Japanese Art 1. Noh is a total art form comprised of drama, music and dance elements.

While often compared to western opera, the differences can be quite startling. Due to the use of masks in noh masks, one can call noh a mask drama.Although Noh is a classic stage art, of which Japan is proud, only a handful of the Japanese have actually visited a Noh theater and appreciated Noh programs. 2. Brush Painting is the preferred art form in Japan. This follows from the use of brushes for writing which created a familiarity with brush technique. Besides paintings there are sculptures with theme largely associated with religion, and ceramics that are considered to be among the finest in the world. 3. Ukiyo-e is a form of Japanese woodblock printing that typically depicts the floating world -- a world of luxury and privilege that was largely inaccessible to the typical Japanese of the time.

Japanese Fashion 1. Harajuku Girls Young girls who are into wearing bizarre make-up, shoes, clothes and accessories are known as "Harajuku Girls." On weekends, wearing a bewildering array of clothes, they come from all over the country and gather in Harajuku. Reminiscent of 'punk' fashion it is way over the top - some of them seem to be throw backs to the roaring 20's look while others are made-up and dressed so eclectic as to defy description. 2. Glasses Nose pads for eye glasses: Nose pads are a part of the eye glasses frame. It is said that they were actually invented by Japanese with a small nose. From the end of the 16th century to the 17th century, glasses with holes in the frames near the temples through which a string was threaded appeared in Europe and they were imported by Japan. However, if these stringed glasses were worn by Japanese with short nose, their eyelashes touched the lens. In order to solve the problem, a Japanese person invented the nose pads. 3. Designer's products In Japan, a young woman's apparent status is determined by the luxury brand-name products she buys whether she can truly afford them or not, it really is a matter of pride. Although most live in a small apartment, it is common to find their closets full of expensive brand-name items. It may seem weird to foreigners to see young women walk about in designer's clothes even though they obviously do not match their living conditions.

Japanese Music 1. Enka was Japanese popular music before and following WW2. Nowadays, enka music is most popular among the older generations. Many enka songs deal with topics such as unlucky love and nostalgia. Enka singers, especially women, usually perform wearing a kimono. 2. Gagaku: Ancient court music from China and Korea. It is the oldest type of Japanese, traditional music. 3. Nohgaku: Music played during Noh performances. It basically consists of a chorus, the Hayashi flute, theTsuzumi drum, and other instruments. Japanese House 1. A guesthouse (or "gaijin house", meaning "foreigner house") is an inexpensive type of accommodation for foreigners, who stay in Japan for one month or longer, and who want to avoid the hassle and the expense of renting and furnishing a conventional apartment. 2. In ancient Japan, there were essentially two different types of houses. The first was what is known as a pit-dwelling house, in which columns are inserted into a big hole dug in the ground and then surrounded by grass. The second was built with the floor raised above the ground. The style of house with an elevated floor is said to have come to Japan from Southeast Asia, and this type of building was apparently used to store grain and other foods so that they wouldn't spoil from heat and humidity. 3. Japanese households often consist of both Japanese style rooms with tatami floors, and modern rooms with wooden or tiled floors. Tatami mats are made of straw and measure roughly 180 cm x 90 cm. You should always take off your slippers when stepping on tatami mats in order to protect them from damage.

Japanese Tradition 1. Tanabata Matsuri or Star Festival (July 7) According the the Chinese legend, a princess and a shepherd fell in love, but were forbidden to meet, except for that day of the year (tanabata), when the two stars Kengyu (the shepherd) and Shokujo (the princess) meet in the Milky Way. Children write poems or wishes on streamers of paper and attach them on special tanabata trees. Tanabata is celebrated on 7 August in some areas of Japan (e.g. Sendai). 2. White Day (March 14) A Japanese invention. As only women give presents on Valentine's Day, men should return the gesture one month later. It is also called "knickers giving day", as some

men buy panties to their woman. Again, that could be seen as a self-interested gesture, as men will enjoy their lady's wearing their gift. 3. Hina Matsuri (March 3) This festival is dedicated to (young) girls. Dolls representing an ancient Imperial couple are displayed in houses of unmarried girls to bring good fortune on them. The superstition has it that if dolls are not put back to their boxes before midnight, girls in the house will never marry. 4. O-bon or Lantern Festival (August 13-16) O-bon is a Buddhist festival in homage to the spirits of the ancestors. It is said that the spirits return to earth during O-bon, and lanterns are lit in front of houses to show them the way to their family. Lanterns are then floated on rivers to indicate the way back to the underworld - although the practice is now forbidden in big cities to avoid pollution. 5. Adults Day (January 15) Celebration of the coming of age for boys and girls turning 20 that year. The coming of age symbolizes mainly the right to buy cigarettes and alcohol legally. Ceremonies held at temples and shrines and girls wear special kimono for the occasion.

Japanese Sports 1. Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling and Japan's national sport. It originated in ancient times as a performance to entertain the Shinto gods. 2. Botaoshi is a wacky Japanese sport played by cadets at Japans Military Defense Academy, where opposing teams literally fight each other over a wooden pole. 3. Shogi is "Japanese chess". It was originally introduced to Japan from China in the 8th century.The rules of shogi are similar to the rules of chess. The board, however, is divided into 81 instead of 64 fields, and each player starts with 20 pieces instead of 16, as in chess. Unlike chess, pieces that were conquered can be reused by the opponent in shogi. A player wins their shogi match by forcing their opponent into a situation from which recovery is impossible. Japanese Places 1. Japan's smallest village Despite housing the world's biggest city, Tokyo Prefecture is also home to Japan's smallest village. Aogashima Village in the Izu Islands has a population of only 194 people. 2. Tokyo's most haunted area Tokyo has haunted houses on almost every street, or so it would seem (try the intriguing Haunted Tokyo Tours for guided excursions). However, according to Time Out Tokyo's Japanese staff experts, unquestionably the best place for ghost spotting is

Komine Tunnel, out in Hachioji, where a girl in a red dress is frequently seen and traffic accidents are a frequent occurrence. 3. Expensive suites Tokyo's Ritz Carlton has the city's most expensive hotel room, charging a whopping 25,000 US dollars per night for use of the Ritz Carlton Suite. Located on the 53rd floor, it enjoys a stunning view over the Imperial Palace, and comes with its own butler. Japanese Food 1. Never stick your chopsticks upright in your rice. This is an old Japanese custom and is what is done when food is offered to the dead. When it is not an offering it is considered to be a very ill omen. 2. Japanese society is particularly sensitive to rank and age so that one must take extra care when drinking with a person superior in hierarchy or older. The bottle's label must be in full view while being poured while the person whose glass is being filled should hold it up with both hands. Following these simple rules ensures you will be in harmony with Japanese politeness. 3. The typical Japanese meal consists of a bowl of rice (gohan), a bowl of miso soup (miso shiru), pickled vegetables (tsukemono) and fish or meat. While rice is the staple food, several kinds of noodles (udon, soba and ramen) are cheap and very popular for light meals. As an island nation, the Japanese take great pride in their seafood. A wide variety of fish, squid, octopus, eel, and shellfish appear in all kinds of dishes from sushi to tempura. Language and Society 1. Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world (as of 2011), nominally surpassed by tiny city-states like Andorra and Macau, but by no other proper nation. Japanese people live in average 4 years longer than US citizens, 3 years longer than the Germans, the Belgians or the Brits, 2 years more than the Italians. 2. The old Japanese language was a blend of ancient Korean and Jomon languages (distantly related to modern Okinawan and Ainu). Since the 6th century, Chinese characters (and the words that go with them) were imported into the language, and now amount to approximately half of the vocabulary in Japanese. 3. English is the only foreign language taught in public Japanese schools. Geography 1. 10% of the world's volcanoes are in Japan. Among them, 108 have erupted in the last 10,000 years, 50 in the last 100 years, and 36 are currently active. 2. Japan is the 60th largest country in the world (out of over 200) in terms of land area. It is 25 times smaller than the USA or People's Republic of China, but is slightly bigger than

Germany, 3 times larger than England, and close to 10 times more spacious than the Netherlands. 3. Japan is the 10th most populous country in the world. It's population is equal to the United Kingdom, France and Denmark combined. 4. Mount Fuji (3,776 m) is the 4th most prominent peak in Asia outside the Himalayan range.