Naki Sumo – The crying baby festival This baby crying competition involves two sumo wrestlers each holding up a baby each. The referee then puts on scary masks in attempts to make the babies cry. The loudest and longest crier is declared the winner. This 400 year old tradition is said to keep the babies in good health!
Japan is a land of slipper lovers. When you visit your friends, they will offer you a pair of slippers to enter their house. Then you'll find another pair of slippers in the toilet and you must change into them. Make sure you change your slippers back – wearing toilet slippers inside the living room is a sinful act.
New Year Celebrations or 'Shogatsu'
The arrival of the New Year on January 1st is usually celebrated with family and symbolic food. People gather at the temples at midnight on the 31st of December to ring out the old year on giant bronze bells, before they say prayers to bring them luck and success in the New Year.
Flower-viewing parties were held for the elite members of Japanese society. There are poems written about the brief bloom of these delicate flowers, metaphors for the beauty and transience of life. Today, the hanami tradition consists in holding outdoor gatherings beneath blossoming trees.
In Japan, the largest holiday is the New Year's celebration. During spring and summer, celebrations for the gods of the land and sea, or Matsuri, take place. Each town holds its own Matsuri, and these celebrations are widely attended by all.
From around the middle of the 11th century B.C.E. to 300 B.C.E., Japan was populated by a Neolithic civilization called the Jômon (rope pattern) culture. This group of hunters and gatherers decorated their pottery by twisting rope around the wet clay, to produce a distinctive pattern.
Japanese have developed the custom of eating meals sitting on tatami mats, not on chairs. They also roll out the futon on which they sleep on the tatami floor. Therefore, they take their shoes off when entering the house to avoid getting the floor dirty.
In Japan, some of the core values are thinking of others, doing your best, not giving up, respecting your elders, knowing your role, and working in a group. These concepts are taught explicitly and implicitly from nursery school into the working world.
Japanese culture is ancient and is filled with rites and traditions to honor the family. Because Japan is an island country, it was able to moderate the influence of other cultures for centuries. This allowed a distinct culture and heritage to develop for the beautiful Land of the Rising Sun.
Manga and anime are perhaps Japan's biggest cultural export – and they make up one of the most recognizable art styles on the planet.
Individuals in Japan hide their thumb in a fist when a hearse is passing by because it supposedly protects parents from the same fate. It is believed that 100 consecutive hiccups will result in the death of the individual. Omamori are the talismans sold in shrines around the country.
Japanese aesthetics comprise a set of ancient ideals that include wabi (transient and stark beauty), sabi (the beauty of natural patina and aging), and yūgen (profound grace and subtlety). These ideals, and others, underpin much of Japanese cultural and aesthetic norms on what is considered tasteful or beautiful.
Red is also believed to bring good luck in Japan, especially when paired with white. White is the color of divine purity, which is why is it commonly found in Shinto shrines, especially in the famous white sand or pebble gardens. Black is a color of formality, and blue is associated with the sea and sky.
The kimono (着物), labelled the "national costume of Japan", is the most well-known form of traditional Japanese clothing.
Harmony, order, and self-development are three of the most important values that underlie Japanese social interaction. Basic ideas about self and the nature of human society are drawn from several religious and philosophical traditions.
Japan has a strong tradition of women being housewives after marriage. When mothers do work, they often pick up part-time, low-paying jobs based on their children's or husband's schedule. Taking care of the family and household is seen as a predominately female role, and working women are expected to fulfill it.
Bowing (Ojigi) The act of bowing (ojigi) is a common part of daily life in Japan. The etiquette of bowing contains many intricate rules that depend on factors such as the context, social status and age of the person. Generally, bowing is a mark of respect and emphasises social rank between people.
The campaign started in the 70s to tempt tourists and expats with chicken on Christmas Day when they couldn't find turkey to eat, and was the the brainchild of Takeshi Okawara, the manager of the first KFC in the country, according to the BBC.
By sleeping with the mat on the floor – rather than on a bed frame, as in Western culture – the Japanese believe it helps to relax the muscles, while enabling the hips, shoulders and spine to maintain a natural alignment during rest.
If you are not wearing socks, it is polite to bring a fresh pair of socks to wear after removing your outdoor shoes because entering someone's house barefoot is not considered well mannered, although acceptable in informal situations. Slippers can generally be worn anywhere except when entering rooms with tatami floor.
The Edo Period (1603-1868) is frequently regarded as a dark, repressive age, when Japan was held in an iron grip by a military government that had closed its borders to the outside world. “The Edo Inheritance” seeks to challenge and correct this slanted image.
Japan is redefining aging — literally. Members of the Japanese Gerontological Society, a group of medical doctors and university professors, have proposed changing the threshold for "elderly" status from 65 years old to 75 given the country's widespread longevity, NHK World reports.
In many countries, including Japan, the elderly are defined as having a chronological age of 65 years or older.