Ramen!

Many of the tourists who have already met Japan agree that local cuisine is one of the most delicious in the world. In addition to the world famous sushi, ramen and Japanese pasta are also popular. Originally known in China - ramen dish began to be popular in Japan only in the nineteenth century. It consists of Chinese wheat pasta, which is served in meat or fish broth. Ramen, in Japane, it’s a soup with pasta, pork and vegetables. It is a spicy soup, but it can also be salt or mild. Variety of framing is very much because every region of Japan prepares it differently. 

Little Facts of Japane

Japan is composed of exactly 47 prefectures, namely 43 prefectures, one metropolis (Tokyo), 1 district and 2 city prefectures. The most important is the metropolis because it is the largest and is located in the most important part of Japan.

Japan is the safest country in the world. It has the lowest crime rate in the world.

The most common religion there is Buddhism (69%), then New Religions (27%) and non-practicing (5%).

In Japan there is the fastest railway line in the world. Shinkansen (because it is called) can reach up to 405 km / h and travel all over Japan

Seiyū!

Seiyū - a Japanese voice actor, using voice for the characters in radio dramas, anime, video games, and dubbing Japanese foreign productions.

Outside of Japan, as seiyū is a person doing the voice for the production of Japanese, as well as deadlines for manga and anime are used in relation to the comics and animated films created by the Japanese. Voiced are very popular in Japan, some of them are doing better career than traditional actors, for example. Megumi Hayashibara, Kikuko Inoue, Aya Hirano Aya Hisakawa, Rie Kugimiya and Romi Paku, some of them also have their international fan clubs.

  

Seiyū and their characters:

 

And Masako Nozawa. She is one of the most popular females Seiyū. Everyone knows her from Dragon Ball, and her character is Son Goku (The strongest superhero in the world)

The most popular Japanese actors!

*Yuji Kido - Japanese film and television actor, best known for his role in Ayase series Mirai Sentai Timeranger.

 *Jun Matsumoto - Japanese actor and member of the band Arashi.

Films in which he played:

• Natsu no Koi wa Niji'iro ni Kagayaku jako Kusunoki Taiga (Fuji TV, 2010)
• Smile jako Hayakawa Bito (TBS, 2009)
• Myu no Anyo Papa ni Ageru jako Yamaguchi Hayato (NTV, 2008)
• The Last Princess (2008)
   
  
  
  
  
   *Satoshi Ono - a member of the Japanese band Arashi owned by Johnny & Associates.
  
  Johnny & Associates joined in 1994, at age 13 and became one of Johnny's Jrs. (Youngster). His acting career began in 1997, as Ushiwakamaru in "Kyo to Kyo." In November 1999 he was a member of the band Arashi, together with Jun Matsumoto, Kazunari Ninomiya, Aiba Masaki and Sho Sakurai. In 2008, he became the first artist in the agency who created the art exhibition "Freestyle".
  
  
    
  
  

Light novel! Love and romance!

Light novel is a novel usually containing illustrations in the style of manga, addressed mainly to teenagers and younger adults.

In recent years, on the basis of such novels they are created manga, anime, films and acting. They are often printed serialized in literary magazines such as Faust, Gekkean Dragon Magazine, The Sunika or Dengeki hp.

Due to the high popularity of Japanese publishing organize annual competitions for authors, in which the prize may be, among others, publication of the award-winning novel. The largest of these competitions is to Dengeki Shousetsu Taishou the prize million yen, which annually affects more than 2,500 entries. 

Japanese Drama!

TV Drama, also in short "dorama" is an acting series on Japanese television broadcast a day. All major TV stations in Japan to produce various series of species: romance, comedy, crime, horror and many others. For special occasions can be created one or two section drama about a special topic, such as drama produced in 2007 on the 60-year anniversary of the end of World War II.

Japanese dram series are broadcast in the three-month seasons, with new episodes broadcasts with every new season. Most of the dram is broadcast during the week in the evening around 21:00 to 22:00 or even 23:00. Dramas shown in the morning or afternoon are usually broadcast on a regular basis in a special block like "Asador" station NHK. The evening drama usually consist of nine to twelve episodes, sometimes including the epilogue, when the drama was a hit.

Japanese TV has four television seasons: winter (January-March), spring (April-June), summer (July-September) and autumn (October-December). 

The most popular are:

*HANA YORI DANGO

  *ASUKOU MARCH

*HANAZAKARI NO KIMITACHI E

 

Shōnen! Fight, spirit and warriors!

Shōnen - In Japanese, "boy"; anime for boys (but girls loves it too). Mostly tells the story about warriors, there is a lot of fighting, fights good with evil. The best known are:
* Dragon Ball (anime about a boy who wants to become the most powerful warrior in the universe. He has a lot of fights and adventures with his friend)

* Tokyo Ghoul (anime about a boy who had the unfortunate event and becomes a ghoul, the creature who eat only humans meat. He can’t just eat people, and he want to fight with monster in his soul)

 

Gore! Anime Horror!

Gore - is a type of anime. It is very bloody. Gore can combine with comedy (black humor), as well as the horror and romance. Usually it is combined with the action or fantasy. The best-known titles are:
*Hellsing (anime about a British vampire in the service of the British church army, commanded by Sir Integra Hellsing. It's a potent and dangerous vampire. He's a little crazy, but it doesn't bother him to fights with the Nazis. He never picked a side, he's fighting between good and bad.)

*Mirai Nikkki (anime about a boy from Tokyo. He’s really shy, but one day the God have a talk with him and told him that he is in game. Winning in the game is the position of God. It turns out that the boy is in love with psychopathic girl who called Yuno and she loved him too)

Manga!

Manga - comics, painting, drawing, sketch, caricature. The Japanese word derived from the method of decorating prints and other forms of art. Nowadays used outside of Japan is Japanese comics.
Manga has evolved from a combination of ukiyo-e and eastern style of drawing, and took its current form shortly after World War II. Manga is printed mainly in black and white, not counting the covers and possibly the first few pages.
Popular manga are adapted to animated films and anime series. The word manga were in common use after the publication in the nineteenth century. Hokusai manga containing assorted drawings from the sketchbook of the famous ukiyo-e artist, Hokusai. However, already giga, they are drawn in the twelfth century. By various artists, including some of the features of the manga, such as an interest in history and a simple synthetic line.
In the second half of the nineteenth century., When Japan made opening to the world (Meiji period), they began to bring Western artists to teach Japanese students of European methods and techniques of creating an image. In its current form, manga occurred after World War II.

Anime!

Anime - meaning animated film. In Japan, this term for all films and animated series. Outside Japan, the word “anime” is used to determine Japanese animation and Japanese style of animation. The first Japanese animated film was a five-minute work Oten Shimokawy 1917 "Imokawa Mukuzō Genkanban no Maki (Mukuzo Imokawa the Doorman)." The author came from Okinawa and was then a 26-year-old amateur filmmaker. For the first worldwide success it has been recognized animation Momotaro Seitaro Kitay 1918. There are many types of anime. With one species derives some types, for example, from horror comes a "gore" (very bloody anime) and from romance comes "shonen-ai" (typical romance for girls). 

 

Japanese New Year!

Shōgatsu san-ga-nichi - Japanese New Year. It is not only a fun time and meetings with family, but also a chance to shut down old cases, start a new life and provide luck in the future.
Preparations for New Year celebrations begin with susu-Harai - housecleaning. Throwing away old things, cleaning the house, getting rid of everytghing what is unnecessary.

Traditionally, the first day, the children gets gifts, or in-toshidama. These are usually money. In that day should mandatory visit the temples.
The second day of the celebration of the New Year is associated with many traditions and customs:
Hatsu-Yume - first dream, prosperity provides the dream of the top of Fuji and herb eggplant
kaki-zome - the first in new year calligraphy

The most important are also fun and games:
hane-tsuki - a kind of Japanese badminton
tako-age - fly kites;
Karuta - card game
Sugoroku - board game brought to Japan from China

Ikebana! Flowers world!

Ikebana - the Japanese art of arranging flowers – kadō - "way of flowers".
In contrast to the decoration of flowers in our style, the Japanese art of flower arranging is focused on creating a harmony of linear construction, rhythm and color. While we emphasize the quantity and colors of plants, prevails in our appearance of the flower, the Japanese emphasize the compositions. They focus not only on flowers, but also the vessel, stems, leaves and branches. The entire structure of a Japanese flower focus arrangement on three main points That symbolize heaven, earth and mankind.
Ikebana has a long history. The Japanses lady of castel 794-1185, Sei Shonagon, in her journal she write "cherry flowers in a vase willow." Tracks of a memoir talking about the flowers laid at the festival Tanabata during the Kamakura 1185-1333

Geisha! Japanese beauty and grace!

Geisha - Japanese woman with artistic skills, she can dancing, singing and playing instruments(on the shamisen, koto, shakuhachi). She can lead ceremonies brewing and drinking tea. She is dressed in traditional costume. Before woman become geisha, she must wait six years and be a maiko. The tradition of the geisha is derived from the male-jesters taiko-mochi. The tradition of the geisha is derived from the male-jesters, taikomochi. Later womens join to this profession. Currently, geisha are only women.
They also learn good manners, they learn about literature and poems. In Yoshiwarze and other districts of love geishas they were strictly separated from prostitutes. They must stay in clear spirit and be only a company for men, nothing more.

Samurai! The Japanese Warrior!

Samurai - It’s a name of the Japanese warrior, very common on West – in Japan samurai were called bushi. The symbol of the samurai was sword - katana and wakizashi, a short sword, together forming a set called Daisho. They wearing Daisho in honor and duty. Daisho were not only a weapons. It was said that they are the soul of the samurai, samurai were so strongly associated with their swords and surrounded them deep reverence. Samurai as a social group appeared at the VII and VIII century. In 702 years, Japanese created Taiho Code, recognizing then the power of the emperor. He then began to form military units subordinated to the owners of the lands, having if necessary to the defense of property. Areas of eastern and northern Japan, especially in the Kanto plain, were often a field of bloody revolts and rebellions. There, for the first time appeared samurai. After the revolution Meiji in 1871, Japanese king abolished all titles samurai. Despite numerous protests layer Samurai was formally abolished.

Fuji!

Fuji -it's an active volcano and also the highest mountain in Japan. It's located on the Island of Honshu, south-west of the capital, Tokyo. In 2013, Mount Fuji has been inscribed onto the World Heritage List as a cultural heritage object - the Holy Place and the source of Artistic Inspiration.
The etymology of the name is difficult to determine. According to some researchers, the name can come up with language ajnuskiego from Fuchi - the name of the fire goddess (kamuj). It’s one of the most recognizable things in Japan. The Japanese love their mountain and they put it everywhere where they can (like on a cans of drink)

Cosplay!

Cosplay - It's a type of fun for anime and manga fans. It came from the USA. Americans first started to dress up like anime characters. If you want to cosplay someone you must know how this character moves, talks and what he/she looks like. It's like being an actor. You must give your heart like almost every cosplayers. And they do it, and they do a very good job. In some cities in the world, cosplayers meet together to do something for fun like conversations or fights like in the anime. But it goes beyond anime and manga. More people chose characters from games or films. It's good because it expands the horizon. More people, more fun with each other :)

 

Sushi!

Hello!

You might think that the Japanese eat only rice (It's a very funny stereotype :D). Well, they ate everything that we eat. But their traditional food is sushi.

It's a Japanese dish consisting of cooked rice and various additives like seafood, seaweed nori, pieces of fish, brews, mushrooms and eggs. In Japanese restaurants it is prepared after the order's been placed. Sushi is eaten with fingers or chopsticks. For Sushi you may get some soy sauce , green Japanese horseradish wasabi with intense flavor and pickled ginger for cleaning the taste. For that reason, you shouldn't drink the water. Sushi is usually served with green tea. 

 

Kimono! Tradicional outfit

Hello!

Everyone for sure heard something about Japanese Kimono. It's a traditional Japanese outfit for women, men and kids. It looks like a dressing-gown. It's story begins in the Heian era (794 - 1192 year). Since the invention, the kimono hasn’t changed even once. Long to the ground and with wide arms that can reach up to half a meter. The colors of kimonos are different and depend on the wearer's fancy. Today the Japanese don’t wear kimono every day. But there are occasions (like New Year) when people wear kimono and celebrate.

Kimono! Tradicional outfit

Hello!

Everyone for sure hear something about Japan's Kimono. It's a traditional Japanese outfit for women, men and kids. It's look like dressing-gown. His story begins in the Heian era (794 - 1192 year). Since the invention, the kimono hasn’t changed even once. Long to the ground and with wide arms that can reach up to half a meter. The colors of kimonos are different and depend on the wearer's fancy. Today the Japanese don’t wear kimono every day. But there are occasions (like New Year) when people wear kimono and celebrate.

Halloween in Japan!

Hello!

Today I want to say a few words about Halloween in Japan. It's fair to say that in Japan this holiday is celebrated with asstrong commitment, as in the United States. Every year on the weekend preceding Halloween, a lot of young Japanese people disguise not only as scary characters but also as their favorite cartoon characters, comic books or movies.

  The whole month of October is a time of feverish preparetions all over Japan. Lots of shops are decorated with hollow pumpkins and on the shelves there are some  special "scary" or pumpkin editions of products, and cost "100 yen", for example. "Daiso" have huge sections devoted only  to the seasonal disguises and decorations.