A Guide to Japanese Culture: Cultural Norms and Aspects of Japan You Need to Know

Japanese media can be a great pathway to delve further into Japanese culture. Many times the media of a culture highlights the values and communication patterns of that culture; Japan is not different. Visual culture reflects Japan's emphasis on harmony, subtlety, and history.  Japanese Cinema The most culturally significant films to Japan consist of Seven Samurai (1954), Godzilla (1954), Harakiri (1962), Akira (1988), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Spirited Away (2001), and many more. These films reveal core elements of Japanese culture. From the samurai era of discipline shown in Seven Samurai to a visual display of post-war trauma in Godzilla, and even a love letter to shintoism in Spirited Away, these films showcase Japan over the years. Long and silent scenes are often for Japanese cinema, and symbolism is heavily utilized.  Japanese TV Series Unlike Japanese films, Japanese shows typically highlight a distinct difference between the intrapersonal beliefs of Japanese people a...

Living in Japan after this Blog?   A one to two week vacation to Japan would be very manageable for me, especially after researching Japanese culture throughout this semester. Tourism in Japan is very high, with the Japan National Tourism Organization and the Japan Tourism Agency reporting that over 36.9 million foreigners had visited Japan in 2024. A short term trip would allow me to visit tourist attractions, experience the cuisine, and get a surface level look into the culture of Japan without requiring cultural integration. However, living in Japan for more than a year would present me with challenges requiring that I integrate further into the culture and have a strong grasp on techniques necessary for assimilation. The most immediate challenge I would have to overcome would be the communication differences, specifically the language and nonverbal communication norms. While I might be able to learn Japanese enough for essential communication, I would also have to engage with t...

 The education system of Japan is not very different from that of the United States in comparison to other cultures and nations. Education is a foundational institution of japan that shapes social behavior. Japanese culture places heavy emphasis on education while displaying cultural values such as collective responsibility, academic success, and discipline. The Structure of Education Japan's school system consists of 6 years of elementary, 3 years of junior high, and 3 years of high school. Elementary and junior high are freely accessible to the public, and with recent trends since 2010, high school can predictably join that group. Many Japanese students choose to pursue higher education at universities, mirroring that of the United States's students.  More than 98% of students choose to enroll in high school, completing 12 years of education. "School after school" is also an important part of Japanese culture; many families place their children in after school progr...

  Healthcare Belief Systems and Perspectives As most developed nations, the primary healthcare belief of Japan is the biomedical/scientific model. Japan has a universal healthcare system, in which health insurance is funded both publicly and privately. This puts a strong emphasis on patient care and strengthens the medical institutions that care for the health of Japanese people. Again, hierarchy is a foundational element of Japanese culture, meaning the medical authority is regarded very well and trusted deeply. Japan takes a “patient-centeredness” approach to health care, consisting of "medical team approach", "nutrition management", and "infection controls" (Kondo, 2022). Child vaccinations in Japan are relatively high as well (Jwa et al., 2022), displaying a dominant biomedical perspective on healthcare.  Kumamoto University Hospital In addition to a biomedical perspective, Japan also has a minority traditional belief regarding healthcare. This beli...

  Unsurprisingly, Japan’s foundational cultural values are also present in their business culture, that being harmony, hierarchy, and conformity. Japanese businesses run on mutual respect, group consensus, and appreciation for the hierarchy. These values are manifested through daily interactions. Punctuality is very appreciated in Japanese business culture, and arriving only a few minutes late without notice is a great sign of disrespect. Group consensus is also highly valued in Japanese business culture as a way to maintain harmony. In a recent activity, I learned about the concept of “nemawashi”. It is a procedure to build group consensus that consists of talking to everyone privately about a potential decision, gathering information, and incorporating feedback into a proposal before publicly announcing it. The concept of “horenso” in Japanese business culture is one that prioritizes hierarchy. Horenso means to “report”, “consult”, “contact”; essentially it is the idea that if a ...

  It is important to understand as much as possible about nonverbal communication in every interaction, not just interaction with people from a differing culture. Much of information is conveyed through nonverbal communication, and that information is vital to gaining a full picture of understanding. To communicate effectively with a person from a separate culture, learning that culture’s specific nonverbal communication would be extremely beneficial. Each culture has separate ways to nonverbally communicate, these ways may very much differ from American culture. It is important to understand these differing cues in order to remain respectful while also being effective at communication. Barries to Nonverbal Messages There are several barriers to accurately understanding nonverbal messages of other people, especially people from different cultures. The most frequent obstacles however are; differences in nonverbal meaning and context dependence. The obstacle of a difference in nonv...

 The language of Japan is quite different than that of the United States - not only in exact translations, but also in the phrasing and meaning of the same words. While there is technically no official language of Japan, Japanese serves as the dominant language and de facto official language of the country. Japanese is a complex language that has deep historical traditions and social contexts.  Japanese is socially embedded into the culture as a language Honorific language (keigo) plays an important role in everyday interactions in Japan Sonkiego (respectful) Teineigo (polite) Kenjougo (humble) Phrases you should know Hello! — こんにちは ( koh-nee-chee-wah ) Yes — はい ( hai ) No — いいえ ( ee-eh ) Please — お願いします ( oh-neh-gai-shee-mahss ) Thank you — ありがとうございます ( ah-ree-gah-toh go-zai-mahss ) Can you help me? — 手伝ってくれますか ( teh-tsu-dat-teh koo-reh-mahss-kah? ) I don't understand — わかりません ( wah-kah-ree-mah-sen ) I don't speak Japanese — 日本語を話せません ( nee-hon-go...

 A Timeline of Culture The Timeline of historical events that have shaped Japan's culture throughout history is provided above. 3 Significant Periods The Edo Period was an era defined by peace and growth for Japan, but also isolationism and self sufficiency. Strict social order from the military. At this time, people in Japanese culture viewed foreigners as dangerous and disruptive. Japan must remain self sufficient and a homogenous culture without influence from other nations. Hierarchy and discipline were reinforced heavily by the military leader at this time. Stability allowed for Japanese art and education to flourish, while maintaining order and loyalty as the strongest values of the Japanese people. The Meji Restoration had ended the Edo Period and opened Japan to the international market. Feudal lords no longer had practical power, and instead power was granted back to the emperor. Although Japan was much more open, this did not mean that cautioness was not used when engagin...

  Understanding worldview is extremely crucial to understanding culture. An individual's worldview creates the reality that they live in. Cultural expressions are then perceived through the context of the worldview. The worldview in Japanese culture may be expressed subtly now, however the expressions go deep. Japan is considered a secular society because there is a separation between church and state. The Japanese government, much like the United States, cannot favor one religion over another. But just because Japan is considered a secular society, this does not mean that the worldview is atheistic. There is a long history of religion in Japan, with Shintoism having been Japan’s indigenous religion starting in the sixth century , and Buddhism also being introduced around the same time. 

     Family is one of the deep structure institutions that transmit and endures cultural messages across generations. The role of the family structure in culture cannot be understated, as it both lays the foundation for cultural context and is built upon deeply held values of said culture. As stated in “Communication Between Cultures” by Larry Samovar (n.d.), globalization has been a primary factor to changing dynamics within traditional family structures. This change evolves culture by altering the deep structure institution that transmits values and beliefs. To understand this change, we must first look at the traditional culture. In this blog, Japanese culture is our focal point, and it is important to highlight the traditional and post-globalization family structure. Throughout this blog I will reference the pillars of Japanese culture that seem to be recurring through all aspects and dimensions of Japanese culture; 1. Hierarchy 2. Harmony 3. Collectivism .

     For my intercultural communication project, I have chosen to delve into the culture of Japan. I want to study this culture for both personal and academic reasons. My ancestry mostly goes back to Mexico, however, my great-grandmother on my mother’s side is Japanese. For most of my life, I have identified with American and Mexican culture, and I think it would serve me to recognize my underdeveloped connection to Japan and their culture. I also believe that selecting Japan would highlight starker differences in culture from America. While I could’ve chosen the Mexican culture that compliments global western values and ideas - I believe that Japanese culture would display a contrast to culture I am familiar with, providing me a path I could follow to understand other cultures outside of my knowledge. Understanding Japanese culture will make my ability to communicate and interact with people from this culture more effective because it will build respect for the culture a...