The Importance Of Japanese Culture

Culture is defined as a whole basis of knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, and customs that define a person or group of persons. Culture differs is so many ways and that culture is what defines each of person as an individual. This concept comes from the cultural that was taught and developed from after birth and through our adolescent years. Our culture is the foundation of who we are. It identifies the lifestyle and pursuits that are practiced in the group of people we interact with in our society. Culture beliefs, values, and practices are learned from birth.

A culture can be defined as a way of life of a group of people- their behaviors, beliefs, values that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next. It also includes the customs, arts, literature, morals/values and traditions of a particular society or group (Virginia Encyclopedia). Culture can also be considered as a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in places or organizations. This topic is of huge importance to our society mainly in the state of

According to Merriam-Webster, there are different things that are classified as a culture. In particular, I believe that culture is defined as “… the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time” (“Culture”).

According to the Webster’s New College Dictionary culture is defined as 1.) The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought typical of a population or community at a given time. 2.) A style of social and artistic expressions peculiar to a class or society. 3.) The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize a group or organization. (Webster’s New College Dictionary)

I want to begin by discussing some general definitions so that you have a better understand of the topics that I am going to discuss. I think it is important to begin by defining the definition of culture. As we learned in class culture is a unique combination of rituals, religious beliefs, ways of thinking and ways of behaving that unify a group of people. Further

When defining culture, one can say that culture means: a particular form or stage of civilization as that of a certain nation or period; development or improvement of the mind by education or training; or the behaviors and beliefs characteristics of a particular social, ethnic, or age group (Culture). All of

If you search the word culture, there are various meanings that will arise. Culture is the total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge, which constitute the shared bases of social action (Dictionary.com website). There are eight major characteristics of culture. This paper will elaborate on five of them that I believe are the more

In today’s modern world, we encounter a wide diversity of people from Americans to Japanese. However, as we encounter such people, we ask ourselves, how much do we know about their culture or even about their family roots. Personally, the encounters with many Americans have been peacefully satisfying to point of acknowledging their culture and traditions. On the other hand, the Japanese community is still a cloudy subject that needs a clear path of understanding. Therefore, as more information integrates to our multicultural world, the Japanese community need to be valued, unified, and appreciated by many other cultures, including ours.

Culture is a broad term that is defined in various ways by theorists and scholars. For instance Eliot (2014) believes culture

Japan is an archipelago with over 6,500 islands. The largest of these islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyoshu and Shikoku (Briney, 2017). The capital of Japan is Tokyo and it has an estimate population of 126, 475, 664 (Briney, 2017). Japan’s land area is approximately 145, 918 square miles and coastline is 18, 486 miles (Briney, 2017). The highest point of Japan is Fujiyama at 12, 388 feet and the lowest point is Hachiro-gata at -13 feet (Briney, 2017). Japan consists mostly of rugged mountains. Earthquakes are common in Japan because of how close it is located near the Japan trench where the Pacific and North American plates collide. There are about 108 active volcanoes in Japan (Briney, 2017).

In terms of homogeneity, it is significant to note that the vast majority of residents living in Japan are of Japanese origin. There is not a large immigrant population. This ethnic homogeneity is subsequently reflected in Japan's cultural homogeneity. There is not as much influence of new ideas and approaches to living life in Japan as there are in the U.S. Therefore, conventional cultural elements such as choice of food, language spoken and read, etc. are decidedly uniform in Japan. Most people eat conventional dishes consisting of rice and fish, and the majority of the population thinks and communicates in Japanese. Moreover, there is a monetary homogeneity present in the country as well, as most the vast majority of residents are middle class. The wide economic disparity that characterizes the U.S. is certainly not present in Japan.

A definition of culture is the total of knowledge, beliefs, experiences, values, attitudes, religion, hierarchies, objects and possessions obtained by a group of people through generations. Elements of culture include language, symbols, values, norms, laws, and beliefs. Culture can also by the “totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought” (Culture, 2010, pg. 5)

The country of Japan is made up of a collection of thousands of islands that sits off of the south-eastern coast of the Eurasian continent. There are four main islands that make up 98% of the land area, they are known as: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku (Yale Geography). Japan is located in a volcanic zone known as the Ring of Fire, which is an area of the Pacific Ocean in which a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur (Ring of Fire Map). There are over one hundred volcanoes that lie within Japan, and while some lie dormant there are still active volcanoes that do pose a volcanic threat to those that live there.

Culture is a major aspect of daily life, whether it is in personal life or business life. The Japanese look for a community of unity and mutual trust when engaging in many aspects of business, because they were taught from young children to manage themselves harmoniously and cooperatively with others. Many of the Japanese are very conservative in their culture and look for long term stability with trusted partners in business.

Webster's Third New International Dictionary (Gove, 2000) defines culture as the "total pattern of human behavior and its products embodied in speech, action, and artifacts and dependent upon man's capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations."