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http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/events/bon_odori_2003/default.htm
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Japanese Cell Phone Culture - Etiquette - Japanese Cell Phone Culture - Latest Technology
In Japan, cell phones have become ubiquitous art of the Japanese culture. In Japanese, cell phones are called keitai denwa (携帯電話), literally "portable telephones," and are often known simply as keitai.
Much of the Japanese population own cell phone (keitai), most of which are equipped with enhancements such as video and camera capabilities. This pervasiveness and the particularities of their usage lead to the development of a mobile phone culture, or "keitai culture."
Japanese Cell Phone Culture - Etiquette
Talking on a cell phone (keitai) while riding a bus or train is frowned upon, and messages asking passengers not to make calls and to switch their phones to silent mode ("manner mode" in Japanese) are played frequently. This, combined with the low per-message price, the ability to enhance messages with special characters, emoticons, pictures, and small animations, and to write in English or Japanese, has made text messaging extremely popular among people of all ages.
Many people send and receive a large number of text messages daily; teenagers are especially fond of this simple, fast, and private method of communication, and many schools ban the use of cell phone (keitai) on campus. The Japanese cell phones use an email based system and not SMS as used in most other countries.
Cell phone (keitai) text messages are also a popular way to communicate with potential friends or lovers. Many internet sites maintain cell phone (keitai)-accessible portals via which users can search for and contact others with similar interests.
Japanese mobile phones have the capability to use very large sets of characters and icons based on JIS standards that define characters for industrial appliances. More than one thousand characters including all of the Latin alphabet, hiragana, katakana, kanji and special characters like cm (centimeter), arrows, musical notes and more can be used to compose messages. Japanese mobile phones use also emoticons differently from Western mobile phones (see Japanese emoticons).
These character sets are used extensively, and often in a way that do not use their original meaning by relying more on the information based on the shape each character has. For example, '' may be attached at the end of a sentence to show that they are not happy about the event described. A sentence like "I have a test today" (translated) might mean that he or she didn't study enough, or that the test itself is depressing. Some of these usages disappeared as suitable icons were made but these newly made icons also acquired a usage not originally intended. Another example deals with the astrological symbol for Libra (♎). It resembles a cooked and puffed mochi, and is sometimes used in a happy new year's message as mochi are often eaten then. The symbol for Aquarius (♒) resembles waves, so this would be used to mean 'sea'. The number of icons gradually increased and they are now colored on most cell phones, to make them more distinct. ASCII art is also used widely and many of them are faces with expression.
Most cell phone (keitai) sold in the last three years have integrated cameras; some more up to date models have high quality digital cameras. Many of the cameras are capable of taking both still and video images. Images can usually be sent to other mobile phones and embedded in messages.
Japanese Cell Phone Culture - Latest Technology
Japan has always led the world when it comes to the latest technogy in cell phone. Many new technologies are released years earlier in Japan or become much more common earlier in Japan. While the difference between what is available in Japan and the rest of the world has reduced in recent years there is still a significant difference. Many cell phone (keitai) have a range of additional capabilities, such as:
TV phone
E-money service and various certification functions through Untouched IC card (FeliCa etc.)
Various services with NTT Docomo’s ‘osaifu-keitai (mobile phone with wallet function)’
E-money service e.g. ‘Edy’
Function as ‘Suica,’ which can be used for a season ticket and a train ticket
Cmode: vending machines which can be used with QR code and ‘osaifu-keitai’ of a mobile phone
Crime prevention buzzer (with the automatic report system to the police)
Pedometer
'Read aloud' system
Touch-pad system
Mobile phones with HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
Mobile centrex service with wireless LAN
A fingerprint/face certification system for the protection of personal data
Navigation by GPS
Configurable databases
Phone and address books
Alarm clocks and stopwatches
Games, such as RPGs like Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy
Daytimers
Varying degrees of image enhancement capabilities, such as the option to create borders, to create animations, and more.
Instant Messenger
Calculator, Calendar, Schedule note and Memo pad
Playback of downloaded music
Recording and playback of voices, music, images and pictures
Portable music player (MP3 player etc.)
Viewing and listening to TV and radio (FM/AM)
Faster software development with pan-OSes such as Symbian OS and Linux
In recent years, some cell phones even have the capability of being used as debit or credit cards and can be swiped through most checkout lines to buy everything from mascara to jet planes, as more and more companies offer catalogs for cell phones.
Some newer models allow the user to watch movies and/or television. Most cell phone (keitai) can be connected to the Internet through services such as i-mode. Japan was also the first to launch 3G services on a large scale. Users can browse text-only Internet sites, and many Japanese sites have sub-sites designed especially for cell phone (keitai) users. One of the most popular services allows users to check train schedules and plane trips on public transit.
There is a popular trend in Japan to use the mobile phone handset to read information from special barcodes. The current technology is based on something called 'QR codes' which are a form of 2D barcode that is written out in a square shape instead of a bar shape. The phone handset can scan the barcode using its camera or other input, decode the information, and then take actions based on the type of content. The most popular usage of these QR codes is in advertising. All over Japan there are posters with the codes on and they are found extensively in magazines and even on some people’s business cards. The QR code usually has links to a web site address that the phone can visit or it might contain address and telephone numbers.
Sony, working with NTT DoCoMo, has been spearheading the mobile phone wallet technology, commonly known as 'FeliCa'. This technology makes use of a RFID chip inside the handset that can communicate with reading devices when the phone is placed near them. Though the technology is relatively new, there are many convenience stores which allow users to pay for goods using their phones; some vending machines even accept phone payments. Users must 'charge up' their accounts with credits before they can pay using their phones. The growing popularity of the system is compelling other manufacturers to make compatible phones.
Gracenote and Media Socket have a service where the user holds the phone up to a source of music (such as a speaker), and, by dialing a certain phone number, the song is found in a database and identified. The user receives the song's title, artist, and album within seconds. This information can in turn be used to search the mobile internet to find that song on the mobile internet.
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Japanese rock is a form of popular music, often abbreviated to "J-Rock" in much the same way that "J-Pop" is used as an abbreviation of Japanese Pop. J-Rock is one of the most popular forms of music in Japan.
J-Rock History
Psychedelic rock was invented in the 1960s by American and British counterculture figures. Arriving in Japan, psychedelic rock took on a different flavour. Previously known for the drug intake of its performers leaving an impact on the hazy, drugged-out music, J-Rock performers tended to be drug-free, or even adamantly anti-drug (for example, Kosugi Takehisa, Haino Keiji, Nanjo Asahito).
Psychedelic rock first appeared in Japan in the mid to late 1960s. A few Group Sounds bands imitated their Anglo heros, including The Golden Cups, The Tempters, The Mops, The Dynamites and Jacks, whose "Karappo No Sekai" and "Marianne" were two of the first psychedelic recordings from the country.
Like in the UK and US, the psychedelic rock scene was linked to a political movement involving young, spirited students. An economic boom brought many young people to universities, where radical politics abounded. Central to this movement, arising from the late 60s Kyoto student revolts, was the band Les Rallizes Denudés and the Taj Mahal Travellers, followed by Lost Aaraaff.
In the 1970s, singer-songwriters like Kazuki Tomokawa and Kan Mikami became popular. As in the US and UK, Japanese rock spawned a folk-rock scene, there led by Magical Power Mako. At the same time, radical progressive rock was evolving, with distinctly Japanese bands like After Dinner and YB02, Kenso and KoenjiHyakkei.
From the late 1980s popular rock bands such as X Japan helped define the Visual Kei aesthetic in Japanese rock and pop music. "Visual kei" is often focused upon in the West as a uniquely Japanese part of the Rock music scene. Strictly speaking, however, "Visual kei" is not defined by its sound (which may or may not be "rock" music) but by the appearance of the bands.
A fringe movement from the late 1980s in Japanese alternative rock took the form of noise rock, a sound popularised by bands such as Boredoms.
J-ROCK Bands
The 5,6,7,8's
Acidman
Asian Kung-Fu Generation
Bleach03
The Blue Hearts
The Boom
BOØWY
Boredoms
Brahman
The Brilliant Green
Buck-Tick
B'z
Dir en grey
Do As Infinity
GLAY
Guitar Wolf
The Golden Cups
GO!GO!7188
The High-Lows
Janne Da Arc
L'Arc-en-Ciel
Luna Sea
Malice Mizer
Miyavi
PYG
RC Succession
Shonen Knife
the pillows
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
The Tempters
The Tigers
The Yellow Monkey
Vodka Collins
X Japan
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The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America. After several waves of immigration from the continent and nearby Pacific islands (see History of Japan), the inhabitants of Japan experienced a long period of relative isolation from the outside world under the Tokugawa shogunate until the arrival of "The Black Ships" and the Meiji era.
Computer keyboard with Hiragana and the Latin alphabetMain article: Japanese language
The Japanese language has always played a significant role in Japanese culture. The language is spoken mainly in Japan but also in some Japanese emigrant communities around the world, it is an agglutinative language and the sound inventory of Japanese is relatively small but has a lexically distinct pitch-accent system. Early Japanese is known largely on the basis of its state in the 8th century, when the three major works of old Japanese were compiled. The earliest attestation of the Japanese language is in a Chinese document from 252 A.D. It is regarded as an extremely hard language for westerners to learn as adults.
Japanese is written with a combination of three scripts: hiragana which were derived from the Chinese cursive script, katakana, which were derived as a shorthand from Chinese characters, and kanji, imported from China. The Latin alphabet, rōmaji, is also often used in modern Japanese, especially for company names and logos, advertising, and when inputting Japanese into a computer. The Hindu-Arabic numerals are generally used for numbers, but traditional Sino-Japanese numerals are also commonplace.
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[edit] Painting
Pictorial Scroll of Tale of Genji by Murasaki ShikibuMain article: Japanese painting
Painting has been an art in Japan for a very long time: the brush is a traditional writing tool, and the extension of that to its use as an artist's tool was probably natural. Native Japanese painting techniques are still in use today, as well as techniques adopted from continental Asia and from the West.
[edit] Calligraphy
Main article: Japanese calligraphy
The flowing, brush-drawn Japanese language lends itself to complicated calligraphy. Calligraphic art is often too esoteric for Western audiences and therefore general exposure is very limited. However in East Asian countries, the rendering of text itself is seen as a traditional artform as well as a means of conveying written information. The written work can consist of phrases, poems, stories, or even single characters. The style and format of the writing can mimic the subject matter, even to the point of texture and stroke speed. In some cases it can take over one hundred attempts to produce the desired effect of a single character but the process of creating the work is considered as much an art as the end product itself.
This art form is known as ‘Shodo’ (書道) which literally means ‘the way of writing or calligraphy’ or more commonly known as ‘Shuji’ (習字) ‘learning how to write characters’.
Commonly confused with Calligraphy is the art form known as ‘Sumi-e’ (墨絵) literally means ‘ink painting’ which is the art of painting a scene or object.
[edit] Sculpture
Guardian in Todaiji, NaraMain article: Japanese sculpture
Traditional Japanese sculptures mainly settled on the subject of Buddhist images, such as Tathagata, Bodhisattva and Myō-ō. The oldest sculpture in Japan is a wooden statue of Amitabha at the Zenkō-ji temple. In the Nara period, Buddhist statues were made by the national government to boost its prestige. These examples are seen in present-day Nara and Kyoto, most notably a colossal bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana in the Tōdai-ji temple.
Wood has traditionally been used as the chief material in Japan, along with the traditional Japanese architectures. Statues are often lacquered, gilded, or brightly painted, although there are little traces on the surfaces. Bronze and other metals are also used. Other materials, such as stone and pottery, have had extremely important roles in the plebeian beliefs.
[edit] Ukiyo-e
The Great Wave at Kanagawa
Printed by HokusaiMain article: ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e, literally "pictures of the floating world", is a genre of woodblock prints that exemplifies the characteristics of pre-Meiji Japanese art. Because these prints could be mass-produced, they were available to a wide cross-section of the Japanese populace — those not wealthy enough to afford original paintings — during their heyday, from the 17th to 20th century.
[edit] Ikebana
Main article: ikebana
Ikebana (生け花 ?) is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It has gained widespread international fame for its focus on harmony, color use, rhythm, and elegantly simple design. It is an art centered greatly on expressing the seasons, and is meant to act as a symbol to something greater than the flower itself. Traditionally when third party marriages were more prominent and practiced in Japan many Japanese women entering into a marriage did learn to take up the art of Ikebana to be a more appealing and well-rounded lady. Today Ikebana is widely practiced in Japan, as well as around the world.
[edit] Performing arts
Main article: Theatre of Japan
The four traditional theatres from Japan are noh, kyogen, kabuki and bunraku. Noh had its origins in the union of the sarugaku with music and dance made by Kanami and Zeami Motokiyo.[1] Among the characteristic aspects of it are the masks, costumes and the stylized gestures, sometimes accompanied by a fan that can represent other objects. The noh programs are presented in alternation with the ones of kyogen, traditionally in number of five, but currently in groups of three. The kyogen, of humorous character, had older origin, in 8th century entertainment brought from China, developing itself in sarugaku. In kyogen masks are rarely used and even if the plays can be associated with the ones of noh, currently many are not.[1] Kabuki appears in the beginning of the Edo period from the representations and dances of Izumo no Okuni in Kyoto.[2] Due to prostitution of actresses of kabuki the participation of women in the plays was forbidden by the government in 1629 and the feminine characters had passed to be represented only by men (onnagata). Recent attempts to reintroduce actresses in kabuki had not been well accepted.[2] Another characteristic of kabuki is the use of makeup for the actors in historical plays (kumadori). Japanese puppet theater bunraku developed in the same period that kabuki in a competition and contribution relation involving actors and authors. The origin of bunraku however is older, lies back in the Heian period.[3] In 1914 appeared the Takarazuka Revue a company solely composed by women who introduced the revue in Japan.[4]
[edit] Architecture
Hondo at Kiyomizu-dera, KyotoMain article: Japanese architecture
Japanese architecture has as long a history as any other aspect of Japanese culture. Originally heavily influenced by Chinese architecture, it also develops many differences and aspects which are indigenous to India. Examples of traditional architecture are seen at Temples, Shinto shrines and castles in Kyoto, and Nara. Some of these buildings are constructed with traditional gardens, which are influenced from Zen ideas.
Some modern architects, such as Yoshio Taniguchi and Tadao Ando are known for their amalgamation of Japanese traditional and Western architectural influences.
[edit] Clothing
Geisha in kimonoMain article: Japanese clothing
The Japanese word kimono means "something one wears" and they are the traditional garments of Japan. Originally, the word kimono was used for all types of clothing, but eventually, it came to refer specifically to the full-length garment also known as the naga-gi, meaning "long-wear", that is still worn today on special occasions by women, men, and children. It is often known as wafuku which means "Japanese clothes". Kimono comes in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes. Men mainly wear darker or more muted colours, while women tend to wear brighter colors and pastels, and often with complicated abstract or floral patterns. The summer kimono which are lighter are called yukata. Formal kimono are typically worn in several layers, with number of layers, visibility of layers, sleeve length, and choice of pattern dictated by social status and the occasion for which the kimono is worn.
[edit] Cuisine
Sushi. L-R: nigiri, makizushi
Judo played by a Japanese policeman and an American MarineMain article: Japanese cuisine
Through a long culinary past, the Japanese have developed a unique, sophisticated and refined cuisine. In recent years, Japanese food has become fashionable and popular in the U.S., Europe and many other areas. Dishes such as sushi, tempura, and teriyaki chicken are some of the foods that are commonly known. The healthful Japanese diet is often believed to be related to the longevity of Japanese people.
[edit] Sports
Main article: Japanese sports
In the long feudal period governed by the samurai class, some methods that were used to train warriors were developed into well-ordered martial arts, referred to collectively as Koryū. Examples include Kenjutsu, Kyūdō, Sōjutsu, Jujutsu and Sumo, all of which were established in the Edo period. After the rapid social change in the Meiji Restoration, some martial arts changed to modern sports, Gendai Budō. Judo was developed by Kano Jigoro, who studied some sects of Jujutsu. These sports are still widely practiced in present day Japan and other countries.
Baseball, football (soccer) and other popular western sports were imported to Japan in the Meiji period. These sports are commonly practiced in schools along with traditional martial arts.
The most popular professional sports in today's Japan are Sumo, baseball and football (soccer). In addition, many semi-professional organizations, such as volleyball, basketball and rugby union, are sponsored by private companies.
[edit] Popular culture
Main article: Japanese popular culture
Musashi Miyamoto in Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue, adapted from an Eiji Yoshikawa's novel, Musashi.Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Popular films, television programs, Manga, and music all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation can be traced to traditional art forms. Contemporary forms of popular culture, much like the traditional forms, provide not only entertainment but also an escape for the contemporary Japanese from the problems of an industrial world. When asked how they spent their leisure time, 80 percent of a sample of men and women surveyed by the government in 1986 said they averaged about two and one-half hours per weekday watching television, listening to the radio, and reading newspapers or magazines. Some 16 percent spent an average of two and one-quarter hours a day engaged in hobbies or amusements. Others spent leisure time participating in sports, socializing, and personal study. Teenagers and retired people reported more time spent on all of these activities than did other groups.
Many anime and manga are becoming very popular around the world, as well as Japanese video games, music, and game shows[5], this has made Japan an "entertainment superpower" along with the United States and European Union.
In the late 1980s, the family was the focus of leisure activities, such as excursions to parks or shopping districts. Although Japan is often thought of as a hard-working society with little time for leisure, the Japanese seek entertainment wherever they can. It is common to see Japanese commuters riding the train to work, enjoying their favorite manga, or listening through earphones to the latest in popular music on portable music players.
A wide variety of types of popular entertainment are available. There is a large selection of music, films, and the products of a huge comic book industry, among other forms of entertainment, from which to choose. Game centers, bowling alleys, and karaoke are popular hangout places for teens while older people may play shogi or go in specialized parlors.
Together, the publishing, film/video, music/audio, and game industries in Japan make up the growing Japanese content industry, which, in 2006, was estimated to be worth close to 14 trillion Yen (USD$ 120 billion.)[6][7].
[edit] Nihonjinron
Main article: Nihonjinron
The term Nihonjinron literally means "theories/discussions about the Japanese" and refers to a large number of texts, ranging over such varied fields as sociology, psychology, history, linguistics, philosophy, and even science, published predominantly in Japan by Japanese, though noted examples of the genre have also been penned by foreign scholars, journalists and residents.
[edit] See also
Traditional
Japanese festivals
Japanese pottery
Japanese garden
Japanese tea ceremony
Contemporary
Cinema of Japan
Toilets in Japan
Japanese mobile phone culture
Otaku
Ainu culture
Western Style Weddings in Japan
Miscellaneous
Tourism in Japan
Japanese museums
Japanese etiquette
Japanese values
Books on Japanese culture:
Japan Unbound: A Volatile Nation's Quest for Pride and Purpose
[edit] References
Cwiertka, Katarzyna J. (2007). Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power and National Identity. Reaktion Books. ISBN 1-86189-298-5. Review
Japan This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.
Diamond, Jared (June 199 cool . "Japanese Roots". Discover Magazine 19 (6).
[edit] Notes
^ a b Web, Japan. "Japan Fact Sheet" (PDF). Noh and Kyogen: The world’s oldest living theater. http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/NOANDKYO.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
^ a b Web, Japan. "Japan Fact Sheet" (PDF). Kabuki: A vibrant and exciting traditional theater. http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/KABUKI.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
^ Web, Japan. "Japan Fact Sheet" (PDF). Bunraku: Puppet theater brings old Japan to life. http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/BUNRAKU.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
^ "Takarazuka History". Takarazuka Revue. http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/history.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
^ "Cool Japan: Why Japanese remakes are so popular on American TV, and where we’re getting it wrong". AsianWeek. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
^ Digital Content Association Of Japan
^ Japanese Content
 TsunKitty · Thu Mar 12, 2009 @ 06:26am · 0 Comments |
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