Japanese Culture

By Namiko Abe, About.com Guide to Japanese Language

Culture is an important part of a language. Learning the culture makes a language more interesting. These resources will show you many Japanese cultural aspects that are related to the language. When you are tired of studying grammar, vocabulary etc., try them to make learning more fun.

1. Japanese seasonal events
2. Manners
3. Education system
4. Relationships with nature
5. Japanese baby names
6. Royal Family
7. Movies

8. Japanese zodiac
9. Love expressions
10. Tattoos
11. Let's learn hiragana with Japanese culture
12. Sports
13. Miscellaneous

Japanese seasonal events

There are many seasonal events throughout the year deeply rooted in Japanese culture.

• Shogatsu
• New Year's Holidays
• Japanese Events in January
• Japanese Events in February
• Hinamatsuri (Doll's Festival)
• Golden Week

• Koinobori Song
• Tanabata Song
• Symbols of Japanese Summer
• Let's Sing the "Rudolph" Song in Japanese
• Writing New Year's Cards

Manners

Each country has its own social manners. It is important to understand them especially when you visit a country.

• Japanese Gestures
• Social Customs
• Xs and Os
• Counting on One's Fingers

Education system

Japanese education system is a little different from one in North America. Learn why with these resources.

• The Japanese Education System (1)
• The Japanese Education System (2)
• English Language Education in Japan
• Education system vocabulary

Relationships with nature

Learn about how Japanese interpretations of nature has affected its culture.

• Proverbial Flowers
• Proverbial Fish
• Japanese Ghosts (1)
• Japanese Ghosts (2)
• Relationships with Nature (1): Cherry Blossom
• Relationships with Nature (2): Pine

• Relationships with Nature (3): Bamboo
• Relationships with Nature (4): The Firefly
• Relationships with Animals: Cats
• Relationships with Animals: Dogs
• Animal Sounds

Japanese baby names

These resources help you to understand the meanings of Japanese names, and provide a reference for hundreds of Japanese baby names.

• Japanese Baby Names for Boys and Girls
• Japanese Baby Names
• Trends in Japanese Baby Names
• Most Popular Baby Names of 2005

• Most Popular Baby Names of 2004
• The Meaning of Japanese Names
• Your Name in Japanese
• The Top 10 Common Japanese Surnames

Royal Family

The Japanese imperial family is the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world.

• Japan's Royal Baby
• The Emperor of Japan
• Era Names

Movies

Interesting aspects about how western movie titles or dialogue are translated into Japanese.

• Movie Titles in Japanese (1)
• Movie Titles in Japanese (2)
• Learn From Movie Dialogues (1)

• Learn From Movie Dialogues (2)
• "Spirited Away" won the Oscar
• Katakana in The Matrix

Japanese zodiac

Unlike the Western Zodiac, which is divided into 12 months, the Asian Zodiac is divided into 12-year increments. Each year is named after an animal.

• Japanese Zodiac
• The Year of the Snake
• The Year of the Horse
• The Year of the Sheep

• The Year of the Rooster
• The Year of the Dog
• The Year of the Wild Boar
• The Year of the Rat

Love expressions

Learn how to express feelings of love and caring in Japanese.

• Talking About Love
• Is Red the Color of Love?
• Phrases for Dating

Tattoos

These resources help people find kanji characters for tattoos.

• Kanji for Tattoos
• How to put kanji together for a tattoo

Let's learn hiragana with Japanese culture

Articles about Japanese society and culture make hiragana practice fun and memorable!

• Aikido
• Ikebana
• Ukiyoe
• Kabuki
• Kimono
• Kendo
• Sadou
• Shogi
• Sumo
• Soba

• Tanka
• Ninja
• Nou
• Haiku
• Fujisan
• Manzai
• Meishi
• Yokozuna
• Rakugo
• Ronin

Sports

Ever since the Japan Football League started in 1999, soccer’s popularity has increased.

• 2002 FIFA World Cup
• Soccer Vocabulary

Miscellaneous

Here are some miscellaneous topics to learn more about Japanese culture.

• Namiko's Blog Lessons
• Japanese National Anthem
• The Number Seven

• Borrowed Words
• Hogen (Dialects)
• Manga: Sazae-san