Most countries have their own culture and Japan is no different. Traditionally Japanese culture boasts of so many different aspects that it is tough to know about them all for the natives for that country itself, far apart for foreigners. However, if you are planning to visit Japan, it is essential that you know something about their culture. This will keep you informed about what to expect and what not to, what you should do and what you should not. There are many simple things that we take for granted in our day to day life, but they are not acceptable in Japanese culture. Take for example shaking hands of a friend, or any relative when you meet them.



Though some modern citizens of Japan might not mind to this, the traditional ones will surely object. They might not object openly because they know that it might hurt you. In case you did not know, it is against Japanese culture to hurt someone intentionally. People in Japan greet each other by bowing down to each other. This act of bowing is used as a greeting as also to show respect to elders. When you return home from outside you just enter the room and relax. Do you take off your shoes? Most people from western countries accept walking inside the house with shoes on as granted, but this is not acceptable in Japan. The Japanese people consider their home as their temple and expect others to remove their shoes prior to entering their house.

The next time you visit your Japanese friend or business partner, remove your shoes outsider his or her house and see their eyes lighting with respect towards you. If you love Manga comics, you must know about its country of origin. Yes, Japanese culture has a great sprinkling of art too and there are many Japanese painters who are famous all over the world. There are many such examples and some of them are Ando Hiroshige (1797 ? 1858), Ogura Yonesuke Itoh (1870 ? 1940). The culture of a country also depends a lot upon its arts and movies are no different. Any body who knows even a bit about movies or is interested in the same will know about the famous Japanese director, Kurosawa Akira (1910 ? 1998).

Very few directors had an influence on world cinema like Kurosawa and he has shown a lot about Japanese culture in his movies. Martial art which is a also a part of Japanese culture was displayed prominently in one of his movies, Sugata Sanshiro, which was incidentally his directorial debut. There are many other aspects of Japanese culture like their language and religion. Modern Japan also boasts of different worldwide cultures and this is largely due to people from different countries migrating to Japan and making it their home. These people have taken their culture along with them to Japan. Spend some time on the internet and you will be amazed to find out how vast the Japanese culture is.