CULTURES AND TRADITIONSJAPAN: The customs and traditions of the Japanese people come from the rich cultural and social history from the Nara, Heianand Kamakura Periods dating from 710 to 1333 !any of the modern traditions, including trends in the arts and theater,date to the "dno and !ei#i Periods $eginning in 1%0& and ending in 1'1& (isitors to modern Japan, ho)e*er, ha*e a*ariety of acti*ities and attractions that e+plore the Japanese heritage and cultural e+perience from all historic erasTradition:,ardens-The tradition ofgardening in Japan ties ritualand religion to garden design and horticulture techni.ues (isitors toKyoto, Nara and Kana/a)a ha*e e+amples of historic gardens and also modern0influenced garden designs !any ofthetraditional gardensarekept $y1en2uddhist monksaspart of themonastery, $ut )elcome*isitorstodrylandscape, hill or flat gardensCulture:Japanese cultural manifestations are as follo)ing- JapanesePainting:TheJapanesepaintingisa*erypopularformof art cele$ratedthroughout thecountryTheoutstanding procedure of the painting is $orro)ed from continental regionsJapanese Language: The language of Japan is one of the most eminent elements of Japanese culture This languageincludes a polysynthetic linguistic process and is featured $y a distincti*e le+ical pitch modulation The )ritten form ofthislanguageis*eryinterestingastheJapanesescriptsarecom$inationof *arioustypesof scriptsas3oman4lpha$ets, 5hinese 5haractersJapanese Sculpture:Japanese 6culptures are the reflection of 6hinto as )ell as 2uddhist cultural heritage 6tone,metal, pottery and )ood are considered as the fa*ored materials for sculptingFail!:(arious family life0styles e+ist side $y side in contemporary Japan 7n many ur$an salaryman families, the hus$andmay commute to )ork and return late, ha*ing little time )ith his children e+cept for 6undays, a fa*orite day for familyoutings The )ife might $e a 8professional house)ife,8 )ith nearly total responsi$ility for raising children, ensuring theircareers and marriages, running the household, and managing the family $udget 6he also has primary responsi$ilityfor maintaining social relations )ith the )ider circles of relati*es, neigh$ors, and ac.uaintances and for managing thefamily9s reputation Her social life remains separate from that of her hus$and 7t is increasingly likely that in addition tothese family responsi$ilities, she may also ha*e a part0time #o$ or participate in adult education or other communityacti*ities The closest emotional ties )ithin such families are $et)een the mother and children7notherfamilies, particularlyamongtheself0employed, hus$andand)ife)orkside$ysideinafamily$usiness4lthough gender0$ased roles are clear cut, they might not $e as rigidly distinct as in a household )here )ork andfamily are more separated 7n such families, fathers are more in*ol*ed in their children9s de*elopment $ecause theyha*e more opportunity for interacting )ith them4s )omen )orked outside of the home )ith increasing fre.uency $eginning in the 1'70s, there )as pressure on theirhus$andstotakeonmoreresponsi$ilityfor house)orkandchildcare :armfamilies, )hodependonnonfarmemployment formost of theirincome, arealsode*elopingpatternsof interactiondifferent fromthoseof pre*iousgenerationsFesti"al:#i$une %atsuri6pring :esti*al;ate- &013003001 00-00-00a @A, the notion of harmony )ithin a group, re.uires an attitude of cooperation and a recognition of socialroles 7f each indi*idual in the group understands personal o$ligations and empathi/es )ith the situations of others,then the group as a )hole $enefitsFood: 6o$a 6ashimi Korokke Edon >asa$i Niku#aga 3ice 6ea >eed 3amen =konomiyaki !ushrooms ;om$uri ,yo/a >asa$i Tempura ?akitori Tourist Spots: Tokyo National !useum esta$lished in 1I7& is the oldest and largest Japanese museum 7t has a collection ofo*er '0,000itemsrepresentingthecultural andarchitectural heritageof4sianci*ili/ations)ithspecialemphasis onJapanNational !useumin Tokyoconsistsoffi*e $uildings, each of )hich is dedicatedtoaparticular theme Honkan or Japanese ,allery ?oyogi Park, Tokyo*elie$s:"mpathy and Human 3elations7n Japanese mythology, the gods display human emotions, such as lo*e and anger 7n these stories, $eha*ior thatresults in positi*e relations )ith others is re)arded, and empathy, identifying oneself )ith another, is highly *alued 2ycontrast, those actions that are antisocial, or that harm others, are condemned Hurtful$eha*ior is punished in themyths $y ostraci/ing the offender No society can e+ist that tolerates significant antisocial $eha*ior in the long term, $utJapan is among the societies that most strongly rely on social rather than supernatural sanctions and emphasi/e the$enefits of harmony Japanesechildrenlearnfromtheir earliest days that humanfulfillment comes fromcloseassociation )ith others 5hildren learn early to recogni/e that they are part of an interdependent society, $eginning inthe family and later e+tending to larger groups such as neigh$orhood, school, community, and )orkplace ;ependenceon others is a natural part of the human conditionJ it is *ie)ed negati*ely only )hen the social o$ligations it creates aretoo onerous to fulfillDances:There are many traditional dances in Japan, $ut the one of the most famous and common dances is the 2on dance,called 82on =dori8 in Japanese People dance the 2on ;ance during the 2on :esti*al, held e*ery summer in districtsand neigh$ourhoods in e*ery city in JapanSongs: 9J0pop9 means 9the popular music among the youths in Japan9 Japanese rock is a form of popular music, often a$$re*iated to 8J03ock8 in much the same )ay that 8J0Pop8 is used asan a$$re*iation of Japanese Pop J03ock is one of the most popular forms of music in Japan K=T=0 The koto is one of the most popular Japanese traditional musical instruments To many, the character of kotomusic is e*ocati*e of traditional Japan )ith the attri$utes of the )estern harp, dulcimer and lute#OREAKorea is a small penninsula on the far "ast side of 4sia 7t is $et)een 5hina and Japan 7t is connected to mainland 4sia in the North 7t is separated from 5hina and 3ussia $y the ?alu 3i*er and the Tuman 3i*er 2et)een Korea and Japan is the "ast 6ea To the >est $et)een Korea and 5hina is the ?ello) 6ea The si/e of Korea is roughly 1,000 kilometers in lengthTradition:4lthough 6outh Korea is moderni/ing e+tremely fast, it still holds on to many traditional *alues and the old )ay of life>heretherearenot highlypopulatedcities, therearerural area9s)hicharestill relati*elypoor, andstill follo)traditional )ays of life 7n cities, millions of people li*e in apartments, $ut in the ruralarea9s you )ill find traditionalhousing 4lso, e*en though the cities are headed to)ard *ery modern times, people still hold onto some traditional*alues =nethingthat guarantee9sthisisthelanguage Thelanguagehastraditional *aluesof social statusandrespect $uilt directly into it >ords change depending on )ho you are speaking )ith This )ill keep traditional *aluesal)ays presentCulture:4 fe) $asic facts a$out Korean people They are generally kno)n for their darker comple+ion and high cheek $ones4s a race, they can $e e+tremely nice as long as you treat them )ith respect Ho)e*er, #ust keep in mind that somecultural differences are in*ol*ed so you may consider )hat they do as rude $ut they do not mean anything personally$y it, it is simply thousands of years of tradition =ne e+ample of this may $e )ith the older Koreans "*ery)here olderpeople are respected, $ut in Korea they are highly respected 6ometimes they may appear to $e pushy or rude to you,$ut it really is nothing personal -A Just a different place The people truly are nice and helpful 7f you need help andunderstand little Korean, they )ill help you They lo*e )hen you )ant to learn the language and )ill help you )ith thatas )ell6ome Koreans may still $e stu$$orn and independent @7 mean no disrespectKA 6ome are still *ery grouped@independent, $ut groupedA >hat 7 mean is it hasn9t $een long since Korean9s came out of the )hole dynasty deal ?oumay find a lot of generali/ations a$out each 9dynasty9, such as the orld Heritage 6ite and old capital of 6iam 5hiang !aiS de facto capital of Northern Thailand and the heart of orld >ar 77 museums Nakhon 3atchasima S largest city of the 7saan region Pattaya S one of the main tourist destinations, kno)n for its nightlife 6ukhothai S Thailand9s first capital, )ith ama/ing ruins still 6urat Thani S home of the 6ri*i#aya "mpire, gate)ay to Ko 6amui *elie$s:Traditional principles concerning pregnancy and child$irth are largely influenced $yfolk $eliefs, especially inrural areas of central and north Thailand !odern practices follo) the >estern medical model=ne of the most distincti*e Thai customs is the )ai Esed in greetings, lea*e0taking, or as an ackno)ledgement, it comes in many forms, reflecting the relati*e status of those in*ol*ed ,enerally the salutation in*ol*es a prayer0like gesture )ith the hands, similar to the 4Q#ali !udrU of the 7ndian su$continent, and it also may include a slight $o) of the head This salutation is often accompanied $y a serene smile sym$oli/ing a )elcoming disposition and a pleasant attitude Thailand is often referred to as the8land of smiles8 in tourist $rochuresDances: Khon is the most styli/ed form of Thai dance 7t is performed $y troupes of non0speaking dancers,the story $eing told $y a chorus at the side of the stage 5horeography follo)s traditional modelsrather than attempting to inno*ate !ost khon performances feature episodes from the 3amakien5ostumes are dictated $y tradition, )ith angels, $oth good and $ad, )earing coloured masks &ahon features a )ider range of stories than hon, including folk tales and Jataka stories ;ancersare usually female and perform as a group rather than representing indi*idual characters Ramwong @A is a type of partner dance )hich dance in a circle 'ai Khru@ A is a rituali/ed form of dance meant to pay respect to, or homage to thehru orteacher 7t is performed annually $y Thaiclassicaldance institutions as )ellas $efore!uay ThaimatchesSongs:Thai classical music is synonymous )ith those styli/ed court ensem$les and repertoires that emerged in itspresent form )ithin the royal centers of 5entral Thailand some I00 years ago These ensem$les, )hile $eingdeeply influenced $y Khmer and e*en older practices and repertoires from 7ndia, are today uni.uely Thaie+pressions >hilethethreeprimaryclassical ensem$les, thePiphat, Khrueangsai and!ahori differinsignificant )ays,theyallshare a $asic instrumentation and theoreticalapproach"ach employ the smallching hand cym$als and the krap )ooden sticks to mark the primary $eat referenceThe most common and iconic Thai classical music that sym$oli/es the dancing of the Thailand9s legendarydragons, a midsi/ed orchestra including t)o +ylophones @ranatA, an o$oe @piA, $arrel drums @klongA and t)ocircular sets of tunedhori/ontal gong0chimes@khong)onglekandkhong)ongyaiA Piphat can$eperformed in either a loud outdoor style using hard mallets@Piphat maikhaengJ A or in anindoor style using padded hammers@Piphat mai nuamJ AThe third ma#or Thai classical ensem$le is the !ahori, traditionally played $y )omen in the courts of $oth5entral Thailand and 5am$odia Historically the ensem$le included smaller instruments more appropriate, it)as thought, to the $uild of female performers