Day Five: Japan's Cultural Landscape

 "The cultural landscape is a strong description/picture of how the people living here (both present and past) have changed the landscape to fit their culture, resulting in a patchwork of visual evidence that helps to describe that culture.  This can include roads and infrastructure, buildings, churches, housing types, farming/field cultivation methods, fence types, paint color for houses/buildings, road signs, billboards....almost anything you can visualize that is an indicator of a culture."

Thus with this statement in mind I will know take on the incredible task of defining Japan's cultural landscape.  Japan's cultural landscape is very diverse and that why I named this blog "Japan: Culture Explosion". Japan's cultural landscape is one in which the past is honored and the future is constantly changing. Japan , or specificaly Tokyo, has become a center of today's popular culture.


In Tokyo one can encounter all forms of popular entertainment and even new forms of entertainment and culture that have an almost cult following in Japan. An example of such a culture is the anime culture. Anime is a form of animation that is very popular in Japan and is making quite a breakthrough here in America. Many of the businesses that center around the animation industry can be found in Tokyo and thus great influence the city's cultural landscape.

Example of Pop Culture: Anime Cosplay

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.filigallery.com/d/30884-2/Asian%2BPop%2BCulture%2B-%2BJapanese%2BCosplay%2B-%2BNCKU%2BTainan%2BTaiwan-396.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.edhardy-au.com/tag/cosplay-long-w/&usg=__KPO15BuUJg7bf-UZSS7c5RdMFw0=&h=640&w=480&sz=58&hl=en&start=125&zoom=1&tbnid=q5Nt3DePScS5BM:&tbnh=163&tbnw=122&ei=Q_60TdqVDcK4twfMpMzpDg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Djapanese%2Bpop%2Bculture%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1276%26bih%3D494%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch0%2C3392&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=800&vpy=124&dur=4867&hovh=259&hovw=194&tx=110&ty=131&page=10&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:125&biw=1276&bih=494

While Tokyo may be the business center of Japan where the majority of its major businesses hold office, the business industry is not the only foothold in Japan. Japan also has a beautiful architechtual history which is evident in its many classic style homes and temples found scattered through the countryside. The old capitol of Kyoto is home to many such classic buildings, and is often referred to as a cultural center of Japan.

Temple in Kyoto

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.marmot.net/chris/travel/japan/kyoto_temple.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.marmot.net/chris/travel/japan/&usg=__yWSfWZ7YFnTVsQ1KZD1OIz8x2lo=&h=461&w=656&sz=50&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=MAj9v-3C3Zn87M:&tbnh=153&tbnw=214&ei=Jv-0TdLJO8WDtgewnLnpDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkyoto%2Btemple%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1276%26bih%3D494%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch0%2C163&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=613&vpy=135&dur=1326&hovh=188&hovw=268&tx=167&ty=138&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0&biw=1276&bih=494



When it comes to architecture Japan has been influenced by both the peoples of China and Korea. These influences have also seeped into other cultural areas beyond architecture which is why Japan is part of such a rich shared 'asian culture'.

                                             Himeji Castle, Himeji Japan

                                             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji_castle



"Himeji Castle (姫路城, Himeji-jō^?) is a hilltop Japanese castle complex located in Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 buildings with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period."