The History of Japanese Houses

In ancient Japan, there were essentially two different types of houses. The first was what is known as a pit-dwelling house, in which columns are inserted into a big hole dug in the ground and then surrounded by grass. The second was built with the floor raised above the ground. The style of house with an elevated floor is said to have come to Japan from Southeast Asia, and this type of building was apparently used to store grain and other foods so that they wouldn't spoil from heat and humidity.

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A model of a shinden-zukuri house (National Museum of Japanese History)
In around the eleventh century, when Japan's unique culture came into full bloom, members of the aristocracy began to build a distinctive style of house for themselves called shinden-zukuri. This type of house, which stood in the midst of a large garden, was symmetrical, and its rooms were connected with long hallways. It allowed residents to enjoy seasonal events and the beauty of nature.

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Shoin-zukuri (Jisho-ji)
As political power passed from the nobles to the samurai (warrior class) and a new form of Buddhism made its way to Japan, core aspects of traditional Japanese culture as we know it today began to take root, including ikebana(flower arranging), the tea ceremony, and Noh. The samurai created their own style of house called shoin-zukuri. This influence can be seen in the alcove ornament of the guest rooms of modern houses.

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A house in the gassho style (Shirakawa Village)
The houses of common people developed differently. Farmers in different regions of the country had houses that were adapted to local conditions. The houses built in the gasshostyle in Shirakawa-go, which is listed as a World Heritage site, are examples of residences in which common people lived. Some farmers' houses had space to keep their cattle and horses indoors, while the houses of city dwellers were often squeezed close together along the streets. As urban homeowners were taxed based on the width of the front side of the house, their houses were built to be long and narrow. This style can still be seen today in older cities like Kyoto.

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A kura-zukuri style house (Kawagoe City)
Housing continued to develop in the Meiji era (1868-1912). Some towns had houses built in the kura-zukuri style, which featured Japanese-looking exteriors but were made from more fire-resistant materials. The style that is the basis for Japanese homes today, which usually have a long hallway through the middle of the house with rooms on each side, is said to combine foreign culture with the style of house preferred by the samurai.

Now that we've examined the history of Japanese houses, how about playing a game where you can experience a real Japanese house?
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The Structure of a Japanese House

Traditional Japanese houses are built by erecting wooden columns on top of a flat foundation made of packed earth or stones. Wooden houses exist all over the world. What are the particular characteristics of houses in Japan, where there are four distinct seasons, including a hot and humid summer and a cold winter?
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A family sits on zabuton. (The Japan Forum)
In order to avoid moisture from the ground, the floor is elevated several tens of centimeters and is laid across horizontal wooden floor beams. Areas like the kitchen and hallways have wooden flooring, but rooms in which people sit, such as the living room, are covered with mats called tatami that are made from woven rush grass. Japanese generally don't use chairs on top of tatami, so people either sit directly on the tatami or on flat cushions called zabuton. This is why people take off their shoes when entering a Japanese house.
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The eaves also keep out the rain.
The frame of a Japanese house is made of wood, and the weight is supported by vertical columns, horizontal beams, and diagonal braces. Diagonal braces came to be used when the technology of foreign countries was brought to Japan. One characteristic of Japanese houses is that they have a large roof and deep eaves to protect the house from the hot summer sun, and the frame of the house supports the weight of the roof.
In the old days, the walls of houses were made of woven bamboo plastered with earth on both sides. Nowadays, though, many different types of materials have been developed, and plywood is often used. Also, in the past, many houses had columns that were exposed outside the walls. But in the Meiji era (1868-1912), houses came to be made using a method that encases the columns inside the walls in order to reduce the possibility of fire. Many roofs in the past were covered with shingles or straw, but these days most are covered with tiles calledkawara. The roof is the part of the house most affected by rain, wind, snow, sunlight, and other natural conditions. Although there are a number of differences among the roofs seen in different areas of Japan, they all have one thing in common: They are sloped instead of flat, allowing rainwater to flow off easily.
Japanese houses have developed over the years by combining traditional forms with modern technology to improve their resistance to fire and their convenience. Recently, though, people are beginning to look anew at the traditional methods of building houses, which are easy on the environment and last a long time. You can visit a virtual Japanese house by playing the game that accompanies this article.
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History of pools and fountains

Ancient World

As seen in tomb paintings from 3000 BC, the Egyptians planted gardens within the walled enclosures surrounding their homes. In time these gardens came to be formally laid out around a rectangular fish pond flanked by rows of fruit trees and ornamental plants. 
In the highlands of Mesopotamia, the Assyrians and Persians planned rectangular walled formal gardens, irrigated by pools and canals and shaded by trees, usually set in vast plains. These gardens symbolized paradise and inspired Persian carpet designs. 
Roman houses, similar to Greek houses, included a colonnaded garden, as depicted in wall paintings at Pompeii and as described by Pliny the Elder. The vast grounds of the Emperor Hadrian's villa near Tivoli (2nd century AD) were magnificently landscaped. The Roman populace enjoyed gardens attached to the public baths.

Non-Western World

Living where the climate is generally hot and dry, the Muslims were inspired by the desert oasis and the ancient Persian paradise garden centered on water. Muslim gardens were usually one or more enclosed courts surrounded by cool arcades and planted with trees and shrubs. They were enlivened with colored tilework, fountains and pools, and the interplay of light and shade. Before the 15th century, the Moors in Spain built such gardens at Córdoba, Toledo, and especially at the Alhambra in Granada. Similar gardens, in which flowers, fruit trees, water, and shade were arranged in a unified composition, were built by the Mughals in 17th- and 18th-century India. The most notable examples are the Taj Mahal gardens in Agra and the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore. 
In China, palaces, temples, and houses were built around a series of courtyards, which might include trees and plants (often in pots that could be changed with the seasons), and pools. The Imperial City in Beijing contained elaborate pleasure gardens with trees, artificial lakes and hillocks, bridges, and pavilions. 
Japan has a long tradition of gardens inspired by those of China and Korea. Kyoto was especially famous for its gardens which included pools and waterfalls; rocks, stone, and sand; and evergreens. Every element of a garden was carefully planned, sometimes by Zen monks and painters, to create an effect of restraint, harmony, and peace. 

Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Periods

In medieval Europe at the 9th-century Swiss abbey of St. Gall, the large garden was divided into four areas, for herbs, vegetables, fruits, and flowers. The gardens of most monasteries were surrounded by cloistered walks and had a well or fountain at the center, possibly inspired by Persian gardens, which was intended to enhance meditation. Fountain in Florence, Italy.
During the Renaissance in Italy, castles gave way to palaces and villas with extensive grounds landscaped in the Roman tradition. Borders of tall, dark cypresses and clipped yew hedges, geometric flower beds, stone balustrades, fountains, and sculptures conformed strictly to the overall plan. Examples from the 15th century include the gardens of the Medici, Palmieri, and La Pietra villas in or near Florence. Among increasingly formal and elaborate villa complexes in the 16th century are the Villa Lante in Bagnaia and the Villa Farnese in Caprarola. Others are the Villa Madama and the Villa Medici in Rome and the Villa d'Este in Tivoli. Italian gardens of the 17th century became even more complex in the dramatic baroque style. They were distinguished by lavish use of serpentine lines, groups of sculptured allegorical figures in violent movement, and a multiplicity of spouting fountains and waterfalls. Examples are the Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, Villa Garzoni in Collodi, Villa Giovio in Como, and the gardens on the Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore. French Royal Gardens.
Modified versions of Italian Renaissance and baroque gardens appeared throughout Europe. In Spain, Moorish and Renaissance elements were combined in the gardens of the Alcázar in Seville. In France the great châteaus of the Loire valley, such as Chambord and Chenonceaux, were laid out with formal gardens, and with extensive forested parks. 
In the 17th century, France replaced Italy as the primary inspiration of architectural and landscape design. The vast building programs of Louis XIV included miles of symmetrically arranged gardens, which, like royal architecture of the period, were designed to give an impression of limitless grandeur. The grounds were regularly intersected by radiating alleys lined with trees or hedges and embellished with fountains, pavilions, and statuary. Versailles and its immense gardens spawned splendid imitations in dozens of kingdoms and principalities throughout Europe.

Romantic Period

In the late 18th century the rise of romanticism, with its emphasis on untamed nature, the picturesque, the past, and the exotic, led to important changes in landscape architecture as well as in other arts. At such great houses as Blenheim Palace and Chatsworth, English architects replaced the symmetrically arranged flower beds and straight walks with sweeping lawns, sloping hills with curving paths, and rivers and ponds punctuated by informally planted groups of trees and shrubbery, to achieve the effect of a wilderness. 
The English romantic style spread to the rest of Europe by way of France, where a notable example of the style was created at Ermenonville. It was introduced in North America at Monticello, Jefferson's Virginia estate. The most important example of this style is Central Park, New York City, designed in 1857.

20th Century

Domestic architecture in the first half of the 20th century attempted to achieve a closer integration of the house with its surroundings. In areas with mild climates, such as California, a garden might be continued within the house. With today's apartment-style living, many architects seek to incorporate natural elements into their interior designs. Indoor pools and water fountains are enjoying great popularity in shopping malls, offices, and homes. They offer an oasis of cool tranquility in an otherwise hectic world.
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Japanese New Year
For the Japanese, Oshogatsu (New Year; literally, "new month"), is the most important celebration of the year, a festive occasion with good feelings and nostalgia. The Japanese New Year's celebrations evolved out of rituals associated with the changes of season, which are of utmost importance in Japanese farming. The New Year's events are widely celebrated and enjoyed in Japan, beginning on New Year's eve with the tradition of striking the joya no kane (end-of-the-year bell) from nearby Buddhist temples. The tolls represent the leaving behind of 108 bonno, or worldly concerns of the old year, which, according to Buddhist belief, torment mankind. During this ceremony, each toll is struck after the reverberations from the preceding toll have dissipated. The last peal of the bell is struck at midnight, coinciding with the first few seconds of the New Year; thus a new beginning dawns, enabling the start of a prosperous and joyous year. A Japanese New Year feast augurs well for the future.
Throughout most of its history, Japan went by the lunar calendar, so the holiday would fall at different dates on the Gregorian calendar. But these days, New Year's is observed on January 1. 
The Japanese New Year's holiday used to last several days; now it's been pared down to just three. New Year's Eve is devoted to kite flying and other fun and games. January 1 and 2 are feast days. 
Most Japanese households -- and most families of Japanese descent living in the United States -- still observe rituals that go back as far as the Edo period of the 17th century. New Year's resolutions in Japan are made to bring prosperity and happiness for the future. Any unfinished business requires attention at the end of the year, so houses are cleaned, debts are paid, and foods are prepared prior to the New Year so the holiday can be enjoyed with leisure. Wearing new clothing, family members rise early on New Year's morning and visit the family shrine before they settle down to a breakfast of ozoni, the traditional soup made in any number of regional styles, and join in a toast for good fortune with otoso, (sweet sake brewed with cinnamon and other spices), which is believed to prevent sickness. Friends and family spend New Year's day visiting one another. The New Year is considered a time of forgiveness and cordiality to all. Japanese characters for 'Happy New Year!'
In Japan, as the end of the year approaches, the customary and familiar symbols of the New Year appear in the streets and in homes. Many of the symbols are based upon or linked to the Shinto, Buddhist, or folk traditions of Japan. The kudomatsu or "gate-pine" is an arrangement of pine, bamboo, and sometimes plum blossom. The arrangement is placed on either side of the front entrance to the house to ward off evil dominance and invoke fertility, growth, and the power to resist adversity and old age. The pine represents strength, longivity and youthful optimism. The bamboo, which is straight and unbending, symbolizes resilience, uprightness, rapid growth and finial piety; it leans with the wind, but does not break. The apricot or plum braves the winter season and has sweet blossoms despite the cold and snowy weather. They symbolize steadfastness in adversity and are looked upon as a good omen for child-bearing. Fertility is also associated with kazunoko (herring roe) and ikura (red salmon roe), both of which must grace the holiday table. The kadomatsu symbolizes the hope of the household that the upcoming year will bring vigor, long life, and strength to all family members. The shimenawa is fresh rice-straw laced in a particular fashion to form a rope. This ornament is placed at the entrance of the house or over cooking stoves during the oshogatsu season. In the Shinto tradition, the shimenawa indicates a sacred area. It is believed that no evil can pass beyond the line of the shimenawa. 
Color is also important. White and red are especially favored, with white denoting innocence and purity, and red representing the sun and its bursting energy. 
Although the traditional Japanese New Year's feast requires hours upon hours in the kitchen, almost everything can and should be prepared well in advance. Some of the most enjoyable New Year's dinners are either shabu-shabu -- where diners cook their own meals in a communal pan placed in the center of the table, selecting paper-thin sliced beef, fish and vegetables from trays placed on the table -- or mixed sushi. Like shabu-shabu, mixed sushi is another do-it-yourself preparation, though the host or cook has to do a lot of prep work. Each diner is served mori (seaweed squares), a bowl of sushi rice and small bowls with wasabi and dipping sauce. They then select from a lavish tray laden with all manner of foods to create their own sushi. Since the god of the New Year is responsible for the rice crop, a sake offering is also very appropriate. It's all part of osechi, or offering food to the gods and ensuring a healthy, prosperous and wise year ahead. We all raise our sake cups to that!
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Japanese Language
Japanese is believed to be linked to the Altaic language family, which includes Turkish, Mongolian and other languages, but also shows similarities to Austronesian languages like Polynesian.


Writing:
The Japanese writing system consists of three different character sets: Kanji (several thousands of Chinese characters) and Hiragana and Katakana (two syllabaries of 46 characters each; together called Kana). Japanese texts can be written in two ways: In Western style, i.e. in horizontal rows from the top to the bottom of the page, or in traditional Japanese style, i.e. in vertical columns from the right to the left side of the page. Both writing styles exist side by side today.

 Grammar:
Basic Japanese grammar is relatively simple. Complicating factors such as gender articles and distinctions between plural and singular are missing almost completely. Conjugation rules for verbs and adjectives are simple and almost free of exceptions. Nouns are not declinated at all, but appear always in the same form.

 Pronunciation:
In comparison with other languages, Japanese knows relatively few sounds, and pronunciation poses little problems to most learners. The biggest difficulty are accents, which do exist, but to a much lower extent than in the Chinese language. In addition, there are relatively many homonyms, i.e. words that are pronounced the same way, but have different meanings.

 Levels of speech:
Different words and expressions are used when talking to an unknown person or a superior, as opposed to when talking to a child, family member or a close friend. For instance, there are more than five different words for the English word "I", which are used depending on the context. For formal situations, a honorific language level (keigo) is still in common use.
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Japan: Onsen (Public Bath) Etiquette

Onsens are public baths with water sourced from the hot springs that can be found across the volcanic island of Japan. But that is too simple an explanation for such a wonderful experience. Do not leave Japan without giving these a fair shake. There are just a few simple rules you need to know.
To begin your onsen journey, come prepared. Bring a shower caddy with your favorite soap, shampoo and a washcloth, and bring a towel. Most onsens will provide towels. Many provide soap and shampoo dispensers. You will enter a changing room with lockers, and probably baskets. It's generally safe in Japan to just leave things in the baskets. The lockers can be used though there may be an additional charge for them. In the locker room, you shed your clothes and hopefully any inhibitions you might have about public nudity.
The most important rule, and one you learn to appreciate, is the baths are for soaking only, not cleaning. The cleaning you do beforehand. All onsens will have an area for you to wash and rinse before you enter the bath. The hand held showers will be different than what you may be accustomed to, since the showers may be only about chest high in some places. Small plastic stools are provided for you to sit on as you shower.
Once you're clean and rinsed, it's time to walk from the showers to the baths. Test the waters before you get in! Some are temperate, some incredibly hot, and some absolutely freezing (more on those in a minute). And now.... relax. Everyone's cleaned up before they got in, so you can feel safe sitting down. If you bring a hand towel with you, try not to put the towel in the water. Wring it outside of the water pool and put it either on the rim of the pool or on your head. After enjoying soaking, rinse again and dry as much as you can with the wringed wash towel. Do not go out to the change room dripping wet. It creates a slip safety hazard for you and others. Some people might find it nice to bring a cool bottle of water (encouraged) or beer (discouraged).  Some onsens have vending machines where you can purchase soft drinks and beer.
Depending on the size of the onsen, there may be several baths to try. Feel free to try them all , but do pay attention to any signs next to the pools. While rare, some onsens have electric pools. These are well marked with pictoral symbols, so you won't get in one by accident. If you do find one of these, don't expect to feel it as soon as your feet touch the water. The current come from a rubber mat visible on the walls of the bath; the closer you are to the mat, the stronger the current feels.
If you want to stay longer, but it's just too darn hot, you can try to reset your body temperature by doing the cold plunges. Most onsens have one. Remember, you might be dehydrated from sweating.  Know your limit and physical conditions. Some faint occasionally, especially after drinking beer.
There a huge variety of onsens in Japan, spanning the range from those with several pools, waterfalls, and outdoor tubs, to old one-tub numbers with rusty pipes.  Prices can vary from 200 yen to 2000 yen.  Happy bathing!

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Theater

A Night At The Theater


You’re in Tokyo with InsideJapan Tours – why not take in the theatre? If you are shopping or just window-shopping in Ginza in the heart of Tokyo, you are only a few minutes’ walk from the Shimbashi Embujo.  Here you can arrive around 4.00pm, drink in the atmosphere of excited crowds of theatre-goers milling around the many stalls selling theatrical souvenirs, then sit in a comfortable seat watching the amazing performance on stage and listening to an English translation through an earphone.  The long interval gives you time for a full meal at one of the theatre restaurants.

Most months of the year the theatre you will watch will be kabuki, one of Japan’s three main traditional theatre genres. Kabuki began in the seventeenth century and quickly developed a highly stylised type of acting that has been popular ever since. All parts in kabuki are played by men and some of its greatest actors specialise in playing female characters. Kabuki stars are part of Japan’s celebrity culture and you will often see their faces on advertising billboards or in TV commercials.

Apart from kabuki, the puppet theatre (Bunraku), with each puppet being manipulated by three puppeteers, also dates from the seventeenth century, and noh, a more stately form of danced theatre in which many main actors wear wooden masks, can  trace its history back to the fourteenth century. Bunraku is most regularly played in Osaka at the National Bunraku Theatre and earphone guides are also available there. Noh can be watched at the National Noh Theatre in Tokyo, and each seat has a personal subtitling system.

Japan has preserved its traditional theatre forms, but it has a vibrant modern theatre as well. The country was virtually cut off from the rest of the world for two centuries from the mid-1600s to the mid-1800s, but when it discovered what European theatre was like, it eagerly embraced the major European playwrights: Shakespeare, Ibsen etc.

So in the late nineteenth century two great theatre cultures collided in Japan. Some thought kabuki should be protected at all costs, others that it could modernise by adopting Western conventions, for example that female parts should be played by actresses. 

In the 1920s the idea grew strongly that traditional theatre should be rejected and an entirely new Japanese theatre, based on the European model, should be developed. All traditional Japanese theatre had been non-realistic – presentational rather than representational – so establishing realism in playwriting, acting and directing became a priority.

Then in the 1960s realism itself was rejected and ‘underground’ theatre – we might use the word ‘fringe’ or ‘off-Broadway’ – burst onto the scene. Radical politically and open to anything in its performance techniques, this heady mix of kaleidoscopic styles and raw emotions re-energised theatre in Japan. It developed into the ‘little theatre’ (shôgekijô) movement, experimental theatre performed in small acting spaces.

In the early twenty-first century much contemporary theatre has been going through a calmer and more contemplative phase. 

Over the past century while these new developments have been taking place almost nothing from the past has been lost. Japan’s theatre is so extraordinarily rich that in a short stay there you could see everything mentioned here and a lot more. There are not many places in the world where you can see fourteenth-century theatre one day, realistic theatre the next, eighteenth-century puppets the next and an ultra-avant garde show the day after.

So how do you go about planning your theatre-going in Japan and getting tickets? The easiest way is to leave this to InsideJapan Tours. However, you can do some preparation before you go by reading A Guide to the Japanese Stage, From Traditional to Cutting Edge by Ronald Cavaye, Paul Griffith and Akihiko Senda (Kodansha International 2004; Amazon refer to it wrongly as World of the Japanese Stage). There are good articles on traditional theatre in Wikipedia: kabuki, Bunraku and noh.  There are many video clips of all three on YouTube.
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