Living in Japan - The People

Happy Thursday! It is Thankful Thursday too. I tried to do the linky tool last week, sorry it didn't work as well as I thought and what I found was people just posted their thankful thursday in the comment section so everyone else can see what they were thankful for! Lets continue this because there is so much to be thankful for, I don't think this series can ever end.

*I'm thankful for the opportunity to live in another country and get to experience a new culture first hand

Today I'm focusing this post on the Japanese people and their customs. I didn't not have bad experiences with the Japanese people minus one but I'm not comfortable talking about that and years later it still affects me. The Japanese people are very polite, very respectable but tend to keep to themselves unless asked first. On the train and buses, there are seats reserved to the elderly, pregnant women and anyone that is injured. I remember being on the train once with my friend and an elderly man was sitting down on a crowded train, not in one of the reserved seats, and a pregnant woman walked on, he immediately rose to let her have his seat. In return for his kindness, my friend and I stood up to let him have our seat. But it is that kind of politeness which made it a wonderful country to live in. 

Japan is also a very safe country, for example the blood alcohol level for drunk driving is 0%, it isn't allowed. There is always the local koban, or police station, in the ward that you live in in Tokyo. Here are a few photos.

 But another reason why Japan is safe is because of the mentality that you keep to yourself and not bring any wrong attention to yourself. It is a cultural faux pas to do something that would bring dishonor and attention to yourself and to your family. Due to this simple mentality that has been ingrained in the culture for generations and generations, is one key reason why the country is very safe. I remember one time I left a ring in a bathroom in a department store, I walked all the way home and then realized that I had left the ring in the bathroom. I walked all the way back and the ring was there. Because the Japanese people keep to themselves, and if it isn't their own, they don't take it, I feel that is why my ring was still there. 

The Japanese people are also very resilient, and come back time and time again from disasters their countries endure. Earthquakes are commonplace in Japan such as the one that occurred recently with tsunami, but I have no doubt that that area that was hit will bounce back, and they will bounce back even stronger before. That is the just the Japanese mentality. That was the case too after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, instead of focusing on the fact that their country was bombed, the Japanese promote peace so that no future atomic bombs will be dropped on any countries.

Some of the wonderful things about the Japanese and their cultures is how they celebrate. In Japan, the major age is turning 20 it is like our 16, 18, and 21 combined. Turning 20 means you can drive, vote, drink and means you are an adult. All the girls and guys turning 20 that year get all dressed up in their finest kimonos and have a party hosted by the local ward they live in, but it isn't a wild and rambunctious party. Here is a photo of some girls going to their Coming of Age party

The other holidays in Japan also celebrate people! On March 3, Girls Day or Hinamatsuri is celebrated and the mothers in each household display all ornamental dolls depicting the Emperor, the Empress and his Royal Court and pray for their daughter's growth and happiness.This is the display of dolls.

Other holidays is the Child's Day, Kodomo no Hi which is celebrated on May 5 and flags of fish are hung outside the house, and how many boys are int he house are represented by the number of flags flying and the length of the fish indicates the age of the boys.

Other major holidays that celebrate people is Ocean Day Umi No Hi, the third Monday in July which represents the returning of Emperor Meiji from a boat trip to Hokkaido, the the most northern island of Japan. Respect for the Aged Day, Keiro No Hi, is the third Monday in September and pays respect to the elderly and aged and their longevity.

In November, 7 5, 3 Day Shichi, Go San No Hi, another festival for children, they get dressed up in their kimonos and are taken to the temples by their parents who pray for them and their life. Only the children who are turning 7 5 or 3 that year will get dressed up.

Finally, the last holiday that is celebrated is the birthday of the current Emperor, which now is December 23. This day is one of the rare occurrences when he comes to the balcony of the palace and allows the public to celebrate him.The current emperor is Emperor Akihito, and he has been Emperor from January 7, 1989. He is the son of Emperor Hirohito, who signed the surrender order to end World War II to the United States.

Sorry for the extra long post everyone, see you tomorrow!