5. FACTS ABOUT JAPAN
Japan is now known as a
developed country, which is
famous because of its inventions,
companies and arts. Here we are
going to reveal some Japanese
cultures, and some of their
heritage that have a great effect on
their culture.

6. JAPANESE STYLES
Japan as a country has a past with
its styles in its own tradition, in
clothing, building and foods.
-Clothing:
Japanese people used their
traditional clothing in the past, now
they wear it just in special occasions.

7. Yukata “for men”,
Kimono “for women”,
Zori “sandals” .

8. Buildings & Gardens:
In Japan there are many different
buildings and gardens, that are a big part
of its culture. They do not actually come
from Japan, their ideas come from China.
JAPANESE STYLES

9. Japanese
Literature is one
of the major
literatures of the
world comparable
to English
literature in age
and variety.
JAPANESE LITERATURE

10. Japanese Literature is one of the major
bodies of Oriental Literature. It is less
voluminous than Chinese Literature
but comparable to Arabic, Persian and
Indian Literature. It covers the period
from the fifth century A.D to the
present.
JAPANESE LITERATURE

11. Poems and odes to the Gods were
composed in the early Japanese
Language before the art of writing was
known in Japan. Only fragments of this
Literature have survived, but these are
thought to have been extensive. During
the first centuries of writing in Japan,
the spoken language and written
language were identical.
JAPANESE LITERATURE

12. The Tale of Genji
Written by Japanese writer Murasaki
Shikibu in the 11th century, is
generally regarded as the earliest
novel in any culture and as the
greatest masterpiece of Japanese
literature. In this scene from the novel,
Prince Genji is visiting with his
favorite wife, Murasaki, while
watching his housemaids, whom he has
sent outside to build a snowman. The
novel is remarkable for its detailed
depiction of the refined culture of
Heian-period Japan.
JAPANESE LITERATURE

13. Classical and Heian Period (700-1185)
Man’yoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves)
(ca. 700-750)
The Man’yoshu, the oldest collection of Japanese poetry,
was compiled in the 8th century and consists of more than
4,000 poems, some of which date from as early as the 5th
century. While consisting mainly of 31 syllable poems
(tanka, also called waka), it also contains many examples
of long poems (choka). The subject matter of the poems
varies from travel descriptions to elegies and poems of love
and loss. There are also poems reflecting Chinese and
Buddhist influences. The Man’yoshu poems are direct and
accessible to any audience unfamiliar with Japanese
culture and the conventions of Japanese poetry.

14. Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries
Child’s Play (1895-96) by Higuchi Ichiyo
(1872-1896)
Set in the pleasure quarters of the late Meiji era, this
short story focuses on neighborhood adolescents who
experience the beginning of adulthood. A gang of boys
and one girl, once close-knit playmates, drift apart as
they face the inevitabilities of growing up. Two
characters in the story, Nobu, a boy following the path
to priesthood, and Midori, a girl who will eventually
become a prostitute in the licensed brothel quarters,
hold mutual affection for one another but sadly realize
that their paths will never cross as they are about to
shoulder life’s responsibilities.

15. The Tale of the Heike (ca. 1250)
The Tale of the Heike is a warrior epic of the
historic battles between the Genji (Minamoto clan)
and the Heike (Taira clan) between 1169 and
1185. The Tale follows the rise of the Heike, their
arrogance and abuse of power, and their
destruction at the hands of the Genji. Students who
are interested in the transition to and the rise of
the warrior class in Japanese history will find this
a content-rich work.
Medieval and Tokugawa Periods (1185-1868)

16. JAPANESE LITERATURE
 In written form from at least the 8th
century AD to the present.
 One of the oldest and richest national
literatures. Since the late 1800s, Japanese
writings have become increasingly
familiar abroad.
 Genres such as haiku verse, nō drama,
and the Japanese novel have had a
substantial impact on literature in many
parts of the world.

20. Japanese Writings

22. The Tea Ceremony
JAPANESE CEREMONIES
The Wedding
Ceremony

23. The Birth Ceremony
Oshichiya Meimeishiki
JAPANESE CEREMONIES
Death Ceremony

24. Festivals and Celebrations
Many festivals and
celebrations had its
own customs:
Many involved contests
that tested athletic,
poetic, or artistic skill.
For example, in the
Festival of the Snake,
cups of wine were floated
in a stream. Guests took
a cup and drank from it.
Then they had to think up
and recite a poem.

25. さようなら