When speaking of Japan in the modern sense, it’s very different from what is the norm in the United States. Its nickname is “The land of the rising sun” due to the translation of it’s name, which means “sun-origin”, as said by wikipedia.org. There are many different cultural customs and the attitudes of it’s people are far different from ours. It’s a small island with a prominent culture, it has one of the most famous cities of today, Tokyo. The Japanese are very technologically advanced and it shows. People are commonly semi-fluent in English and you are usually able to communicate as a tourist, being virtually unknown to it’s land. In Japan, they very much stress the importance of being polite, quiet, and live long lives. Carried down from years old tradition, the elderly are still valued and considered wise.

Starting with Technology, the effects of their fast growing industriousness are apparent from city buildings and architecture, yet they do not frequent the use of cars. Instead, you’ll still see that random man on a bicycle pedaling casually down the street with a solemn, calm expression. What’s ironic is that they are a large producer and manufacturer of cars and created such companies as Toyota and Honda. In most places, you will be treated quite kindly, and crime is in small numbers. You will notice that everything is very condensed in Japan. You could possibly stay at a place on vacation that is just a small compartment with a bed and a shelf. Very different from our views in which we have the fancy, spacious hotel room with the flowers on the table, the mints on the pillows.

Japan has a large population, so of course, almost everyone lives in a tiny apartment. Being influenced to be polite definitely makes living in close quarters quite peaceful. In Japan, schooling is very different than in America. Students may attend school all week, or 6 out of 7 days and attend a cram school when vying to get into a good high school or university. Most Japanese teens are very versed in their studies and enjoy making good grades.

I’ve noticed a trend in the Japanese culture where being cutesy sells things. In their society, a 25 year old woman could be in a tea commercial acting like she was 11 and it would sell at the drop of a hat. Very different from the type of sex appeal here. J-pop is very popular in Japan and there are teens by the thousands who listen to it. The idea of all things cutesy is very prominent. Hello Kitty is a cartoon that is deemed childish to the United States, but everything to a young woman in Japan. Hello Kitty merchandise sells the most in Japan, obviously.

The style of cartoons now in Japan is called anime. The standard anime character is wide-eyed, brightly haired and oddly dressed. Often, anime revolves around the future, or futuristic ideas. Other anime are the opposite. For instance, the anime Inuyasha revolves on Feudal Japan, Rorouni Kenshin revolves around the life of a samurai. These are prime examples of anime that are very affluent in the Japanese culture. Very involved anime fans will often dress up as their favorite characters and attend parties. This is called cosplay. It’s a popular thing to do to show your devotion to your favorite anime heroine.

Even more popular is manga. The style is much like the style of the animation in anime, except the pages are all black and white. Unlike in the United States where you open a book from the right, the standard in japan is to open from the left and read from left to right, then downward. Manga is a joy many experience daily moving from place to place, teenagers will buy them in drug stores and such.

There are still traditions that are upheld in Japan, but in a modern way. Sometimes, Japanese citizens will dress in kimono and watch fireworks. The philosophy of the cherry blossom and festivals surrounding it are everywhere in the spring seasons. These can often be fun things to experience. People still frequent sumo wrestling tournaments and find them a fun way to get yourself out of the house with a few close friends.

Although some tradition is still upheld, very little people live in their own house with their own dojo, used to practice martial arts back in the day. The main religion in Japan is Buddhism. Karate is still popular and so is kendo.

The Japanese have a genuine interest in industrial robotics and have crafted some of the most advanced robots ever seen around the world. One famous example is the Honda ASIMO, who can walk down stairs unattended, is able to greet someone when coming into contact with it, and can sense a person’s presence due to the camera implanted in it’s head.

Over all, Japan would be a wonderful tourism destination if you are one who appreciates quiet and solitude. The nightlife is amazing and the people are very polite. In a world very unlike our own, you will see tons of things you have never seen before. You have now gotten an in depth look into what modern Japanese culture is like, which in comparison to the United States, is a land of many wonders culturally, socially, and technologically.