Entrance Exams (362) | Japan Culture Navi

ArtsEssential haiku俳句the seventeen-syllable poem

ArtsEssential ukiyo-e浮世絵woodblock prints

BuddhismEssential ohakamairiお墓参りvisiting the family grave

BuddhismEssential Zen禅a school of Buddhism built on seated meditation

BuddhismEssential daibutsu大仏the great Buddha statues

BuddhismEssential Buddhism in Japan日本の仏教how Buddhism arrived, changed, and ended up handling funerals

BuddhismEssential telling Buddhist statues apart仏像の見分け方the four ranks of Buddhist image and how to read them

Martial ArtsEssential kiai気合the shout that focuses breath and energy into a technique

Martial ArtsEssential kata型a prearranged sequence of moves practiced alone or against an imagined opponent

Martial ArtsEssential judo柔道the martial art that became an Olympic sport

Martial ArtsEssential sumo相撲Japan's national sport and Shinto ritual

ConceptsEssential omotenashiおもてなしJapanese hospitality

ConceptsEssential ganbatteがんばってthe encouragement that is not quite good luck

ConceptsEssential tadaima and okaeriただいま・おかえりthe greeting exchanged when someone comes home

ConceptsEssential mottainaiもったいないwhat a waste

ConceptsEssential yoroshiku onegaishimasuよろしくお願いしますthe phrase with no English equivalent

ConceptsEssential isshokenmei一生懸命with everything you have

ConceptsEssential the three Japanese scripts漢字・ひらがな・カタカナwhy Japanese is written with three writing systems at once

ConceptsEssential omoiyari思いやりimagining how the other person feels

ConceptsEssential nanakorobi yaoki七転び八起きfall seven times, get up eight

ConceptsEssential deru kui wa utareru出る杭は打たれるthe stake that sticks out gets hammered down

ConceptsEssential josushi助数詞the counters Japanese puts after a number

ConceptsEssential ishi no ue nimo sannen石の上にも三年three years sitting on a stone

ConceptsEssential meiwaku wo kakenai迷惑をかけないnot causing trouble for others

ConceptsEssential wasei-eigo和製英語English-looking words made in Japan

Annual EventsEssential oshogatsuお正月the Japanese New Year

Annual EventsEssential obonお盆the summer festival for returning ancestors

Annual EventsEssential hanami花見cherry blossom viewing

Annual EventsEssential Japanese public holidays日本の祝日the national holiday calendar

FolkloreEssential Urashima Taro浦島太郎the fisherman who spends three days under the sea and returns three hundred years later

FolkloreEssential senbazuru千羽鶴a thousand folded cranes, given as a wish for recovery or peace

FolkloreEssential Momotaro桃太郎the boy born from a peach who goes to fight demons

FolkloreEssential Japanese folk tales日本の昔話the handful of stories every Japanese child grows up knowing

Food & DrinkEssential itadakimasuいただきますwhat we say before eating

Food & DrinkEssential ichiju sansai一汁三菜one soup and three dishes, the standard shape of a Japanese meal

Food & DrinkEssential kome米rice as the center of the meal

Food & DrinkEssential bento弁当a packed meal in a box

Food & DrinkEssential miso soup味噌汁the soup served with almost every Japanese meal

Food & DrinkEssential washoku和食traditional Japanese cuisine

Food & DrinkEssential donburi丼ものa bowl of rice with something cooked served on top

HistoryEssential gengo元号the Japanese era name

HistoryEssential samurai侍the warrior class of old Japan

Life EventsEssential ieiei遺影the portrait photograph displayed at a funeral

Life EventsEssential nengajo年賀状New Year greeting cards

MannersEssential ojigiお辞儀bowing

MannersEssential honorifics sanさん付けwhy names always have something attached

MannersEssential queueing列に並ぶwhy Japanese queues are so orderly

Modern JapanEssential gomi bunbetsuゴミの分別sorting your rubbish

Modern JapanEssential masksマスクwhy people wear masks in Japan

Modern JapanEssential shoshi koreika少子高齢化a falling birth rate with an ageing population

Modern JapanEssential shinkansen新幹線the bullet train

Modern JapanEssential manin densha満員電車the packed commuter train

Seasons & NatureEssential volcanoes and earthquakes火山と地震living on an unstable archipelago

Seasons & NatureEssential shiki四季the four seasons, as Japan talks about them

Seasons & NatureEssential tsuyu梅雨the rainy season

PlacesEssential kyoto京都the capital for a thousand years, and how to explain it

PlacesEssential Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park広島と平和記念公園the park in the middle of Hiroshima built where the city was destroyed

PlacesEssential osaka大阪the merchant city, and how it differs from Tokyo

PlacesEssential Todaiji東大寺と奈良の大仏the Nara temple housing a 15-meter bronze Buddha in a vast wooden hall

PlacesEssential Himeji Castle姫路城the white castle in Hyogo, the best-preserved original keep in Japan

PlacesEssential Mount Fuji富士山Japan's highest mountain, an active volcano and a World Cultural Heritage site

Pop CultureEssential animeアニメJapanese animation

Pop CultureEssential emoji絵文字picture characters

Pop CultureEssential manga漫画Japanese comics

School LifeEssential natsuyasumi no shukudai夏休みの宿題the summer holiday homework, including the free research project

School LifeEssential kyushoku給食school lunch

School LifeEssential kosoku校則school rules and how strict they are

School LifeEssential seifuku制服the school uniform

School LifeEssential school cleaning掃除students cleaning their own school

School LifeEssential bukatsu部活school club activities

ShintoEssential shrines and temples神社と寺の違いhow to tell a Shinto shrine from a Buddhist temple

ShintoEssential Shinto神道Japan's indigenous way of relating to spirits in nature and ancestors

Work CultureEssential otsukaresamaお疲れさまthe all-purpose word for acknowledging someone's work

Work CultureEssential zangyo残業working overtime

ArtsStandard igo囲碁the board game of go

ArtsStandard Oku no Hosomichi奥の細道Basho's travel account of the deep north

ArtsStandard kabuki歌舞伎classical Japanese theater

ArtsStandard kumadori歌舞伎の隈取kabuki's bold, symbolic stage makeup

ArtsStandard emaki絵巻the painted handscroll you unroll section by section

ArtsStandard kyogen狂言the comic theater performed alongside noh

ArtsStandard mie見得the frozen dramatic pose in kabuki

ArtsStandard shakuhachi尺八the bamboo flute once played by wandering monks

ArtsStandard shodo書道Japanese calligraphy

ArtsStandard suibokuga水墨画ink painting in black and white, brought by Zen monks

ArtsStandard ikebana生け花Japanese flower arrangement

ArtsStandard stone lanterns and water basins石灯籠と蹲踞the stone furniture of a Japanese garden

ArtsStandard senryu川柳the comic cousin of haiku, about people rather than nature

ArtsStandard tanka短歌the thirty-one-syllable poem

ArtsStandard chashitsu茶室the room built for a tea gathering

ArtsStandard sado茶道the way of tea

ArtsStandard choju giga鳥獣戯画the twelfth-century animal scrolls often called Japan's first manga

ArtsStandard nihon buyo日本舞踊classical Japanese dance, largely grown out of kabuki

ArtsStandard nomen能面the masks worn in noh theater

ArtsStandard Hyakunin Isshu百人一首a hundred poems and the card game

ArtsStandard mokuhanga木版画the woodblock printing behind ukiyo-e

ArtsStandard byobu屏風a folding screen

BuddhismStandard inga oho因果応報what you do comes back

BuddhismStandard rinne輪廻the cycle of rebirth

Martial ArtsStandard karate空手the striking martial art from Okinawa

Martial ArtsStandard kendo剣道Japanese fencing with bamboo swords

Martial ArtsStandard zanshin残心staying alert and ready in the instant after a technique lands

Martial ArtsStandard mandatory budo in junior high中学校の武道必修化the compulsory martial arts unit in Japanese junior high gym class

Martial ArtsStandard rei ni hajimari rei ni owaru礼に始まり礼に終わるit begins with a bow and ends with a bow

ClothingStandard haori羽織the short jacket worn open over a kimono

ClothingStandard the cost of a kimono着物の値段why a formal kimono can cost as much as a car

ConceptsStandard uchi and sotoウチとソトinside group and outside group

ConceptsStandard shitsukeしつけbringing up a child to behave considerately

ConceptsStandard ichigo ichie一期一会one time, one meeting

ConceptsStandard ichizu一途single-minded devotion to one person or thing

ConceptsStandard on恩a debt of gratitude that you carry and repay

ConceptsStandard gaman我慢enduring without complaint

ConceptsStandard kao wo tateru顔を立てるletting someone keep their standing in front of others

ConceptsStandard kikubari気配りproactive thoughtfulness toward others' needs

ConceptsStandard kuki wo yomu空気を読むreading the room

ConceptsStandard konjo根性grit, and the training culture built around it

ConceptsStandard sassuru察するworking out what someone means without being told

ConceptsStandard shikata ga nai仕方ないit cannot be helped

ConceptsStandard uchi to yosozama身内とよそ様insiders and the outside world

ConceptsStandard kazoedoshi数え年the old way of counting age, from one at birth

ConceptsStandard seken世間the watching public around you

ConceptsStandard sekentei世間体how you look to the people around you

ConceptsStandard ikigai生きがいwhat makes life worth living

ConceptsStandard haji恥shame as a social brake

ConceptsStandard bun wo wakimaeru分をわきまえるknowing and staying within your place

ConceptsStandard honne and tatemae本音と建前true feelings and public face

ConceptsStandard mujo無常the impermanence of everything

ConceptsStandard myoji名字Japanese family names and where they came from

ConceptsStandard wa和harmony as the thing a group protects

ConceptsStandard wabi-sabi侘び寂びbeauty in imperfection and age

ConceptsStandard kizuna絆the bond between people who will not let go of each other

CraftsStandard urushi漆器lacquerware

CraftsStandard shokunin職人the craftsman, as an identity

CraftsStandard ningen kokuho人間国宝a Living National Treasure, a state-certified master of a traditional art or craft

CraftsStandard tojiki陶磁器Japanese pottery and porcelain

CraftsStandard washi和紙traditional Japanese paper

Annual EventsStandard kanto matsuri竿燈まつりthe Akita festival of lantern poles balanced on one hand

Annual EventsStandard Respect for the Aged Day敬老の日the September holiday honoring older people

Annual EventsStandard shochu mimai暑中見舞いthe midsummer greeting card

Annual EventsStandard kakizome書き初めthe first calligraphy of the year

Annual EventsStandard new year games正月の遊びthe traditional games played at New Year

Annual EventsStandard nijushi sekki二十四節気the twenty-four solar terms of the traditional calendar

Annual EventsStandard higan彼岸the weeks around the equinoxes when families visit graves

Annual EventsStandard kadomatsu門松the pine and bamboo arrangement placed at the door for the New Year

FolkloreStandard Kaguya-himeかぐや姫the girl found in a bamboo stalk who returns to the moon

FolkloreStandard oni鬼the horned ogre of Japanese folklore

Food & DrinkStandard kaiseki懐石料理the formal multi-course meal, and the two different things called kaiseki

Food & DrinkStandard eating fish魚を食べる文化how much fish Japan eats, and how that is changing

Food & DrinkStandard dashi出汁the stock at the base of Japanese cooking

Food & DrinkStandard nanban-gashi南蛮菓子the sweets the Portuguese brought in the 1500s

Food & DrinkStandard yoshoku洋食Western-style dishes invented in Japan

Food & DrinkStandard wagashi和菓子traditional Japanese sweets

HistoryStandard the 1964 Tokyo Olympics1964年の東京オリンピックthe games that announced Japan's recovery

HistoryStandard sorobanそろばんthe Japanese abacus

HistoryStandard the bubble economyバブル経済the asset price bubble of the late 1980s

HistoryStandard the Onin War応仁の乱the eleven-year conflict that opened Japan's age of civil war

HistoryStandard kaido and shukuba街道と宿場the Edo highways and their post towns

HistoryStandard the Battle of Sekigahara関ヶ原の戦いthe 1600 battle that decided who would rule Japan for 265 years

HistoryStandard the Great Kanto Earthquake関東大震災the 1923 earthquake and fires that destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama

HistoryStandard kentoshi遣唐使the missions Japan sent to Tang dynasty China

HistoryStandard the Edo period江戸時代Japan's 260 years of self-imposed peace and isolation

HistoryStandard the high growth era高度経済成長Japan's postwar economic boom

HistoryStandard national treasures and important cultural properties国宝と重要文化財how Japan designates what it protects

HistoryStandard kurofune黒船the American warships that forced Japan to open its ports in 1853

HistoryStandard terakoya寺子屋the neighborhood schools of the Edo period

HistoryStandard the lost decades失われた30年the long stagnation after the bubble

HistoryStandard shudan shushoku集団就職the mass migration of young workers to the cities after the war

HistoryStandard jokamachi城下町a town laid out around a castle

HistoryStandard Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu信長・秀吉・家康the three who unified Japan

HistoryStandard the Sengoku period戦国時代Japan's age of civil war

HistoryStandard tenno天皇the Emperor of Japan

HistoryStandard the Constitution of Japan日本国憲法the postwar constitution

HistoryStandard haihan-chiken廃藩置県the abolition of the feudal domains

HistoryStandard fukoku kyohei富国強兵the Meiji-era slogan "rich country, strong army"

HistoryStandard the tale of the heike平家物語the war tale about the fall of a clan, recited to the lute

HistoryStandard manyoshu万葉集Japan's oldest surviving poetry collection

Home & LivingStandard irori囲炉裏the open hearth sunk into the floor

Home & LivingStandard fusuma and shoji襖と障子the sliding paper doors of a Japanese house

Home & LivingStandard gassho-zukuri and thatched roofs合掌造りと茅葺きthe steep thatched farmhouses of the snow country

Home & LivingStandard uchimizu打ち水sprinkling water on the ground to cool the air

Home & LivingStandard machiya町家the narrow deep townhouse of an old merchant quarter

Home & LivingStandard nagaya長屋the Edo row house where most townspeople lived

Home & LivingStandard butsuma仏間the room traditionally set aside for the family Buddhist altar

Home & LivingStandard wooden architecture木造建築why Japan builds in wood

Home & LivingStandard wooden houses木造住宅why Japanese homes are rebuilt, not resold

Life EventsStandard omiaiお見合いan introduction with marriage in mind

Life EventsStandard osoushikiお葬式a Japanese funeral

Life EventsStandard shonanoka初七日the memorial service held on the seventh day after death

Life EventsStandard seijinshiki成人式the coming-of-age ceremony

Life EventsStandard nakodo仲人the go-between who arranged and formally witnessed a marriage

Life EventsStandard married surnames夫婦の姓why couples must share one name

Life EventsStandard divorce離婚how divorce works in Japan

MannersStandard keigo敬語the honorific levels of Japanese

MannersStandard apologizing謝るwhy Japanese people apologize first

MannersStandard dogeza土下座kneeling with your forehead on the floor

MannersStandard meishi exchange名刺交換exchanging business cards

MannersStandard priority seats優先席seats set aside for those who need them

Modern JapanStandard cool bizクールビズthe summer campaign to work without a jacket and tie

Modern JapanStandard gender gapジェンダーギャップwhy Japan ranks low on gender equality despite high education levels

Modern JapanStandard shatta-shotengaiシャッター商店街a shopping street where most storefronts are permanently shuttered

Modern JapanStandard my numberマイナンバーthe national identification number

Modern JapanStandard hikikomori引きこもりlong-term withdrawal from society

Modern JapanStandard karoshi過労死death from overwork, and the law Japan wrote because of it

Modern JapanStandard kaigo介護long-term care, and the insurance system behind it

Modern JapanStandard foreign workers外国人労働者how Japan brings in workers from abroad

Modern JapanStandard kakutei shinkoku確定申告filing your own tax return

Modern JapanStandard akiya空き家empty houses left standing across Japan

Modern JapanStandard cash society現金社会why Japan still runs on cash

Modern JapanStandard koban交番the neighborhood police box

Modern JapanStandard kyoshujo自動車教習所driving school, the required path to a license

Modern JapanStandard shaken車検the mandatory vehicle inspection

Modern JapanStandard women at work女性の就業where women's employment in Japan stands

Modern JapanStandard population decline人口減少と過疎a shrinking, aging country

Modern JapanStandard e-scooter電動キックボードthe electric scooter now allowed without a driver's license

Modern JapanStandard hanko判子the personal seal used instead of a signature

Seasons & NatureStandard the sea and fishing海と漁業how Japan eats from the ocean

Seasons & NatureStandard kyureki旧暦the old lunisolar calendar Japan used until 1872

Seasons & NatureStandard shinrin no kuni森林の国how much of Japan is forest

Seasons & NatureStandard rivers and bridges川と橋Japan's short steep rivers

Seasons & NatureStandard senjo kosuitai線状降水帯the linear rainband that causes Japan's worst flash flooding

Seasons & NatureStandard the shape of Japan日本列島の地形a long mountainous chain of islands

Seasons & NatureStandard ume梅Japanese apricot blossom

Seasons & NatureStandard satoyama里山the managed woodland between the village and the mountain

PlacesStandard yokohama横浜the fishing village that became Japan's door to the West

PlacesStandard koyasan高野山the mountain monastery where you can stay the night

PlacesStandard shikoku pilgrimage四国八十八ヶ所the 1,200-kilometer circuit of eighty-eight temples

PlacesStandard Nihon Sankei日本三景the three famous views of Japan, chosen in the seventeenth century

Pop CultureStandard otakuオタクsomeone obsessively into a hobby

Pop CultureStandard kamishibai紙芝居the paper theater a storyteller carried on a bicycle

Pop CultureStandard Japanese film日本映画Japanese cinema, then and now

School LifeStandard undokai運動会school sports day

School LifeStandard gakkyukai学級会the class meeting where pupils decide things themselves

School LifeStandard tannin学級担任the homeroom teacher who teaches everything

School LifeStandard juken受験the entrance exam system

School LifeStandard shugaku ryoko修学旅行the school trip everyone goes on

School LifeStandard juku塾the private school you go to after school

School LifeStandard english education日本の英語教育why Japanese people study English for years and still cannot speak it

School LifeStandard entrance and graduation ceremonies入学式と卒業式the formal ceremonies that open and close a school year

School LifeStandard bukatsu no intai部活の引退leaving your school club after the last tournament

ShintoStandard Gion Matsuri祇園祭the month-long Kyoto festival that began as a rite against plague

ShintoStandard tamagushi玉串the evergreen sprig offered at a rite

ShintoStandard shinto and nature神道と自然the animism at the heart of Shinto belief

ShintoStandard Tenmangu天満宮と学問の神shrines of the deity of learning

ShintoStandard Nihon shinwa日本神話the myths in Japan's oldest books

Work CultureStandard harassmentハラスメントworkplace harassment and the law against it

Work CultureStandard harassment rulesハラスメント対策workplace harassment law in Japan

Work CultureStandard shukatsu就活と新卒一括採用hiring an entire year group at once

Work CultureStandard women in management女性管理職how few women hold senior posts

Work CultureStandard shokunin no koukeisha busoku職人の後継者不足the shortage of successors for traditional craftspeople

Work CultureStandard shinjin kenshu新人研修training for new graduates

Work CultureStandard jinji ido人事異動internal transfers decided by the company

Work CultureStandard sogoshoku and ippanshoku総合職と一般職career-track and clerical-track hiring

Work CultureStandard taishokukin退職金the lump-sum retirement payment

Work CultureStandard chusho kigyo to shitauke中小企業と下請けsmall and midsize firms and the subcontracting pyramid

Work CultureStandard tenshoku転職changing jobs mid-career

Work CultureStandard nenko joretsu年功序列pay and rank by length of service

Work CultureStandard haken派遣社員agency temp workers

Work CultureStandard hiseiki koyo非正規雇用non-regular employment

Work CultureStandard fukugyo副業holding a second job

Work CultureStandard yukyu有給休暇paid leave, and why people don't take it

Work CultureStandard rodo kumiai労働組合the labor union

ArtsAdvanced iemoto家元the head of a school of a traditional art

ArtsAdvanced gagaku雅楽the court music of Japan

ArtsAdvanced kodan講談storytelling of battles and heroes, told from behind a small desk

ArtsAdvanced kodo香道the way of incense

ArtsAdvanced shoin-zukuri書院造the room style that modern Japanese rooms come from

ArtsAdvanced shinden-zukuri寝殿造the palace style of the Heian aristocracy

ArtsAdvanced kumiodori組踊Okinawan musical theater, created for Chinese envoys

ArtsAdvanced nihonga日本画painting in traditional Japanese materials

ArtsAdvanced noh能the oldest surviving stage art in Japan

ArtsAdvanced biwa琵琶the lute that carried Japan's war tales

ArtsAdvanced bunraku文楽puppet theater with three operators to a puppet

ArtsAdvanced Hojoki and Tsurezuregusa方丈記と徒然草the two other great Japanese essay collections

ArtsAdvanced Makura no Soshi枕草子The Pillow Book

BuddhismAdvanced shojin ryori精進料理Buddhist temple cuisine

BuddhismAdvanced nenbutsu念仏calling the Buddha's name

BuddhismAdvanced hoji法事a Buddhist memorial service

BuddhismAdvanced mikkyo密教esoteric Buddhism in Japan

Martial ArtsAdvanced kyudo弓道Japanese archery

Martial ArtsAdvanced kemari蹴鞠the Heian court game of keeping a ball in the air

ClothingAdvanced kimono formality着物の格the ranking that decides which kimono may be worn where

ConceptsAdvanced mono no awareもののあはれthe sadness of passing things

ConceptsAdvanced ishin denshin以心伝心understanding without words

ConceptsAdvanced kachofugetsu花鳥風月flower, bird, wind and moon

ConceptsAdvanced amae甘えdepending on another person's goodwill

ConceptsAdvanced giri義理social obligation you cannot refuse

ConceptsAdvanced isagiyosa潔さaccepting defeat cleanly

ConceptsAdvanced sanpo yoshi三方よしgood for the seller, the buyer and society

ConceptsAdvanced shu ha ri守破離the three stages of learning a traditional art

ConceptsAdvanced jukyo儒教Confucian ideas as they took root in Japan

ConceptsAdvanced shoshin wasuru bekarazu初心忘るべからずnever forget how you began

ConceptsAdvanced iki粋the understated stylishness of Edo townspeople

ConceptsAdvanced yaoyorozu no kami八百万の神the eight million gods

ConceptsAdvanced yugen幽玄depth that is felt rather than shown

Annual EventsAdvanced ebisu koえびす講the merchants' festival for the god of business

Annual EventsAdvanced nagoshi no harae夏越の祓the midsummer purification

Annual EventsAdvanced hanamatsuri花祭りthe Buddha's birthday

Annual EventsAdvanced go-sekku五節句the five seasonal festivals of the old calendar

Annual EventsAdvanced zassetsu雑節Japan's own seasonal markers, added to the imported calendar

Annual EventsAdvanced choyo重陽の節句the chrysanthemum festival of the ninth month

Annual EventsAdvanced hatsuuma初午the February day for the fox shrines

Annual EventsAdvanced niinamesai新嘗祭と勤労感謝の日the harvest rite behind a public holiday

Annual EventsAdvanced hari kuyo針供養a memorial service for broken needles

FolkloreAdvanced onmyodo陰陽道the court's system of divination and calendar making

FolkloreAdvanced ushimitsu doki丑三つ時the dead of night, around two in the morning, when spirits were said to appear

HistoryAdvanced kimigayo君が代the national anthem, and why it is argued about

HistoryAdvanced Article 9憲法9条the war-renouncing article of the constitution

HistoryAdvanced The Tale of Genji源氏物語an eleventh-century court novel

HistoryAdvanced Hiroshima and Nagasaki広島と長崎the atomic bombings and how they are remembered

HistoryAdvanced kokugaku国学the Edo-period study of Japan's own classics

HistoryAdvanced sakoku鎖国the closed country policy

HistoryAdvanced sankin kotai参勤交代the alternate attendance system

HistoryAdvanced jinrikisha人力車the two-wheeled passenger cart Japan invented and exported

HistoryAdvanced women's status since 1945戦後の女性の地位の変化what changed and what did not

HistoryAdvanced the Occupation戦後の占領Japan under Allied administration

HistoryAdvanced hidden christians潜伏キリシタンthe Christians who kept the faith through 250 years of prohibition

HistoryAdvanced the Pacific War太平洋戦争Japan in the Second World War

HistoryAdvanced Taisho democracy大正デモクラシーthe liberal current of the 1910s and 1920s

HistoryAdvanced teppo denrai鉄砲伝来the arrival of the matchlock gun in 1543 and how fast Japan copied it

HistoryAdvanced Jomon and Yayoi縄文と弥生Japan's two prehistoric periods

HistoryAdvanced hanko domain school藩校the schools each domain ran for its samurai

HistoryAdvanced the rise of the samurai武士の登場how warriors took over government

HistoryAdvanced bushido武士道the way of the warrior

HistoryAdvanced cultural property system文化財の制度how Japan designates national treasures and protects its heritage

HistoryAdvanced bunmei kaika文明開化the rush to westernize

HistoryAdvanced the Heian period平安時代the age of the court aristocracy

HistoryAdvanced the Meiji Restoration明治維新the transformation that rebuilt Japan in decades

HistoryAdvanced rangaku蘭学Dutch learning during the closed country period

HistoryAdvanced wasan和算the mathematics developed in Edo-period Japan

Home & LivingAdvanced engawa縁側the wooden veranda between inside and out

Home & LivingAdvanced danchi団地postwar public housing estates

Home & LivingAdvanced nisetai jutaku二世帯住宅a house built for two generations

Life EventsAdvanced ochugen and oseiboお中元・お歳暮the two seasonal gift-giving periods

Life EventsAdvanced eitai kuyo永代供養the temple keeping your grave when nobody is left to

Life EventsAdvanced yuino結納the formal engagement ceremony

Life EventsAdvanced koseki戸籍the family register

Modern JapanAdvanced pachinkoパチンコthe gambling that legally is not gambling

Modern JapanAdvanced kenketsu献血giving blood in Japan

Modern JapanAdvanced kodokushi孤独死dying alone and not being found

Modern JapanAdvanced shogakukin奨学金the word that means scholarship but usually means student loan

Modern JapanAdvanced taiki jido待機児童children on the waiting list for daycare

Seasons & NatureAdvanced national parks国立公園Japan's national parks, where people live and work inside

Seasons & NatureAdvanced jugai獣害crop damage by deer, boar and bears

Seasons & NatureAdvanced nihon no mizu日本の水Japan's paradox of abundant but scarce water

PlacesAdvanced seikan tunnel青函トンネルthe undersea tunnel joining Honshu and Hokkaido

PlacesAdvanced mozu furuichi kofun百舌鳥・古市古墳群the giant keyhole tombs you cannot go inside

Pop CultureAdvanced idolアイドルthe Japanese idol system

School LifeAdvanced tsuchihyo通知表the school report card

ShintoAdvanced kokka shinto国家神道the state administration of shrines from 1868 to 1945

ShintoAdvanced shago社号why shrines are called jingu, taisha or jinja

ShintoAdvanced shugendo修験道the mountain ascetic tradition and its yamabushi

ShintoAdvanced norito祝詞the formal prayer read by a priest

ShintoAdvanced shrine architecture神社の建築how to read the buildings of a Shinto shrine

ShintoAdvanced shinbutsu shugo神仏習合the long blending of Shinto and Buddhism

ShintoAdvanced counting kami神様の数え方why Japanese counts gods with the word for pillar

ShintoAdvanced shinsen and naorai神饌と直会the food offered to a deity and the meal shared afterwards

ShintoAdvanced hachimangu八幡宮shrines of the warrior deity

ShintoAdvanced reitaisai例大祭a shrine's own most important annual festival

ShintoAdvanced misogi禊purifying yourself with water

Work CultureAdvanced shanai shitsugyo社内失業being kept on payroll with no real work to do

Work CultureAdvanced shushin koyo終身雇用lifetime employment

Work CultureAdvanced shunto春闘the spring wage round

Work CultureAdvanced teinen定年と再雇用mandatory retirement age and rehiring