, in spite of blending with the teachings of Buddha, Shinto had become the official religion of Japan.   Later, the variety of gods had become insignificant, leaving intact rites and ceremonies, held sacred at the emperor’s court, to the extent that the emperor himself began to be considered divine.

Shorthand:

The system of writing, without spelling the words, was known as shorthand.  The use of symbols stand for sounds of words.  Such systems of writing are presently more or less obsolete.  Prior to the age of computers, there were two most popular systems of shorthand, namely, Pitman and Gregg. These were  written  in a stenographer’s notebook with lines, similar to a school tablet. The Pitman system was invented by Sir Isaac Pitman, an Englishman (1813-1897). He called it phonography (writing of sounds). It was later changed to shorthand. The Gregg system  was invented by Hohn Robert Gregg, an Irishman.  While the Pitman system was somewhat difficult to grasp, the Gregg system was considered to be simplified.

Importance of Silk:

The texture of silk is unique, not only because of its beauty, but also its fitness and strength. As is well-known, its use includes the manufacture of fine screens for sifting powder, parachutes, as well as bags that hold gunpowder. It is also used to manufacture women’s fine stockings. It can be woven into different kinds of fabric, such as taffetas, satin, crepe, all of which can be dyed in any color.  Nowadays, silk has been replaced by nylon and other man-made materials.

‘Shinto’ means ‘the way of the gods’, and along with Buddhism, is one of Japan’s major religions. It has no one supreme God, and no sacred scriptures. Their belief is in Kami (Shinto gods), which are sacred spirits inherent in everything. Shinto religion holds that humans are fundamentally good, and after death, people become Kami. Many Shinto rituals are performed to dispel evil spirits.

Weddings were traditionally held in a Shinto shrine, where all important ceremonies are conducted. Today, they are often held in Shinto sanctuaries near a reception venue. The ceremony is presided over by a priest, who purifies all who are present (usually family members). The couple’s matchmaker may attend, but today this is often for ceremonial purposes only.

Shinto weddings embrace Japanese heritage and exchanging vows is the most important part of the ceremony:-

• For the wedding ceremony the bride will wear a ‘shiromuku’ (white kimono). This dates back to the days of the Samurai, and white symbolises not only the beginning of her new life, but the death of her old one
• The pure white of the shiromuku worn by the bride, represents her willingness to be dyed any colour, to conform to her new family’s ways
• These bridal gowns were considered so precious that they were often handed down through the generations and made into bedding
• The brides head is likely to be covered in an hood that is said to hide her ‘horns of jealousy’ and envy that her mother-in-law is head of the family
• In contrast to the brides attire, the groom will wear a simple black kimono
• The Shinto ceremony begins with the priest purifying all those present to ensure that evil spirits are kept at bay
• The bride and groom (or sometimes the matchmaker) offer vows to one another, of faithfulness and obedience, in front of their relatives
• The San-San-Kudo ceremony, which involves the couple passing a cup containing saki between them, helps to seal their bond. This ritual varies according to family traditions, but the cup is often passed as many as nine times between the bride and the groom
• The cup is then offered to the family (and friends, if present), to help celebrate the union and unite the families
• At this stage many couples exchange rings, although this was not a part of traditional wedding ceremonies
• The ceremony concludes in the sanctuary where the couple offer twigs to the Sakaki (sacred tree), in worship to the Kami
• An important part of the betrothal is the giving of gifts as a part of the process of Yui-no. As many as nine items will be passed between the bride and groom, each symbolising a different aspect of happiness and good fortune
• Guests at a Shinto wedding will likely take ‘goshugia’ (a gift of money) to the reception. This money will be wrapped in a special envelope and tied with a red and white cord, which are considered colours of good luck to the Japanese
• The scale of the Shinto wedding reception can vary, but certain formalities will be observed; one in particular is the bride changing her outfit many times, although she will usually begin the celebrations wearing a red kimono

© Copyright J M Lennox. All Rights Reserved.

Cover of My Geisha

“My Geisha,” starring Yves Montand and Shirley Maclaine, has long been one of my favorite movies. Ms. Maclaine plays an actress married to her director husband, Yves Montand, that deep-throated baritone crooner of the French persuasion, and the story is a charming cat-and-mouse tale of loving deception and frolick across continents, with the heroine eventually succeeding in concealing her identity and dressing as a geisha in order to star in her husband’s movie set in Japan.

My husband and I have not been given to such charades, as life frequently is more fanciful than Hollywood could ever conceive.

I traveled to Japan to attend my son’s wedding. Curiously, my son met his wife to be in Israel, my own birthplace. The wedding was a relatively small and intimate affair of about 50 invitees, one of whom was cast as photographer for the event. He was intended as my match, though I didn’t know it at the time. When I arrived at my son’s father-in-law’s home, I was directed with flourish to an empty doorway, and as I cranked my neck to look inside, out came my intended, white tie, dark blue dress pants and the shiniest smile I had seen in a long while. I said hello, he said hello, and then I remembered that I was in Japan and bowed, he bowed, and I bowed back, not knowing when such rituals were supposed to end. My son, in his irreverent best, brought the awkward bowing to an end by asking, “Ready, Ma?” That was my cue to get going to the church.

During the ceremony at the church, this nicely-clad gentleman would hop hither and yon in his socked feet to take photographs ostensibly of the young couple, but more often than not, he would peer at me through the viewfinder, and wound linger there, presumably focusing the lens in my direction. It was hot that September day, and hotter still by the realization that a match had been made. But he lived in Japan and I lived on the other side of the world! How could such a match resolve?

But life has a way of forging fences which would otherwise remain as guardians of our best intentions. When I returned home, my intended and I began a long-distance telephone relationship, burning the wires and our respective bank accounts, while contributing richly to the coffers of the phone companies. We spoke daily; we spoke, as it were, through our respective dictionaries, as neither one spoke the other’s language. That we managed to somehow communicate some basic values dear to each of us within marriage was astounding. Yet, we did. My husband to be fell in love immediately; it took me a bit longer.

Through painfully intricate communication, we made plans to meet in San Francisco over Thanksgiving, then again in Hawaii over the New Year holiday. We crossed international datelines, and had several encounters around the world as our way of getting to know each other, all the time still talking on the phone and ironing out the logistics of our life together.

Ten months after our initial meeting, we were married in a Shinto ceremony in full regalia, with the hypnotic clang of chimes as the monk chanted his incantations. I sipped the sake, we exchanged vows in Japanese, which, though I did not understand, still resonated with the well-wishing of family and friends who had come to celebrate our union.

That was 20 years ago.

Tokugawan Japan introduced the bakuhan system of class relationships throughout society. It was required by law that all (non-elite) people belong to one of four classes: warriors (samurai), farmers, artisans and merchants, which was abbreviated to shi-no-ko-sho. Within this overall structure, the strictest demarcation was between the samurai and the other three classes. Laws dictated that samurai wear two swords in public and no one else was permitted to do the same; the rights of samurai to tax the farmers were enshrined in law to formalize the principle of violence above diligence and through this means the aristocratic elites could enforce their will throughout remote parts of the country. Farmers represented more than 80% of the population and the samurai just 7%, with the mostly urban-dwelling artisans and merchants representing the remainder of the population. These last two classes also had their rights and duties circumscribed according to laws based on neo-Confucianist principles.

These classes affected men, mostly, with women confined to minor status. Within the family, where women were expected to restrict themselves, absolute obedience was demanded by the head of the household (kacho) and, among members of the household, the principle of damson-joshi (respect for men and contempt for women) was upheld. In contrast to Confucianism, therefore, the bakuhan system placed nearly all the stress on the duty the social inferior should show to the superior and much less stress on the responsibility of the superior to protect and take care of the inferior.

A rigidly enforced class structure such as this in pre-modern Japan inevitably requires systems and laws to keep people in their ordained positions and to prevent social mobility. Ultimately, of course, this leads to weakening of the state as those appointed to positions of power are selected by the accident of birth rather than merit. It also spread a shadow over all forms of artistic, cultural and imaginative activity and ensured that any seeking to dissent from the social norms be considered a criminal or traitor and treated appropriately.

In medieval England, Catholicism was the most powerful, rich and influential religion, as everyone believed that Heaven, Hell and God existed. The people would also learn of the horrors of Hell whenever they went to Church. The Church had total control over everyone and peasants had to pay a tithe which was 10% of everything they earned per year to the Church. Peasant would have very little money so they would mainly pay in seeds, grains and animals. Also, the peasants had to work for nothing on Church land. You also had to pay for baptisms, weddings and burials. Failure to go to church, work on Church land, pay a tithe, be baptised and be buried on holy land was said to make you go to Hell, which was feared by everyone. The Church also didn’t have to pay taxes. This is why Catholicism was so rich and influential as well as having a large effect on people’s lives.

Shinto, however, wasn’t so controlling. It didn’t have dominance over people and there wasn’t any Heaven or Hell in it. Instead, they believed in kami, which are Shinto Gods and that people became kami when they died. Kami would take the shape of things in nature, such as mountains, rivers, trees and rocks. Shinto isn’t a ‘being’ like Catholicism and you don’t have to give it any money. People believed that everyone was good and any evil is caused by evil spirits. The purpose of most Shinto rituals is to keep away evil spirits by prayers, donations to the kami and purification. Shinto is different to most religions as there isn’t heaven or hell, there’s no founder and there’s no primary book. It has been here since prehistoric Japan and children are taught to respect their ancestors, their leaders and the natural features of the world to show gratitude to the kami.

When Confucianism arrived in Japan, it was quickly accepted because it has a very similar philosophy to Shinto. In Confucianism, the Japanese recognized truths that are shown in Shinto, like honesty, fairness, harmony and ancestor worshipping. Confucian principles were adopted but were mainly mixed with Shinto beliefs. Buddhism was probably the most influential non-Japanese religion practiced in Japan. It had a powerful effect on the Japanese and to them, it was an established tradition. The philosophy, especially the part about the elimination of world suffering, was very appealing to the Japanese. Like Confucianism, it has similar traits to Shinto like how it worshipped many gods, how it didn’t offer a ‘creed’ that followers had to believe and how it didn’t concentrate on particular gods. Lastly, it taught something that Shinto lacked: the philosophy of life and death. Buddhism taught how if you were impure when you died, you would go through the process of reincarnation unlike Shintoists who accepted death as the end of existence. People believed in Buddhism with Shinto believed that kami were the spirits that were stuck in the reincarnation cycle. That is why Buddhism went well with Shinto and Confucianism.

To praise God, the Church built many cathedrals, churches and monasteries, many of which are still visitable today. To work on building a cathedral would be a great honour and you had to belong to a guild to do skilled work. The builders had great motivation though-they were told that if they died while building a cathedral or a church they would go straight to heaven. A cathedral is basically a church with a bishop, a lot more features and they were normally built in the important cities such as York and Canterbury. Cathedrals were used for baptism, marriage, funerals and a meeting area whenever someone important wanted to give a speech. There is also a ‘parish church’ in the middle of every town and each one has stained windows to help people who can’t read learn the story of the Bible. Most cathedrals and churches did not have seats, as they do today so people would either kneel on the floor to pray or stand up to listen to the sermons. People would go to church every Sunday where they prayed, learnt the horrors of hell and to help live their lives by God’s laws.

Japanese people worship the kami at Shinto shrines, which are said to be the homes of kami. Most shrines regularly celebrate festivals to show the kami the outside world. Shinto priests often live near shrines and they perform Shinto rituals. Shrines have one or more torii gates that consist of 2 vertical poles at each end of the street and 2 horizontal bars next to each other at the top. Most torii gates are made of wood and are painted black and orange. They also have a pair of ‘Komainu’ (guardian dog statues) found on each side of a shrine’s entrance. A purification through is found near the entrance and you are supposed to wash your hands and mouth before approaching the main hall. Shrine visitors would write their wishes on wooden plates and leave them at the shrine in the hope that those wishes come true.

The pope was the head of the church and he was known as God’s representative on Earth. Below the pope were the cardinals, who served the pope, elected the pope and became pope when the pope died. Below the cardinals were the archbishops, who were basically a higher rank from a bishop, but their duties were the same. Each bishop/archbishop would have a different duty: some were attached to cathedrals and some acted as advisers to the king. Next were the priests who lived at monasteries and convents, some of which help the community. Last are the villagers who work on church ground. There are also friars who wander around the country preaching and helping people but they aren’t part of the hierarchy. Shinto is completely different as they are just divided into the priests, who live at shrines and the normal people.

Japanese religions and Catholicism were very different from each other during medieval times but it show how different the West and the East were in terms of their religions.

We have all heard and seen the Man in the Moon, and everyone has heard the one about how the moon is made of cheese, and most of us have at least heard the term Harvest Moon, if only because of Neil Young. This last term, Harvest Moon, comes from the Native American Algonquin tribes, for the time of year when crops could be harvested by the light of the moon because of its brightness. They have bestowed special monikers for the full moon each month of the year.

In Abomey, Africa, the moon is a mother goddess called Mawu who brings night, joy peace and coolness. Hindus have Soma, the god of the moon who rides a white horse-drawn chariot through the night sky, providing longevity and in some cases immortality upon his favorites.

In Greek mythology, Apollo and Artemis were twins; Apollo the god of the sun, Artemis the goddess of the moon. The Roman counterpart of Artemis is Diana, both bring the promise of a fresh start and strength in independence.

Japan’s oldest religion, Shinto, names Tsuki-Yomi the moon god. He also had a twin goddess sister. The story goes that she got him invited to dinner with an acolyte of the food goddess who disgusted Tsuki-Yomi by producing the food out of her nostrils, so, offended, he murdered his hostess, which in turn offended his twin sister. His twin sister vowed never to see him again and they parted ways, she to become the sun, he the moon.

The moon plays a huge role in the stories of vampires and werewolves, in romance and births both real and fictional. It influences the tides and patterns in human behavior. The moon has been rhapsodized, looked upon in awe and admiration. It is a harbinger of seasons, of fertility, of joy, luck, and pain. It speaks to us with its silvery rays. And even though the moon might be bleeding, she won’t be leaving her orbit anytime soon. As George Carlin once said, “There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.”

This country is rooted in love of nature, art, and ritual.  However, Japan is the world’s largest and most advanced producer of motor vehicles and electronic equipment.  Many great and wonderful things come out of this tiny island.

Japan is located in Eastern Asia and is an island chain between the Sea of Japan and the North Pacific Ocean.  Though a small island, the population is 128,000,000 people with a density of 337/km2.  The size of the country is only 374,744 square kilometers with 3,091 square kilometers of regional water.  Monarchy is the form of government Japan uses. Currently, the Emperor is Akihito, and the Prime Minister is Junchiro Koizumi and the capital is Tokyo.  

Different from the government, the land of Japan has many characteristics.  Mostly characterized as rugged and mountainous, in some parts of Japan there are small forests.  The most common are subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate and mixed broadleaf forests, and temperate coniferous forests.  In contrast to the forests, there are mountains that provide an abundant supply of ore.  People can mine for bauxite, coal, diamonds, iron, precious metals, lead, lime stone, nickel, phosphate, rock salt, tin, and uranium. 

Not only is there an abundance of mining and forestry, but also agriculture. Japanese people grow rice, sugar, beats, vegetables, and fruits.  In addition pork and poultry are also bred.  Likewise, grain, whaling, eggs, dairy products, and fish are big agriculture products.  Additionally, Japan is the world’s largest and advanced producer of motor vehicles, electronic devices, machine tools, steel and other metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, and processed foods.  This little country is also the home of many manufacturers known here in America, such as Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Sony, Matsushita, Toshiba, Suzuki, and Hitachi.  Japan also has many ways of communication.  In 2002 there were a total of 71,149,000 home telephones, and in 2003 there were 86,658,600 mobile phones.  The internet is also another way to communicate.  In 2003 there were 12, 962, 065 internet hosts, and in 2002 there were 57,200,000 internet users.  Japan also has many tourists.  Many tourists go there to see the thousands of sight seeing spots.  These spots vary from national parks to ancient temples to high tech shopping centers.  There are multitudinous ways to travel to these spectacular sights. There are 147 airports, 15 heliports, 23, 577 kilometers of railways, 1,770 kilometers of waterways, and 702 merchant marine ships.

Home life in Japan is very different from that of the United States.  Instead of suits, ties, dresses, and other clothing Americans wear at traditional occasions, Japanese people wear kimonos.  Kimonos are made of silk, have large sleeves, and reach to the heels.  Not only is the clothing there different, but also the housing.  Most houses in Japan are made of wood and have floors covered in mats called tatimi.  In order to keep the house clean, entering a house with shoes on is not permitted.  People there do not eat many foods from around the world like people in America.  A traditional meal in Japan consists of white rice, fish or some meat (main dish), cooked vegetables (side dish), soup, and pickled vegetables.  Japan also has some favorite pastimes.  The most common is the theater and planting gardens.  Besides the theater and planting gardens, much of a child’s time is devoted to school work.  Ninety-nine percent of the population in Japan can read and write Japanese.  Not only are writing and math taught, but two religions are taught there as well; Shinto and Buddhism.  Eighty-four percent of the population is Shinto and Buddhist and sixteen percent are of other religions; point seven percent of the population are Christians. 

As a way of expression, Japanese people use art.  The art of music is a custom.  It is not uncommon for people to tell stories in the theater with only music.  The art of literature has been passed down through the ages.  However, the literature there is different than America would be used to.  Japanese people write with pictures called story paintings.  Japan also have sculpture and painting there; however, it is not very popular but is very interesting.  People in Japan also perform something called ink painting which is also known as calligraphy.  Calligraphy is a beautiful type of writing which was first influenced by the Chinese. 

The history of Japan dates back to many years ago.  Archeologists say the first sign of civilization was around 10,000 B.C.  This culture was called the Jomon culture.  It is said that Japan was founded in 7th century B.C.  In the year 1185, General Minamoto no Yoritomo was the first to break tradition by ruling along side of the emperor, this was a very historical moment in Japan.  Another very historical moment was in the 16th century when traders and missionaries from Portugal reached Japan for the first time.  This initiated the Naban or the “southern barbarian” period.  Although there have been many special events in Japan’s history, this was one of the greatest.  In 600 B.C, Emperor JIMMU granted Japan independence.  In the same way, there have been some historical moments recently. On May 3, 1947, Japan’s constitution was written.  In addition, there was a major stock market crash in 1990 which Japan is still recovering from to this day. 

Tourists from all around the world come to see Japan’s wonderful and exciting attractions.  One of the most profitable attractions is Tokyo.  Tokyo is best known for the shopping districts and for the latest high tech gadgets on display.  Tokyo also has the largest fish market in the world.  Another major tourist attraction is the sumo-wrestling head quarters, Kokugikan.  Two other attractions are Mt. Fuji for its spectacular view of the sunset, and the city Osaka for the Osaka Castle.  Also, many tourists visit Japan for historical attractions.  One very popular historical attraction is the city of Nikko for the temples and shrines. Additionally, Kamahura is a historical city where in 1192 the great warlord Yoritomo Minamoto took control of a country from this spot.  Another place of historical interest is Hiroshima, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb during World War II.  Also, one rather interesting attraction is the Noh performances in the theater.  The Noh style performances date back to the 14th and the 15th centuries.  This form of theater usually consists of ghosts and spirits and tells about how good and bad fortune comes in a never-ending cycle.

Japan is a small, plentiful country that has brought joy to people all over the world. Even though they are the leading manufacturers of the newest high tech gadgets, they still have great love and respect for the environment.   These people give humanity an example of love for nature, ritual, and honor.