Commonly Misunderstood (527) — page 3

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 Dotonbori道頓堀the canal-side street in Osaka with the running-man sign

PlacesEssential Nara Koen no shika奈良公園の鹿the wild deer that roam a city park in Nara

PlacesEssential Shirakawago白川郷the mountain village of steep thatched farmhouses

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

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

PlacesEssential Fushimi Inari Taisha伏見稲荷大社the Kyoto shrine with thousands of vermilion torii gates up a mountain

PlacesEssential Meiji Jingu明治神宮the Tokyo shrine set in a forest that was planted from nothing

PlacesEssential Arashiyama嵐山the district of western Kyoto with the bridge, the temple garden and the bamboo path

Pop CultureEssential bui chubaVチューバーa performer who streams and posts videos as an animated character instead of showing their real face

Pop CultureEssential animeアニメJapanese animation

Pop CultureEssential karaokeカラオケsinging to a backing track

Pop CultureEssential kawaiiかわいいthe aesthetic of cuteness

Pop CultureEssential terebi gemuテレビゲームhome video games

Pop CultureEssential emoji絵文字picture characters

School LifeEssential randoseruランドセルthe boxy, rigid backpack most primary school children carry

School LifeEssential maru to batsu丸とバツthe circle for "right" and the X for "wrong" used in Japan

School LifeEssential kosoku校則school rules and how strict they are

School LifeEssential seifuku制服the school uniform

School LifeEssential tokohan登校班children walking to school in groups

School LifeEssential bukatsu部活school club activities

ShintoEssential jinja to tera no chigai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

ShintoEssential mushukyo無宗教saying you have no religion while keeping its customs

ShintoEssential saisen賽銭the offering you throw in

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 kabuki歌舞伎classical Japanese theater

ArtsStandard kyogen狂言the comic theater performed alongside noh

ArtsStandard karesansui枯山水the dry landscape garden

ArtsStandard shishimai獅子舞the lion dance that bites your head for luck

ArtsStandard shogi将棋Japanese chess

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

BuddhismStandard ofuseお布施the money offered to a priest, with no stated price

BuddhismStandard inga oho因果応報what you do comes back

BuddhismStandard gokuraku and jigoku極楽と地獄the Pure Land and the hells in Japanese Buddhism

BuddhismStandard zazen座禅seated Zen meditation

BuddhismStandard juzu数珠Buddhist prayer beads

BuddhismStandard senko線香incense sticks for the dead

BuddhismStandard soryo僧侶Buddhist priests in Japan, who may marry and inherit a temple

BuddhismStandard danka banare檀家離れthe modern trend of families cutting formal ties to their household's Buddhist temple

BuddhismStandard namu amida butsu to namu myoho renge kyo南無阿弥陀仏と南無妙法蓮華経the two most common chanted phrases in Japanese Buddhism, and why they differ by school

BuddhismStandard rinne輪廻the cycle of rebirth

Martial ArtsStandard ekiden駅伝long-distance relay running

Martial ArtsStandard enbu演武a martial arts demonstration performed instead of a match

Martial ArtsStandard yokozuna横綱the highest rank in sumo

Martial ArtsStandard karate空手the striking martial art from Okinawa

Martial ArtsStandard keiko稽古training in a traditional art or martial art

Martial ArtsStandard kentaikai to zenkoku taikai県大会と全国大会the ladder of local, prefectural, and national school tournaments

Martial ArtsStandard koko yakyu to Koshien高校野球と甲子園the national high school baseball tournament

Martial ArtsStandard aikido合気道a martial art without contests

Martial ArtsStandard kuroobi to dan'i黒帯と段位the ranking system in Japanese arts

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

Martial ArtsStandard jujutsu柔術the old Japanese grappling arts that judo grew out of

Martial ArtsStandard Shorinji Kempo少林寺拳法a Japanese martial art founded in 1947, different from Chinese Shaolin kung fu

Martial ArtsStandard shomen ni rei正面に礼bowing to the front wall of the training hall

Martial ArtsStandard suburi素振りswinging a weapon or bat with no opponent or ball

Martial ArtsStandard kumite組手sparring with a partner in karate

Martial ArtsStandard sumo beya相撲部屋the stable where wrestlers live

Martial ArtsStandard oicho大銀杏the ginkgo-leaf-shaped topknot only sumo wrestlers ranked juryo and above are allowed to wear