Traditional Sports
Sumo

Japan’s official national sport is the enthralling and at times bewildering spectacle that is sumo. Deeply rooted in Japan’s culture, it has a history of over 1500 years. Legend has it that the very survival of the Japanese people balanced on the outcome of a sumo match between the gods, and indeed sumo originated as a form of Shinto ritual. Though it has developed into a professional sport, elements of these rituals are still apparent, from the use of salt to purify the ring, to the shrine like roof hanging above.
Sumo tournaments, or ‘bashos’ take place every two months in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka and are a truly fantastic way to spend the day. Though the pre-bout antics are strict and formalized, the fights are a spectacular blur of flesh, noise and power as the two man mountains attempt to push, pull or slap each other out of the ring, or onto any part of their body other than the soles of their supersize feet. Though quintessentially Japanese, in recent times the number of foreign wrestlers has gradually increased and a growing number of non-Japanese excel at the sport and the complex set of cultural traditions it carries
Take a bento lunch box, grab a beer and cheer on with the crowd as they rally their favourite ‘rikishi’ to victory!

Kendo
The furious, noisy sport of kendo is perhaps Japan’s oldest martial art and blends power, skill and bravery. Kendo could be described loosely as ‘Japanese fencing’ though the ‘swords’ are today crafted from four substantial bamboo slats, usually held together by leather straps. Its origins lie in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and with the samurai, who needed to practice their swordsmanship. They established ‘kenjutsu’ schools for this purpose, and, with the influence of Zen Buddhism it took on a rather spiritual as well as physical essence.  Over time the swords were replaced with the bamboo staves, and thick, protective body armour was introduced. Today kendo is practiced all over Japan and is a sport for all ages of participants.
KarateThough arguably one of world’s most famous martial arts, its beginnings are somewhat hazy. Often thought of as Japanese, the ancient origins of karate are said to have originated as far away as the Indian Subcontinent. From there it passed into China, where it was developed and refined.  Chinese traders brought these fighting skills to the Ryukyu Islands as early as the Fourteenth Century. Now incorporated in what is known as Okinawa, and fully part of Japan, these were once both an independent and culturally different kingdom. Over hundreds of years various styles of these martial arts were practiced, and karate was not properly introduced to mainland Japan until the early Twentieth Century. Meaning ‘empty hands’, Karate features largely unarmed combat with a spectacular array of blows and blocks delivered by the fists, feet, legs and arms.

AikidoAikido is sometimes loosely translated to mean ‘way of the harmonious spirit’. It is a less overtly aggressive martial art that focuses on defence by redirecting the power and energy of the attacker, with the ideal outcome that neither the attacked nor the attacker is harmed.  It was founded in the 1920s by Ueshiba Morihei.  Morihei was born in Tanabe, located in the south of the Kii Peninsula. This is a remote, beautiful region to the south of Kyoto and Osaka and a place of great spiritual significance. This sense of spirituality became infused in the essence of Aikido, as were aspects of Japanese dance, Shintoism, Buddhism, Karate and Kendo. 
JudoOf all of Japan’s martial arts, Judo is perhaps the one that has spread most successfully around the world. The essence lies in the speed, subtlety and skill of using the size and strength of the opponent against themselves.  It is practiced both recreationally, and professionally; the epic bouts are one of the highlights of every Olympic Games. Judo means ‘gentle way’ as was created by a man named Kano Jigoro in 1882.  The inspiration for judo was born out of the bullying that Jigoro witnessed at the English medium boarding school he attended in Tokyo, when he was just fourteen years old. He wanted to be trained in the art of ju-jitsu, an ancient form of self-defence favoured by the samurai. Though finding a teacher proved difficult, He eventually studied under two masters before founding his own school and dojo at Eisho-ji temple in Tokyo, and from here judo came into being. 
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Modern Sports
It may be the more traditional sports that spring to mind when thinking of Japan, and certainly sumo, karate and kendo have many participants and followers, but as with many aspects of Japanese culture there is plenty of modern influence sitting alongside the more historical aspects.
The undisputed king of team sports in Japan is baseball, introduced by an American at the end of the 19th Century. Although happy to take on a foreign sport, the Japanese were keen that it should have a distinctly Japanese name, so whilst most other global sports are known in Japanese as ‘tenisu…sakkaa…basukettoboru’ etc (did you get them all?), baseball is known as ‘yakyu’, meaning field-ball. Kids get hooked on baseball young in Japan, with even primary schools having their own team, always decked out in full team colours. By high school competition for places is fierce, and the very best teams get to battle it out live on National TV in the All-Japan high school tournament, played at one of the largest stadiums in the country, seating 50,000 screaming fans!
Pro baseball has a massive following in Japan, with at least one match seemingly taking place almost every evening of the week from spring through to autumn, when the season climaxes with the play-offs and armchair fans across the country are glued to their screens. But perhaps the ultimate respect is reserved for the handful of Japanese baseball players who ply their trade in the US Major League, such as Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners) and Hideki Matsui (formally of New York Yankees). Every pitch, swing and movement of these heroes is followed closely by the fans back home, and barely an ad break goes by without one or more of them endorsing the latest trend in clothing, motoring or refreshment.
Following in baseball’s wake is soccer (or football as the IJT office would insist). Many football fans of a certain age will recall England’s Gary Lineker winding down his career with Nagoya Grampus Eight in the early 1990’s, but the J-League might have slipped from their memory since then. However, both J1 and J2 (the two divisions) are still going strong, with colourfully named teams such as frequent champions Kashima Antlers (Kashima means ‘deer island’) and Yamagata Montedio (combination of Monte and Dio, mountain and god in Italian – of course)! Although not as popular as baseball, football has a strong following, and the focus on teamwork resonates strongly with the Japanese psyche. The national team, the ‘Samurai Blue’ get fans hurrying to the bar after work to watch them compete in the Asia Cup, or (with mixed success) the FIFA World Cup, most notably as joint hosts of course in 2002 with Korea.
What else? Well, Japan has a handful of top golfers, both male and female, and getting out on the fairways (or even just the driving range) is a welcome break from the stress of business life for many salarymen in the cities. Volleyball is taken very seriously, with the women’s national team highly ranked, and swimming is also a popular pastime, with Kosuke Kitajima dominating Olympic breaststroke events in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. Add in figure skating (Japan has several world champions), pro-wrestling, rugby (Japan to host the 2019 World Cup) horse racing (one of Japan’s few legal forms of gambling) and various forms of motorsport, and you have a rich mosaic of sports. Rest assured that although baseball and soccer may dominate the back pages, there is a sport for just about everyone if you scratch beneath the surface.
With such an ageing population one should not overlook the sports favoured by the elderly in Japan. Walk through the suburbs of any town or city early in the morning and you are likely to spot a game of gateball (a leisurely sport similar to croquet), and out in the countryside fishermen take to the lakes and rivers. Even less strenuous (and just about qualifying for inclusion under this topic!) are popular board games like shogi (Japanese chess) and go (a form of draughts/checkers). And finally, no discussion of sport in Japan would be complete without a mention of pachinko. Huge arcades with garish neon signs house row after row of noisy vertical pinball machines, in front of which sit row after row of motionless (and emotionless) individuals, all waiting and hoping for the balls to drop in the right place. Sport keeps you fit they say!
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Religion
Religion in Japan is a wonderful mish-mash of ideas from Shintoism and Buddhism. Unlike in the West, religion in Japan is rarely preached, nor is it a doctrine. Instead it is a moral code, a way of living, almost indistinguishable from Japanese social and cultural values.
Japanese religion is also a private, family affair. It is separate from the state; there are no religious prayers or symbols in a school graduation ceremony for example. Religion is little discussed in every day life and the majority of Japanese do not worship regularly or claim to be religious. However most people turn to religious rituals in birth, marriage and death and take part in spiritual matsuri or festivals throughout the year.'

Religion and the Emperor

Until World War II, Japanese religion focused around the figure of the Emperor as a living God. Subjects saw themselves as part of a huge family of which all Japanese people were members. The crushing war defeat however, shattered many people's beliefs, as the frail voice of the Emperor was broadcast to the nation renouncing his deity. The period since has seen a secularisation of Japanese society almost as dramatic as the economic miracle which saw Japan's post-war economy go into overdrive.
However, much of the ritual has survived the collapse of religious belief. Today, religion defines Japanese identity more than spirituality, and at helps strengthen family and community ties.

Shintoism versus Buddhism

Shintoism is Japan’s indigenous spirituality. It is believed that every living thing in nature (e.g. trees, rocks, flowers, animals, even sounds) contains ‘kami’ or gods. Consequently Shinto principles can be seen throughout Japanese culture where nature and the turning of the seasons are cherished. This is reflected in arts such as ikebana (flower arranging) and bonsai, Japanese garden design and the annual celebration of sakura or cherry blossom.
Shinto only got its name when Buddhism came to Japan by way of China, Tibet, Vietnam, and ultimately Korea. Buddhism arrived in the 6th Century establishing itself in Nara. Over time Buddhism divided into several sects, the most popular being Zen Buddhism.
In essence, Shintoism is the spirituality of this world and this life, whereas Buddhism is concerned with the soul and the afterlife. This explains why for the Japanese the two religions exist so successfully together, without contradiction. To celebrate a birth or marriage, or to prey for a good harvest, the Japanese turn to Shintoism. Funerals, on the other hand, are usually Buddhist ceremonies.

Shrines versus Temples

As a general rule of thumb, shrines are Shinto and temples are Buddhist. Shrines can be identified by the huge entrance gate or torii, usually painted vermillion red. However you’ll often find both shrines and temple buildings in the same complex so it is sometimes difficult to identify and separate the two.
To appreciate a shrine, do as the Japanese do. Just inside the red torii gate you’ll find a water fountain or trough. Here you must use a bamboo ladle to wash your hands and mouth to purify your spirit before entering. Next look for a long thick rope hanging from a bell in front of an altar. Here you may pray: first ring the bell, throw a coin before the altar as on offering (5 yen coins are considered lucky), clap three times to summon the kami, then clasp your hands together to pray. At a temple, you’ll need to take your shoes off before entering the main building and kneeling on the tatami mat floor before an altar or icon to pray.

Lucky charms

Luck, fate and superstition are important to the Japanese. Many people buy small charms at temples or shrines which are then attached to handbags, key chains, mobile phones or hung in cars to bring good luck. Different charms grant different luck, such as exam success or fertility.
Prayers are often written on votive tablets: wooden boards which are hung in their hundreds around temple grounds. At famous temples such as Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera, you’ll see votive tablets written on in a variety of languages.
A final way to learn your destiny is to take a fortune slip. Sometimes available in English, a fortune slip rates your future in different areas: success, money, love, marriage, travel and more. If your fortune is poor, tie your slip to a tree branch in the temple grounds; leaving the slip at the temple should improve your luck.

Religious ceremonies

The most important times of year in the Japanese calendar are New Year, celebrated from 1st to 3rd January, and O-Bon, usually held around the 16th August. At New Year the Japanese make trips to ancestral graves to pray for late relatives. The first visit of the New Year to a shrine is also important to secure luck for the year ahead.
At O-Bon it is believed that the spirits of the ancestors come down to earth to visit the living. Unlike Halloween, these spooky spirits are welcomed and again the Japanese make visits to family graves.
Births are celebrated by family visits to shrines. The passing of childhood is commemorated at three key ages: three, five and seven, and small children are dressed in expensive kimono and taken to certain shrines such as Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine. Coming of age is officially celebrated at 20. In early January, mass coming of age ceremonies (like graduations) are held in town halls followed by shrine visits by young people proudly dressed in bright kimono.
In Japan today marriage ceremonies are a great clash of East meets West. A Japanese wedding may have several parts including a Shinto ceremony in traditional dress at a shrine as well as a Western style wedding reception in a hotel or restaurant. In the second part it is now popular for a bride to wear a wedding gown for a howaito wedingu (white wedding).
Funerals are overseen by Buddhist priests. 99% of Japanese are cremated and their ashes buried under a gravestone. To better understand Japanese funerals, InsideJapan Tours highly recommend the Oscar winning film, Okuribito or Departures, about a concert cellist who goes back to his roots in Yamagata and retrains as an undertaker.
Japanese matsuri are festivals connected to shrines. In a tradition stretching back centuries matsuri parades and rituals relate to the cultivation of rice and the spiritual well-being of the local community.

Other religions

According to Article 20 of the Japanese constitution, Japan grants full religious freedom, allowing minority religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism to be practiced. These religions account for roughly 5-10% of Japan’s population. However, the spiritual vacuum left by the Emperor's renunciation was also rapidly filled by a plethora of new religions (shin shukyo) which sprang up across Japan.
Mainly concentrated in urban areas, these religions offered this-wordly benefits such as good health, wealth, and good fortune. Many had charismatic Christ-like leaders who inspired a fanatical devotion in their followers. It is here that the roots of such famous 'cults' as the 'Aum cult of the divine truth', who perpetrated the Tokyo subway gas attack of 1996, can be found.
However, the vast majority of new religions are focused on peace and the attainment of happiness, although many Japanese who have no involvement appear suspicious of such organisations. Tax dodging or money laundering are, according to some, par for the course.
Some of the new religions such as PL Kyoden (Public Liberty Kyoden) and Soka Gakkai have, however, become very much a part of the establishment in Japan, and it seems their role in politics and business is not to be underestimated.
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Japanese Culture

People

Japanese people appear at first glance to be one of the most socially and ethnically homogenous groups in the world. It is reasonable to equate Japan’s rapid post-war economic development to the 1990s with social solidarity and conformism. Despite labour shortages since the 1960s, authorities resisted officially sanctioning foreign workers until the 1980s, relying on increased mechanization and an expanded female workforce instead (1).  Until recently, Japanese workers have associated themselves primarily with the company they work for – a businessman will introduce himself as ‘Nissan no Takahashi-san’ (I am Nissan’s Mr Takahashi). By extension, we might get the idea that a Japanese person subordinates the self to the objectives of society.
In 2008, however, long-serving Japanese politician Nariaki Nakayama resigned after declaring that Japan is ‘ethnically homogenous’, showing that the old ‘one people, one race’ idea has become politically incorrect. Criticism of Mr Nakayama’s statement focused on its disregard for the indigenous Ryukyukan people of southern Okinawa, and the Ainu people from the north island of Hokkaido colonised by the Japanese in the late nineteenth century. In 1994 the first Ainu politician was elected to the Japanese Diet, suggesting that the Japanese are keen to officially recognise distinct ethnic groups in Japan.

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Government and Politics

Japan is governed under the constitution of 1947, drafted by the Allied occupation authorities and approved by the Japanese Diet. It declares that the emperor is the symbol of the state but that sovereignty rests with the people. Executive power is vested in a cabinet appointed and headed by the prime minister, who is elected by the Diet and is usually the leader of the majority party in that body. Japan's bicameral Diet has sole legislative power. The House of Representatives has 480 members, who are popularly elected for four-year terms; approximately three fifths of them are chosen by single-seat constituencies and the rest proportionally. The House of Councilors has 242 members; they elected for six-year terms. A supreme court heads an independent judiciary. Administratively, Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, each governed by a popularly elected governor and unicameral legislature.
Most political parties in Japan are small and do not have broad, mass memberships; their members are mainly professional politicians. The Liberal Democratic party (LDP), which supports close ties with the United States and a strong relationship between government and business, held the majority of seats in the Diet from 1955, when the party was formed, to 1993, when an opposition coalition formed a government; however, it was back in government from 1994 to 2009. The Social Democratic party (SDP, formerly the Socialist party), was long the chief LDP rival; in 1994–99, however, the party formed a governing coalition with the LDP. Other significant parties currently include the Japan Democratic party, which defeated the LDP in 2009, and New Komeito, a Buddhist-influenced party.

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History
Prehistory and ancient history
 
A Paleolithic culture around 30,000 BC constitutes the first known habitation of the Japanese archipelago. This was followed from around 14,000 BC (the start of the Jōmon period) by a Mesolithic to Neolithic semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer culture, who include ancestors of both the contemporary Ainu people and Yamato people, characterized by pit dwelling and rudimentary agriculture.Decorated clay vessels from this period are some of the oldest surviving examples of pottery in the world. Around 300 BC, the Yayoi people began to enter the Japanese islands, intermingling with the Jōmon.The Yayoi period, starting around 500 BC, saw the introduction of practices like wet-rice farming, a new style of pottery,and metallurgy, introduced from China and Korea.
Japan first appears in written history in the Chinese Book of Han.According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, the most powerful kingdom on the archipelago during the 3rd century was called Yamataikoku. Buddhism was first introduced to Japan from Baekje of Korea, but the subsequent development of Japanese Buddhism was primarily influenced by China.Despite early resistance, Buddhism was promoted by the ruling class and gained widespread acceptance beginning in the Asuka period (592–710).
The Nara period (710–784) of the 8th century marked the emergence of a strong Japanese state, centered on an imperial court in Heijō-kyō (modern Nara). The Nara period is characterized by the appearance of a nascent literature as well as the development of Buddhist-inspired art and architecture.The smallpox epidemic of 735–737 is believed to have killed as much as one-third of Japan's population.In 784, Emperor Kammu moved the capital from Nara to Nagaoka-kyō before relocating it to Heian-kyōKyoto) in 794. (modern
This marked the beginning of the Heian period (794–1185), during which a distinctly indigenous Japanese culture emerged, noted for its art, poetry and prose. Lady Murasaki'sThe Tale of Genji and the lyrics of Japan's national anthem Kimigayo were written during this time.
Buddhism began to spread during the Heian era chiefly through two major sects, TendaiSaichō, and Shingon by Kūkai. Pure Land Buddhism greatly becomes popular in the latter half of the 11th century.
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Etymology



The English word Japan is an exonym. The Japanese names for Japan are Nippon (にっぽん) and Nihon (にほん); both names are written using the kanji 日本. The Japanese name Nippon is used for most official purposes, including on Japanese yen, postage stamps, and for many international sporting events. Nihon is a more casual term and is used in colloquial speech.
From the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II, the full title of Japan was Dai Nippon Teikoku (大日本帝國), meaning "the Empire of Great Japan". Today the name Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku (日本国) is used as a formal modern-day equivalent; countries like Japan whose long form does not contain a descriptive designation are generally given a name appended by the character koku (国), meaning "country", "nation" or "state".
Japanese people refer to themselves as Nihonjin (日本人) and to their language as Nihongo(日本語). Both Nippon and Nihon mean "sun-origin" and are often translated as Land of the Rising Sun. This nomenclature comes from Japanese missions to Imperial ChinaNihon came into official use, Japan was known as Wa (倭) or Wakoku (倭国). and refers to Japan's eastward position relative to China. Before
The English word for Japan came to the West via early trade routes. The early Mandarin or possibly Wu Chinese (吳語) word for Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu. In modern Shanghainese, a Wu dialect, the pronunciation of characters 日本 'Japan' is Zeppen [zəʔpən]. The old Malay word for Japan, Jepang, was borrowed from Chinese Jih'pen'kuoFukienese or Ningpo,and this Malay word was encountered by PortugueseMalacca in the 16th century. Portuguese traders were the first to bring the word to Europe.It was first recorded in English in a 1565 letter, spelled Giapan.
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