Incense, candles, rice, alcohol, and fruit are commonly offerings given as gifts of love and gratitude to the ancestors, and a daily relationship with the altar is not uncommon in a traditional home. It truly imbues a wonderful kind of sobriety and humility to interact with such an altar on a daily basis and it can be a beautiful way to practice a very Japanese form of Buddhism. Since Buddhist temples and animistic Japanese shrines are generally only visited on rare occasions such as holidays, festivals, and for prayer or consultation in important situations, the home altar is actually the primary “temple” or “church” where Japanese people conduct their weekly spiritual activities. It is rather evident how important family values are to the Japanese by this cultural example alone.

Ancestors are considered to be a kind of “Kami” (pronounced “Kah-mee”) to the Japanese people. Kami are essentially nature spirits, which include everything from wind and thunder to rocks and trees. The concept of ancestors as Kami in this way may be a product of the imperialistic megalomania of Japan’s pre-WWII era, in which the imperial family hijacked Japanese animism to conveniently include the imperial family as “Kami”. Whether or not Japanese ancestors were regarded as Kami in the same way prior to this era is currently unclear. Most families don’t seem too focused on the details of the concept, and are appropriately more concerned about actually maintaining a healthy relationship with their loved ones in the spirit world.

While this is all an undoubtedly beautiful way of honoring those one cares for, even after they have departed, a skeptical onlooker may question the validity of any actual interaction taking place. There is certainly a large and apparently profitable industry exploiting the sadness and guilt of families who have lost a loved one. The cost of many such altars and the golden items with which they can be filled is often seemingly rather ridiculous. There is also potentially a sense of buyer pressure in which how much is spent on an altar and its various objects could be conceptualized as equivalent to how much a buyer loves the person being honored. The consumerist concept that if one loves someone, one buys them the fanciest altar they can possibly afford even though there is no proof that they are there to enjoy it, certainly sounds like a rather unkind sales tactic for a profitable store dealing in such goods.

Regardless of one’s take on the validity of the relationship to a spiritual ancestry, the conceptual relationship with an internalized symbol of what a loved one is to a person is a wonderful activity to cultivate. It imbues a sense of dignity and loving devotion which are truly magnificent traits in any human society.

Hakone is best known for its many hot spring resorts that are usually fed by actual, naturally occurring, volcanic Japanese spring water. This is certainly one aspect of Japan that should be high on any list of things to experience during a stay in a place so abundant with such therapeutic springs. Hakone is also home to “Lake Ashi”, known in Japanese as “Ashinoko”. One fun way to get around Hakone is on Lake Ashi via the classical sailing ships which can be seen crisscrossing the lake daily. Another wonderful place to certainly visit during a stay in Hakone is the picturesque traditional Japanese shrine known as the “Hakone Gongen”. The beautiful red “Torii” gate of this particular shrine is often seen in photos of Lake Ashi. One more feature of Hakone, that is certainly noteworthy, is the view of Mount Fuji that is often possible from various locations on a clear day. This includes some potentially wonderful views from Lake Ashi. There are also many natural areas of Hakone that are likely worth a visit, including a botanical garden and the “Owakudani” geysers. The cherry blossoms of April are also a notable attraction if you can make the trip in the spring.

There are literally a plethora of discounts and package deals available for a stay in Hakone and such deals are easily accessible at the many travel agencies in Tokyo. Having a person who speaks Japanese with you to translate is a good idea, if at all possible, but most agencies will usually be able to provide some kind of English speaking capability. Be sure to plan far in advance if planning to book a stay during a Japanese holiday.

There is also a special transportation pass known as the “Hakone Free Pass”, which is a popular and cost effective way to have unlimited travel around in Hakone during your stay. One additional travel tip, especially if making the trip as a couple, is for you to maybe even opt for the limited express train designed for couples and known as the “Romance Car”. It is certainly a nice touch when arranging a special trip to a romantic destination such as Hakone!

Miyazaki has been a well known director in Japan for much longer than he has been popular in the western world. His more recent movies are, rather notably, quite full of aspects of Japanese culture which have been given a thoroughly fanciful Miyazaki treatment. The mythical spirits of Japan’s animistic belief systems, in particular, are one of the film maker’s favorite subjects. This apparently allows Miyazaki’s imagination to happily frolic through a magical spirit world and then invite the audience to join him on his journey. In 1997, Miyazaki’s first movie to be commercially released in the west was a film of this kind, known as “Princess Mononoke”. His first Academy Award was also won for another animated movie heavily based on Japanese animism, which was aptly titled “Spirited Away”. It was reportedly the first ever Academy Award won by a Japanese “anime”style movie.

Another common theme evident in a lot of Miyazaki’s work is a love and appreciation of nature. Japanese mysticism is often interrelated with nature and the aforementioned “Princess Mononoke”is a wonderful example of an ecologically conscious movie which uses Miyazaki’s interpretation of traditional Japanese spirituality to imbue the audience with a renewed love and appreciation for nature. Another attribute common in many Miyazaki movies is the many brave and strong female characters who often show a rather unshakable determination which usually leads to their success. Miyazaki reportedly harbors what may be considered somewhat feminist ideals in certain parts of the world, although it is likely that equality is ultimately more the purpose of his character portrayals.

Another progressive aspect of many Miyazaki films is that any characters that may be deemed as villains are often given background or traits that give insight to their motivations and moral conundrums. A character may be caring on one scale, yet missing a bigger picture in which they may be doing a greater disservice on a larger scale. A perfect example combining all of these recurrent Miyazaki themes is a woman in the movie “Princess Mononoke” who is strong and focused on the success of a factory town she has started, in part, to help a group of people who she felt needed her help. In this way she is a noble character, yet she helps the people while polluting and destroying the forest and natural habitat around the town. In this way she misses the greater picture and the greater good, but Miyazaki presents it in such a way to still make her an endearing character whose motivations may well be noble.

Not only are Miyazaki’s films wonderfully written, but also visually spectacular. His many movies often feature delightful character designs and magical effects. If you have not already seen a Miyazaki film, be sure to do so. You will likely want to see many more after.

Fuji is not the only place with a pleasant surprise for those who are looking for something convenient on the way. Japan reportedly has the highest amount of vending machines per person than any other nation in the world. This is due to many factors, one being the practical non-existence of such kinds of vandalism in Japan. Another reason is based on the fact that the population density is high in Tokyo and other metropolitan areas of Japan. Yet another reason is that many people do not own cars and primarily travel on foot to and from train stations. The nations abundant amount of convenience stores caters to some of this, but the vending machines are often even more convenient. While a convenience store may be on or near every intersection of a major street in Tokyo, there is likely a vending machine on every small side street.

There are some amazing goods available in vending machines in Japan. The most globally surprising are the kind that supposedly provide customers with a selection of pre-worn women’s underwear. This caused quite a controversy and such machines were supposedly banned from public operation. There are reports, however, that such machines are still seen “in the wild” in areas of Japan. Other interesting things available from a Japanese vending machine include alcohol, ice cream, large bags of uncooked rice, and supposedly even potted plants. In case you need a battery for your television remote, there is a convenient vending machine for batteries too. You may also be really surprised to see a machine at a Japanese temple, vending paper prayers that had been officially blessed. Buddhist prayer beads are also reportedly available from another such vending machine.

The most basic and common types of vending machines in Japan will provide a variety of drinks, from warm cocoa and tea to cool soda and sports drinks. Other commonly seen machines will provide popular collectables, such as figures, from various Japanese animation titles. The collectables in these machines can range from 100 yen to 400 yen, or possibly even more as the quality, size, and rarity increases. The area of Tokyo known as Akihabara is one place, in particular, to find an abundance of such machines.

It seems like there is something for just about anyone available in a Japanese vending machine. During your stay in Japan, don’t be too surprised to find a vending machine becoming a more common part of your everyday shopping.

Osaka is, in many ways, like Tokyo’s competitive baby brother, challenging its Michael Jordan caliber sibling to one-on-one matches that only Osaka shows up for. It seems that for some reason, people from Osaka are often promoting the city in comparison to Tokyo, not so much for tourism but rather just in an attempt to make Osaka look better. It is no secret that people from Osaka exhibit apparent jealousy of Tokyo being Japan’s capital and most famous city. One should even be sure to read carefully when learning about Osaka through some of the more major community-driven websites, as it is apparent that there is some rather covert Osaka promotion going on and some of the data listed may require a stretch of the imagination. Statistics given are sometimes rather humorous, such as listing the city’s population ranking in Japan based on its “daytime population”since many people commute to the city during the day.

There are some notably obvious differences between how people behave in Osaka, as compared to Tokyo, which one may find to be truly intriguing once knowing about the competitive chip on Osaka’s shoulder. One thing you will likely notice is that, on the many escalators throughout Tokyo and most other areas in Japan, people are very explicit about standing on the left side so that other people can easily pass on the right. In the city of Osaka, people stand on the opposite side. Given that escalators are a modern invention, and one that likely expanded primarily from Tokyo, one has to wonder just exactly why people in Osaka decided it was necessary to do the opposite of the residents of Tokyo. Another level of this is seen at Kyoto’s major train station, as the ancient capital is a popular destination for tourists from Tokyo, and many people from nearby Osaka are also commuting through the station. The mix of Tokyo and Osaka, combined with people from other more rural parts of Japan often makes for what can be an amusing anthropological survey of human behavior. People on one escalator may all go to the right, on another all to the left, and on a third a mix of both as an apparent surrender of the struggle to agree on an appropriate side.

Thankfully you won’t have to worry too much about the competitive attitudes during a stay in Japan, just try not to talk about how great Tokyo is during a visit to Osaka.

One of the main concepts of the museum is in the way that it intends to regard all of its visitors, even toddlers, as a special guest of the museum rather than grouping them with their adult family members. This is evidenced in the way that the staff interacts with visitors by relating directly to each person in a group, rather than only speaking to adults as representatives of the group. Another nice aspect of the museum is that it is really focused on showing an educational side of animation in addition to simply entertainment. It is considered to be one of the best museums to visit in Japan if you are interested in the process of producing an animated film. This includes a room which reveals the creative space which gives rise to such amazing movies. Other areas show some of the actual production process of making hand drawn animation.

Let’s have a quick tour of some of the museum’s various exhibits and see what entertaining joy you can anticipate finding during a visit to Ghibli Museum.
The entrance to the museum is graced by the large and adorable Ghibli character known as Totoro. He is from the animated feature called “My Neighbor Totoro” and is the studio mascot waiting to greet its museum visitors. Inside the building one finds wonderful lamps and windows which are made of skillfully hand-crafted stained glass depicting many Studio Ghibli characters. The walls and ceiling in some rooms are painted with beautifully fanciful skies and also more characters. It is often as though the rooms of the museum itself are rooms from one of the studio’s films. One room is dedicated to children enjoying the famous “Cat Bus” character from “My Neighbor Totoro”. The studio had wanted to make it the same size as in the movie, but made it a little smaller due to space requirements. Children can still climb inside the cozy bus and enjoy an experience like the movie. On the roof is the museum’s “robot guardian” statue from the movie “Castle in the Sky” and a wild seasonal garden for visitors to sit and enjoy.

There is also a gorgeous theater in which to sit and enjoy a movie made especially for the museum itself. These movies are generally only viewable at the museum, so it can be a truly special treat.

Enjoy the Ghibli Museum and make sure you bring any children you may have handy along with you.

The island of Hokkaido is noted for being much cooler than most of the rest of Japan, such as the island of Honshu where Tokyo is located. This is a primary factor making Hokkaido a popular tourist destination. During a stay in Japan during summer, if you are looking for a vacation from Honshu’s occasionally unpleasant humidity, you may want to do as many natives to Japan themselves do, and go on a trip to Hokkaido. The winter is also a popular season for Hokkaido’s tourist industry, as Hokkaido features some of Japan’s best ski and snowboarding resorts. The capital city of Sapporo is said to be most famously known as a host city for the Winter Olympics. Many snow enthusiasts from all over Japan make the pilgrimage to the island each year, and from Tokyo there are many package deals available which often include airfare, hotel, and lift access to the slopes. Seasonal positions at ski resorts and similar companies are also popular with snow sports enthusiasts from other areas of the world who want to spend a winter on the slopes in Japan. Those people from nations having a“Working Holiday “ arrangement with Japan are good candidates for such positions.

Hokkaido is also known for its agricultural farming, as it contains around a quarter of the total arable land in Japan. It leads in the production of many agricultural products in Japan and is also well known for its dairy farms. As it is also a major producer of wheat, it is a great place for breweries and at least one of Japan’s most famous beer makers began in the Hokkaido region.

Another feature of Hokkaido is its cultural heritage, as historically the island was a popular home for Japan’s indigenous people, who were likely somewhat displaced by the classical immigrants from China and Korea now generally known as “Japanese”. The “Ainu” are one such indigenous people still inhabiting Japan and Hokkaido today. Archeologists have reportedly theorized that the Ainu had settled in Japan around 20,000 years ago. This includes the Hokkaido region. As the Ainu have some traits similar to indigenous people of Siberia, there had been theories that they had migrated from Siberia at some point. However, genetic research has shown this to be unlikely. During a stay in Japan, you may be interested in learning more about Ainu culture and Hokkaido is likely a great place to do so. There are some very unique tribal customs and also some amazing art that is part of the culture. Particularly beautiful is some of the traditional clothing of the Ainu people.

Hopefully you will make a journey to Hokkaido to enjoy its wonderful nature, popular ski resorts, and also its cultural attractions.

You may or may not be surprised to hear that George Lucas is even documented as having been quite inspired by Japanese classics of the Samurai genre. Near the beginning of the original “Star Wars”, there is a scene considered to be a direct translation of an excerpt from a classic Samurai movie directed by a certain famous Japanese director named “Akira Kurosawa”. Kurosawa’s epic Samurai films have, according to Lucas, been a huge inspiration and influence on his personal filmmaking style and also helped to shape much of how he directed the Star Wars features. So profound was Kurosawa’s influence that popular robot characters, C3PO and R2D2, are actually considered to be a mechanical version of two characters from a Kurosawa film. Some of Kurosawa’s many Samurai movies were also directly remade into popular Western (literally) classics. One is a Western film called “Fist Full of Dollars”, a remake of Kurosawa’s “Yojimbo”, and another is “The Magnificent Seven”, which was a remake of Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai”.

Akira Kurosawa was a truly prolific director and in his 50 years of direction he is known for having had 30 of his films grace the silver screen. His family is actually documented to have descended from Samurai, so his apparent love affair with the traditional genre was likely a somewhat natural extension of his heritage. He was such a respected director internationally that he was awarded the Academy Award for “Lifetime Achievement”, by which he was officially thanked for his truly inspiring cinematic excellence. As part of the award ceremony he was also recognized for how his direction style has since influenced so many of the film makers who followed. His directing style was apparently considered, by his colleagues, to be considerably perfectionist. Those working with him reportedly referred to him as “Tenno”, which is Japanese for “Emperor”, as a response to his uncompromising style of direction. Kurosawa was so dedicated to perfection that he supposedly even edited many of his films himself, which is considered extremely rare in any cinematic production and truly a sign of amazing dedication to his movies.

Although many films of Akira Kurosawa have influenced many Western movie makers, he himself is said to have had inspiration from abroad. Intriguingly enough, many of Kurosawa’s films about Japanese culture were occasionally themselves influenced by a certain Western playwright (or playwrights) by the name of Shakespeare. From the West to the East and from the East to the West, inspiration is something that, as Kurosawa showed the world, is truly borderless. There are likely many modern Japanese films that have unknowingly been inspired by Kurosawa’s Japanese classics, although through the Western interpretation of Star Wars.

The city is well known internationally for various reasons. One is certainly its annual “Sapporo Snow Festival”. This annual celebration of art sculpted from snow and ice is an attraction which brings in tourists and sculpting teams from around the world each year. The popular festival spans a week during the month of February, and the event takes place on various sites around the city. Amazingly enough, such a major festival is said to have began very humbly in 1950, as 6 Sapporo students built some relatively small snow statues in one of the city’s main parks. Around five years later, a military base nearby joined in the fun and built some of the first large sculptures that the festival is so well known for. The festival is documented to have attracted around 2 million visitors in a single year. There are other seasonal festivals in and around the city, notably an annual “Sapporo Summer Festival” is likely a good choice for people who prefer a summer festival atmosphere.

The modern city of Sapporo, with inhabitants currently numbering in the millions, supposedly had a population of only 7 people a mere 150 years or so ago. City planning was, thus, highly modernized and based on many American city planning concepts. It is one of the few large cities in Japan with a logical grid-like street layout, so getting around is relatively easy to figure out. Another wonderful aspect of Sapporo city planning is a long stretch of public park, known as “Odori Park”, running through the center of the city. It is home to many of Sapporo’s annual events and festivals.

Sapporo is also known as a hub of Hokkaido’s cuisine, and most notably the city is considered to be the first place that a noodle soup called “Miso Ramen” was first produced. Miso Ramen is a delicious combination of Chinese ramen noodles in a soup base containing Japanese “miso”(pronounced “mee-soa”), which is a paste made of fermented soybeans. Sapporo ramen is so popular that there is even a theme park in Sapporo that is based around the noodle soups. Another one of the city’s famous culinary products is known as “Soup Curry”, which is a spicy soup style curry including vegetables and rice. Be sure to try one of these, if at all possible, during your stay in Sapporo.

Enjoy your stay in Sapporo if you happen to journey to this northern city while staying in Japan. It certainly has much more than just a brewery to offer tourists to the northern island of Hokkaido.

J-Drama
Japanese drama, or “J-Drama” as it is often referred to internationally, is the term for the various story based serials that air on Japanese television. Japan’s shows of this kind differ from those in places such as the US in various ways. One of the main differences is that a show usually has a certain limited number of episodes with a beginning and ending, rather than the same show running season after season for many years. There are exceptions, but rarely if ever in a primetime slot. If popular, a show will likely be seen again soon as a movie involving a new cast in a theater production or again on television, as studios appear relatively keen on recycling successful stories. A further example of this is the fact that many serials which make it to television have already been successful graphic novels known in Japan as “Manga”.

Anime
Anime is the term for Japanese animation that is so popular around the world today. Surprisingly enough, there is not as much anime on Japanese television as one may expect. Anime serials, like Japanese dramas, often have a set number of episodes with a beginning and end. This does not mean the end of a set of characters though, as popular anime will reincarnate as dozens of different variations of the same general concept.

Variety Shows
If there is one place where variety shows have not gone out of style, and seemingly won’t, it is Japan. The literal plethora of variety shows is rather mind boggling and many videos of Japanese zaniness on international video sites, such as YouTube, are from these often wild and wacky shows. These are the shows that last through the years and also act as a platform for introduction and popularization of new talent. Actors and actresses, comedians, music entertainers, politicians, and more try their hand at such things as dressing in a diaper and bonking people on the head with an oversized squeaky plastic hammer. Comedians are obviously a common sight also and gimmick or slapstick styles are ridiculously popular. You know it’s a comedian’s moment in the spotlight when you see him or her doing their repetitive slogan or gimmick on 10 shows in a single week or possibly even one day.

Game Shows
Game shows in Japan are really just an extension of variety shows and generally only involve those people being marketed as celebrities. Considering how a few celebrities are repetitively marketed and occasionally seem to appear in half the primetime shows and commercials in a day, it would likely be nice to give more of the populace a chance to win something. The marketed celebrities probably have a reasonable amount of cash and goods already. Regardless, it is yet another chance to see this week’s popular comedian doing their gimmick while skydiving for oranges or some other such creative challenge.

Food Shows
Possibly yet another extension of variety shows, food is evidently an extremely popular topic in Japan and food shows even have their own celebrities. These are generally people who are most noted for their ability to gorge themselves rather than show how to cook something delicious. These shows are also yet another place to showcase marketed celebrities and also international guests. There are 2 words which are possibly the most repetitively and unbelievably emphasized on Japanese television. One is “oishii!” and the other is “umai!”, and both essentially mean “delicious!” Food shows in Japan repeat those words again and again, so be prepared.

Enjoy Japanese television as it is actually an entertaining way to learn the language.