Japanese Culture: In A League Of Its Own

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate November 2001

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Japan has a distinct identity that was embedded in the roots of some of the earliest ancestry of the people which consists of their language, dress, education, and religion which give Japan a very rich culture. Japan, like most other civilizations, developed a language which is known today as Japanese. There are about 2,000 characters, as well as tens of thousands western loan-words, mostly from English, in the basic vocabulary of Japanese today. Japanese is the language of Japan, and Japan alone making it a strong force which unifies the culture of Japan. Their language brings unity because it identifies them as a certain group of people with their own way of communication evident in their culture. The unity it brings makes language a prime example of why the Japanese culture is actually a culture. Language unifies their culture as does their dress, specifically the kimono, which is related to traditional events dating back hundreds of years.

The kimono is the traditional clothing of Japan and the word "kimono" originally was the Japanese word for clothing, but now it refers to the traditional clothing that is worn for special occasions such as weddings, funerals, and religious events. The kimono is a symbol of Japanese tradition, and enriches the culture by keeping it in touch with the past. Since the culture is tied together so closely with its past and prides itself with keeping tradition, rather than change, it remains everlasting, linking the past, present, and future. The bond shared with the past present and future shows that their culture can be evident through their dress. Dress plays a role in keeping a culture alive through the ages while education keeps culture enriched because of stress placed on it which shows that it is something highly valued in Japanese culture.