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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 3
UNIQUENESS IN JAPAN'S CULTURE 3
Religion 3
Geography 4
Cultural diffusion 4
Selective borrowings 5
TWO REPRESENTATIVE RITUALS 5
Geisha – Traditional Entertainers 5
Sumo – Ceremonial beauty and strength 8
CONCLUSION 12
REFERENCES 13

INTRODUCTION
Japan is a society whose culture has been molded over centuries. The country's cultural values are very ancient in nature. While doing researches on Japan and its culture, we found that Japan's culture has been established and shaped by distinctiveness of each cultural element, such as religions, language, geography and etc… Each of the elements is supported by an inter-related value system. In this section, we would highlight some elements which are believed to best represent Japan's culture. In addition, two cultural rituals are interpreted to clearly describe influences of culture in Japanese daily life.
PART A: UNIQUENESS IN JAPAN'S CULTURE
RELIGION
History of Japan's religious development has gone through a long process of mutual impacts among religions.   The land of sumo has received great influences from nearby countries, namely China and Korea. The major adopted religions are Buddhism and Taoism which partly affect the style of Zen Buddhism in Japan. (Pye, 1982) Moreover, the most interesting characteristic of religion in Japan is a reflection of the mountainous terrain in various forms. For instance, Fuji Mountain has been a quasi-religious symbol of the nation for many years. These geographic features have shaped distinctive religious life in Japan's culture.

Purification is considered as a basic principle of religious life in Japan. The concept of sin and disobedience are replaced with impurities. Thus, procedures of ritual purification are strictly required. Shinto has formed an inextricable connection with Japan in terms of nationalism. Shinto legend says that Japanese are "Kami's children", who is the Shinto god. Thus, the Shinto philosophy is a... [continues]

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