Country StatisticsGeography: Coastline is 29,751 km People and Society: Total Fertility rate is 1.39 children per woman Government: Nation anthem is "kimigayo" (The Emperor's Reign) Economy: Among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipement, machine tools etc. Energy: Electricity consumption is 859.7 billion kWh Transportation: Total roadways: 1,210,251 km Additional Resourceshttp://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/cultural/experience/: Here is the official website for the 'Japan National Tourism Organization'. This is a great website to visit in order to gain information on how to experience Japanese culture when visiting Japan. It also has great information on traditional festivals in Japan and so much more. There is also an interactive map where you can explore Japan online. http://www.japantoday.com/category/arts-culture- This is another great resource to explore the culture in Japan. This website is called 'Japan Today' and it will keep you up to date with the latest news concerning culture in Japan. Religion in JapanIn Japan there are many religions that are currently being practiced. Even though there is diversity in the religions that are practiced most of the Japanese follow a meld of Shintoism and Buddhism (Vanguard, 2013). The exact origins of Shintoism are still unknown. Archaeological evidence does suggest that some form of it was being practiced by the Yayoi people (400 B.C.- 250 A.D.), they lived in clans called uji (Vanguard, 2013). Each uji had a leader who served as both the war-chief and spiritual leader and each clan was associated with a single god, or kami (Vanguard, 2013). Kami represented objects in nature as well as wondrous aspects of the world, including mountains, rivers, storms and even rocks. When a clan defeated another clan in war they would assimilate the defeated clan’s kami into their existing religion (Vanguard, 2013). In this way the Yayoi was able to slowly build a complex hierarchy of kami. Buddhism arrived in China and Korea in 538 A.D; it then rapidly spread through Japan (Vanguard, 2013). However many people were reluctant to accept Buddhism because of the nationalism they had built and fear of something so foreign. However in 587 A.D when the Mononobe clan (opponents of Buddhism) was defeated the religion spread throughout Japan rapidly (Vanguard, 2013). Christianity also took root in Japan when a missionary from Spain named Francisco de Xavier introduced the religion to Japan in the sixteenth century (Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan, 2012). Japans rulers then banned Christianity during the Edo period (1603-1868), it then came back during the Meiji era (Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan, 2012). In Japan the current largest religion is Shinto followed by Buddhism and Christianity.
Religion has powerfully determinative factors in the shaping of Japanese culture (McFarland, 1991). The lifestyle of most Japanese clearly cannot be described as religious according to Western standards. Standards such as commitment to a single religion, religious services, study of scriptures and evangelism. On the contrary to this belief it is rare that a Japanese person has no involvement in Shinto, Buddhism or both (McFarland, 1991). Although it is relatively small the Christian community also has an effective presence in Japan (McFarland, 1991). Without thinking of themselves as Shinto a large percentage of Japanese participate in rites associated with Shinto. Some examples are weddings conducted under Shinto auspices, infants are dedicated at shrines and the civil coming- of- age ceremony (McFarland, 1991). The New Year (Shogatsu) is when Japanese make their first years visit to the Shinto shrine and often to a Buddhist temple as well (McFarland, 1991). This season includes other customs such as display of symbolic decorations, preparation of special foods, game playing, kite flying and fortune telling (McFarland, 1991). While many of these traditions still occur their religious roots are widely forgotten. Now few Japanese will identify themselves as Shintoists, but far fewer are untouched by the Shinto influence. Shinto really does represent historically and timelessly, the national faith of Japan (McFarland, 1991). Buddhism is the other large religion in Japan and is still highly visible through thousands of temples, schools and other social agencies (McFarland, 1991). Most importantly Buddhism is the main belief system when it comes to funerals of family members, they are conducted under a Buddhist system (McFarland, 1991). When Christianity was allowed back into Japanese culture, the Christian customs were welcomed with it. Christmas is seen in Japanese shopping centers almost as much as in American ones. Gradually Japanese society has embraced the popularity of Christian weddings; some hotels have even built their own chapels to meet the demand (McFarland, 1991). As one can see Japanese life is often reflective of religion in Japan. It is hard to describe the Japanese people without religion, historically and contemporarily. There are many sacred places in Japan for the Shinto and Buddhist religions present there. Including many shrines associated with the different religions in Japan. An example is the Hokkaido-jingu shrine, which is, where the “God of Emperor Meiji” was enshrined, it was burned down in 1974 and restored in 1978 (Japan National Tourism Organization, 2013). Another example is the Motsu-ji Temple, which is an 1100-year old temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism, built in 850 (Japan National Tourism Organization, 2013). There are countless other temples and shrines associated with Shinto and Buddhism. However Shinto and Buddhist religions are not the only ones represented with shrines and temples, Christianity is also represented in Japan. The Trappistine Covent is one of the examples; it is a current church was originally Japan’s first convent, established in the 19th century (Japan National Tourism Organization, 2013). It is clear that Japan is home to many sacred places associated with a wide range of religions. The history of the Japanese government has ties to the Shinto religion. One of the important goals of the Shinto revivalists was the restoration of imperial rule. (McFarland, 1991). The position of emperor had evolved from that of priest chief in the clan structure of ancient Japan (McFarland, 1991). Traditionally the emperor was regarded as the sacred and participated in Shinto rites such as rice planting. Despite this role the emperor rarely had the power to rule Japan directly (McFarland, 1991). Later Japan was reshaped according to the imperial and increasingly militaristic vision of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Shinto was then defined as the national faith of Japan (McFarland, 1991). Bibliography
Vanguard. (2013). Religion in japan. Retrieved from http://www.facts-about-japan.com/modern-religion.html Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan. (2012). What religions do japanese people practice. Retrieved from http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/culture/q6.html McFarland, H. N. (1991). Religion in contemporary japanese society. Retrieved from http://www.philosophy-religion.org/world/japanese-society.htm Japan National Tourism Organization. (2013). Shrines, temples and churches. Retrieved from http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/category/index.html?cat=shritemp Sources for Images http://wadsworth.cengage.com/religion_d/special_features/popups/maps/matthews_world/content/map_91.html http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/japanese-buddhism-condensed-guide.html |
Wealth of JapanThis map shows the world distribution of wealth and income. The richest 10% of households in the world have as much yearly income as the bottom 90%. The rich are concentrated in the US, Europe and Japan. Therefore much of Japans population is wealthy, this is an important aspect of their culture. It is also important to remember that all of these wealthy countries still struggle with poverty including Japan. The wealth is unevenly distributed with the richest 1% of the worlds population owning 40% of the worlds wealth.
Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/457000/457022/html/nn5page1.stm
Changes in Japan over timeEnvironment: This graph shows the statistics for the number of deaths per year caused by earthquakes. This data is from 1970 until 2008. As you can see from looking at the map as the years have gone by the number of people who have died because of earthquakes has remained fairly constant, except in 1955 when there was a bulge most likely due to the Kobe earthquake. It is interesting that the number of deaths due to earthquakes has not decreased dramatically over time. I would speculate that with the development of a country, less people would die from natural disasters. However the increase of deaths may be due to the increase in the population over time.
Energy: This graph here shows the electricity use per person in Japan from the year 1960 to the year 2010. As you can see the electricity use per person has been increasing steadily over the past decades. This is probably due to the increase in technology dependance and development. Also another reason for this increase may be due to an increase in the building of infrastructure. People in countries like Japan use electricity all day, at work, home and even on the road. This is a graph that I will expect to see increase even more as time goes by.
Work: This map shows the unemployment rate for people from the age 25 to 54. This map actually shows that unemployment for this age group has fluctuated over the past few decades, since 1981. However it does show a steady increase in the number of people in this age group that are unemployed. I think the primary reason for this is due to an over all population increase as well as an increase in life expectancy. People are living longer in Japan and are therefore working longer. This can create issues in the workforce because it creates less jobs that are available because less people are retiring at a young age.
Synthesis:
The maps depicting change in Japan through its work, environment and energy show that Japan has been changing steadily in a lot of ways. Energy usage has increased and there has been fluctuating deaths from natural distasters such as earth quakes. Also there has been an increase in the unemployment rates in Japan. for a big portion of the working age group. It is important when looking at the change occurring within a country to consider all the factors. For example one cannot simply conclude that Japan's economy is worsening because of the increase in unemployment. This is because there are many factors that are affecting that, such as an increase in the population as a whole. It will be interesting to see all the many ways that Japan is continuing to change and grow. |