Talk with anyone about Japanese culture and most of them will immediately reply back with the word 'kung fu'. While there is no doubt that Japan is one of the major contributors of martial arts, the fact that Japanese culture is nothing else apart from martial arts is a big hogwash. There are many other things in Japan that make it a country that is rich in culture and that has provided the world with some famous artists, painters among others. Japanese culture has moved a long way from the ancient days to the current generation. It has influenced many neighboring countries by its culture and it has also been influenced by the cultures of neighboring countries.
You should not be surprised if you find traces of other cultures in Japanese culture too. This is what international culture is all about. Details about the culture of a country can never be complete without mentioning about its language and religion and the same holds true for Japanese culture true. The language of the Japanese people might sound harsh to others, but that is due to the way it is being spoken. Listen to any poem recitation session in the Japanese language and you will be amazed at the way the narrator accentuates each word, emphasizing on them at times to get their point across. The written Japanese language consists of a combination of three different scripts and one of them is Hiragana whose characters are derived and are based on the cursive script of China.
The Katakana script has been derived from Chinese characters too and is a shorthand version of the same. The main script used by the Japanese is Kanji and it is the most popular one too. This too has been derived from China. Apart from these characters, the Latin alphabets are also used in Japan, but they are mainly used for advertising purposes and for designing the logos of Japanese companies. While Hindu-Arabic numerals are used, it is more common to see the Sino-Japanese numerals. The tradition and culture of a country depends a lot upon the performing and different arts and it is here where Japanese culture makes its presence felt most.
Japanese artists like Ogura Yonesuke Itoh (1870-1940) and Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858) are famous all over the world for their paintings and an international display of art will not be complete without their work. There are some movie directors who have left their impression on the international by depicting realistic movies and a compilation of their names cannot be complete without including the name of the famous Japanese movie director, Kurosawa Akira (1910-1998) who has directed a number of world famous movies. Some of his movies have portrayed the Second World War in a such a way that is difficult to replicate. This goes a long way to tell about his upbringing. He has also directed some other famous Japanese movies which show of the richness of Japanese culture, including martial arts, in Sugata Sanshiro.
Look deep into the history of any country and you will find that the older the history, the richer their culture. Few people care to learn more about the rich cultural heritage of Japan that has provided the world with famous movie directors like Kurosawa Akira (1910-1998) and renowned artists like Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858). Join any group discussing about Japan and invariably you will find them talking about the latest electronic MP4 player and other electronic gizmos rather than talking about Japanese culture. This is not the correct way to know about a country that is steeped in art and culture. While one cannot argue the fact that Japan is one of the leading countries in the world as far as consumer electronic goods are concerned, one cannot do away with Japanese culture altogether.
The same country that has provided the world with the first "walkman" has also introduced martial arts like "jui jitsu". Every country in the world has contributed pieces of their cultural heritage to the world and Japan is one of the forerunners. At times is becomes difficult to believe that a country that was nearly ravished during the Second World War has risen in such a short span of time to become one of the richest country in the world and also one of the most technologically advanced country in the world. This was possible because of the richness of Japanese culture. The difference between Japanese culture and the other cultures of the world cannot be better demonstrated that by the way Japanese workers protest.
A few decades ago, when the workers of a leading Japanese organization wanted to protest against the administration, they did so by working overtime without accepting any extra pay. Workers in other countries, faced with a similar situation, might have resorted to a strike or to a go-slow, thus hampering their company's work production. Japanese culture teaches its citizens that all organizations belong to the country and these organizations are the mark of success of their country. By resorting to a strike, the workers will be striking against their country. One can never hold back any country that has such a rich cultural background and this was ably demonstrated by Japan when is sprung back after being devastated in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The next time you see any movie demonstrating the martial arts, or attend any workshop where jui jitsu is being performed, try to close your eyes and look at the sharp precise movements of the karatekas and the fluid movements of the jui jitsu participants. They have a long story to tell about their country of origin. They ably demonstrate the contrasting pictures that can only be provided by a country that is rich in culture. Japanese culture has helped its citizens to rise up way ahead of the citizens of other countries and this is ably demonstrated in the manner the bow down to greet each other and in the soft voices they talk to their elders.