Speaking Tests (335) — page 2 | Japan Culture Navi

MannersEssential retsu ni narabu列に並ぶwhy Japanese queues are so orderly

Modern JapanEssential famiri resutoranファミリーレストランthe all-purpose chain restaurant, and the drink bar

Seasons & NatureEssential koyo紅葉autumn leaves, and going to look at them

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

Onsen & BathEssential onsen温泉a natural hot spring bath

Onsen & BathEssential yubune ni tsukaru湯船につかるsoaking in the tub rather than just showering

PlacesEssential Kamakura no Daibutsu鎌倉の大仏the bronze Buddha that sits outdoors because its hall was destroyed

PlacesEssential Gion祇園と花街the old Kyoto quarter where geiko and maiko still work

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

PlacesEssential Kinkakuji金閣寺the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto

PlacesEssential Ginkakuji銀閣寺the Silver Pavilion in Kyoto, which has no silver on it

PlacesEssential Itsukushima Jinja厳島神社the shrine built over the sea, with a torii gate standing in the water

PlacesEssential Hiroshima to Heiwa Kinen Koen広島と平和記念公園the park in the middle of Hiroshima built where the city was destroyed

PlacesEssential Kokyo皇居と二重橋where the Emperor lives, on the site of Edo Castle

PlacesEssential Akihabara秋葉原the Tokyo district that went from radio parts to anime

PlacesEssential Shibuya sukuranburu kosaten渋谷スクランブル交差点the all-way pedestrian crossing outside Shibuya Station

PlacesEssential Kiyomizudera清水寺the Kyoto temple with a wooden stage built out over a hillside

PlacesEssential Asakusa浅草the old temple district in eastern Tokyo

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

PlacesEssential Tokyo Tawa東京タワーthe red and white broadcasting tower built in 1958

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 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 Hakone箱根the hot spring area in the mountains west of Tokyo

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 pokemonポケモンa Japanese game series about catching and raising creatures, later an anime and card game

School LifeEssential kyushoku給食school lunch

School LifeEssential soji掃除students cleaning their own school

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

ShintoEssential mikoshi神輿the portable shrine carried through the streets at a festival

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

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

ArtsStandard shakuhachi尺八the bamboo flute once played by wandering monks

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

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

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

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

Martial ArtsStandard suriashiすり足sliding your feet along the floor instead of lifting them

Martial ArtsStandard kangeiko寒稽古special training in the coldest weeks of winter

Martial ArtsStandard maai間合いthe right distance from your opponent, and by extension, good timing

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

Martial ArtsStandard shiko四股the sumo leg-raising movement, done as training and as a rite

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

Martial ArtsStandard seiza and mokuso正座と黙想kneeling and the short silent sitting at the start and end of practice

Martial ArtsStandard kumite組手sparring with a partner in karate

Martial ArtsStandard shinai and bogu竹刀と防具the bamboo sword and protective armor used in kendo

Martial ArtsStandard dohyo土俵the raised clay ring a sumo bout is fought in

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 kanzashiかんざしan ornamental hairpin worn with traditional Japanese hairstyles

ClothingStandard gakuseifuku学生服the classic Japanese school uniform: the stand-collar jacket and the sailor blouse

ClothingStandard kimono no gara to mon'yo着物の柄と文様the symbolism behind cranes, waves and other patterns woven or dyed into kimono

ClothingStandard shiromuku白無垢the all-white kimono a bride wears at a traditional Japanese wedding

ConceptsStandard ichigo ichie一期一会one time, one meeting

ConceptsStandard en縁the connection between people that brings them together