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Common and Nonmutual Features of Japanese and Russian Culture
- Die Schüler der Lupe
- 14 Oca 2022
- 11 dakikada okunur
Güncelleme tarihi: 15 Oca 2022
Sıla Kılıç
There are many countries in the world. In countries, there are different cultures. Cultures affect each other. Culture means the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society. It is passed down from generation to generation. History of the countries constitutes cultures. The geographical features of a country affect its culture a lot. There could be people from different ethnic groups in a country. They usually have different general characteristics. But general traditions of the people who live in that country form the culture. Culture shows a social feature by uniting the individuals who make up societies around common values. The culture of a specific society does not mean that everyone from that culture has the same personality traits. It means that these people have common features that generate their lives. Culture determines the lifestyle and the way of thinking of the people from that culture. Some cultures have common features, but some of them bear no resemblance to each other. All of these properties apply to Japanese and Russian culture, as well as to every culture. Although Japanese and Russian cultures show similarities, they differ from each other in terms of their clothes, music, food, special days, religion, traditions, personal characteristics of the people from these cultures, and important elements that they comprise.
Both cultures have traditional clothes. Japanese have a traditional dress named kimono. People wear this at graduations and festivals. In traditional cities like Kyoto, women go to engagements and business meetings by wearing kimonos. Kimono is an expensive outfit. Japanese people make official and religious marriage ceremonies. The kimono is also worn at religious wedding ceremonies. Russians’ traditional outfit is rubakha. Rubakha is shorter than kimono. It is like an oversize shirt. Both men and women wear rubakha. The materials that rubakha is made of change according to the financial value. Sometimes people wear this in daily life. They also wear a long dress named sarafan. Sarafan is colorful and fancy like a kimono. Only women wear this dress and they often wear this on top of rubakha. Sarafans are usually decorated with embroidery.
Japanese and Russian cultures have their traditional musical instruments. In Japanese culture, people play an instrument named koto. Koto is a string instrument. It is not an instrument with just one form. It has different varieties. Its body is from wood and there are strings on the body. People play koto with picks or their fingers. In the past, koto was played at religious ceremonies and festivals. These days, it is played to make classical music. The most popular musical instrument of Russian culture is the balalaika. It is a string instrument like the koto but they seem very different. Its body is in the shape of a triangle and it has three strings. There are six different sizes of the balalaika. It is played with fingers. Balalaika is used in folk music.
Russian cuisine is at variance with Japanese cuisine. Their meals do not resemble each other. Japanese give importance to every meal. They have some traditional dishes. They do not eat too much fast food, nevertheless, even their fast food has its Japanese style. They eat more vegetables instead of fast food. Their food mostly contains sea products. In the meanwhile, Russian cuisine includes lots of various products to cook dishes. They also have vegetarian dishes including mushrooms, pickles, etc. Borscht is the most known dish of Russian culture. Borscht is a soup that is made of meat and vegetables like cabbage, carrot, potato, and onion. Besides, sushi and sashimi are the best-loved dishes in Japanese cuisine. They are both made of fish and already similar to each other. There are not many dishes with red meat in Japanese culture, because they started eating meat later than other cultures. So, there is not much food containing meat in their culture. They have dishes with Portuguese and Spanish names. Once they closed themselves to the world. With the arrival of Portuguese ships in their country, they gradually got used to the outside world. In fact, they learned some new dishes from Portuguese people.
In both cultures, people celebrate a lot of festivals and holidays. Japanese have lots of festivals. They celebrate them all over the country. They have festivals for children and teenagers. They wear traditional clothes at these festivals. Once a year in August there is a festival to visit the elders. They also celebrate Valentine's day. Engrossingly, only men give gifts to women on Valentine's Day. On March 14, men receive presents from women. Japanese celebrate a festival named Setsubun which is also known as The Bean-Throwing Festival. It is on February 3 or 4. On this day, people set up stages outdoors. They throw candies and money into the crowds. In houses, someone plays the role of evil, and others throw beans to that person to throw the evil out of the house. In addition, the Japanese have a holiday named Golden Week. In this week, there are four different holidays one after another. Both Japanese and Russians celebrate the new year. Also, Russians celebrate Easter too. Spring and Labor Day is on May 1 and this day is also important for them. They celebrate Russia Day on June 12 and Victory Day on May 9. Victory Day is meaningful for them because they commemorate veterans on this day.
These two cultures are different in terms of their religion, too. Most Russians are Christians. There are more than 5000 Orthodox churches in Russia. Distinctly, Buddhism and Shintoism are prevalent in Japan. Japanese people mostly believe in polytheistic religions. There are not many people who believe in monotheistic religions. Some people commit suicide because they have no faith. The dead are burned in Japanese culture and the Japanese have respect for the funerals. Similarly, Russians are respectful too. People cover mirrors and stop clocks in their houses after a death from a family member. There are two ways of death in Russian culture. If a person gets older and then dies, this is a good death for them. It is a bad death when a person dies because of an accident or an illness.
Japanese people are observant of customs and Russians’ traditions are linked to Christianity. To begin with, when people are invited somewhere, leaving that place early is not proper for Japanese people. They attach importance to entertainment at the opening and closing of the balls. They think that the deceased souls come and visit the world once a year. Because of this belief, they place food in the trays in the graves. Moreover, gifts are very special for Japanese people. They wrap gifts with paper on their own to make their gifts better. Buying a tie as a gift to someone means that person is tied to the person who gives the present in their custom. Likewise, Russian people enjoy receiving gifts too. Giving presents to the hostess and the children is nice for them when you visit a house. The financial value of a gift is more important in Russian culture than in Japanese culture. An interesting Japanese belief is that taking a plant that grows in the soil while visiting a patient means wishing this person to die quickly. Apart from this, how the chopsticks are held while eating is very important to them. Using them incorrectly is an insult for them. In Russian culture, people hold forks in their left hands and knives in their right hands. They emphasize this order. In the main, they also believe in legends. To add more, they sit quietly and pray before they travel. Russians believe that whistling in closed places brings bad luck. There is one more thing that brings bad luck according to Russians. That is returning home soon. When they forget something at home, they prefer to ask for help from their relatives at home, rather than return.
Personal characteristics of people change according to the culture that they are in. Firstly, the Japanese have adherence to the rules. Working hours are very important for them because they are hardworking people. Lots of people work overtime. They usually do not give up because they are ambitious. They can clash with each other to succeed. They cannot handle failure. They are delightful and respectful. For example, sometimes they put photos of the people who died in traffic accidents on the streets. Hygiene is important for them. Also, Japanese families raise kind children. But family ties are not very strong in Japanese culture. Furthermore, they do not show themselves individually. They stand out as a group. They do not praise themselves. If they are going to do something, they are trying to do it in a group. They do not like catching the attention. Because of that reason, they cut their hair on long vacations, so that people do not notice. They usually wear black and white clothes for the same reason. Addedly, the weather is important for them. They do not like sunbathing. Since those who are sunbathers are workers who work in the sun, they do not sunbathe in order not to appear as workers. Expressing feelings is a weakness for them but explaining the meaning of what you say is essential to avoid miscommunication. This is also important in Russian culture. Japanese usually do not shake hands, because they do not like touching each other, hugging, and backslapping too much. In contrast to that, handshaking is proper for Russians when they are greeting or leaving. They also like hugging and backslapping. In Russian culture, eye contact is very important while talking, but prolonged eye contact is weird and improper in Japanese culture. Other personal characteristics of Russians are slightly different from Japanese. Being patient is very important for Russians. They do not look very friendly but they stay close to the person they are talking to and their friends. Mistakes that are made in society negatively affect them. Offending someone is inappropriate for Russians. Turning down offers is rudeness in their culture. In their opinion, a person seems lazy when that person wears light colors. Besides, Russians are hospitable. When a guest visits them, they set a table with lots of different food. They are also loyal and attach importance to friendships a lot. They like chatting with their friends. They are cheerful people and they love joking and telling funny stories. What is weird about Russians is that they are superstitious. They have superstitious beliefs about mirrors, black cats, leaving home, traveling, etc.
There is some information below which is interesting and also important to know about these cultures. For each of the cultures, there are 25 key points.
Japanese and their culture:
1) They have an empire. The royal family is very important, but the prime minister advances political affairs in general. There are conflicts within them.
2) They have three different alphabets. The first one is hiragana. They use this alphabet for suffixes. The second one is katakana. They use this alphabet to write the words which come from other languages. The last one is kanji. The alphabet that they use comes from China. There are too many letters in Japanese. Instead of using the letter L, they use the letter R.
3) As primary school students go to school by train, there are special train signs which are written with the alphabet that the primary school students know in the streets.
4) When you marry a Japanese person, you cannot take citizenship immediately.
5) In Japanese cartoons, there are not any Japanese characters with slanted eyes.
6) After the bombs in the 2nd World War, there was a tremor in the country. They sent a group of people to America in the 1960s to work and learn developments.
7) Terrains are very expensive, as there is not enough space for building houses and agriculture. Their houses are very small. There are skyscrapers in the big cities. Buildings are earthquake resistant. In rural areas, there are 2-3 story houses which are covered with steel and wood.
8) Railway network is very advanced. Subways and trains reach nearly everywhere.
9) The quality of universities is good. Some of the teachers at universities received the Nobel Prize. There are university exams. University students go to job interviews in the third year of university. Finding a job is difficult and requires labor. However, the unemployment rate is low.
10) They did not speak English in the past, but now they speak better English. There are English signs on the roads in Japan.
11) They care a lot about nature. After going away from Tokyo by train for 15-20 minutes, you can come to nature immediately.
12) They do trekking and play golf.
13) They have special theaters. They are respectful to the artists and their effort. Handwork is very precious and handmade products are expensive.
14) In their opinion, working women must wear skirts and heels.
15) There is respect for the elderly. People's lifespan is generally long. The elderly population in Japan is very high. There are conveniences in daily life for the elderly, for example, they try to make it easier for old people to go from one place to another.
16) Even if it sounds illogical, they follow the rules. They act slowly in terms of practicality.
17) Tourism is very developed. There are traditional Japanese-style hotels. These hotels have sliding doors, shakedowns, and floor tables.
18) It is weird for the Japanese to enter the house with shoes.
19) Public bath culture has developed.
20) Children are informed about disasters while they are growing up. There are whistles and lanterns in the hotel rooms in case a disaster occurs. Schools are meeting places in an earthquake. Families stay once a year at school to conduct an earthquake drill.
21) There is little difference between men and women. Women still have not fully received their social rights.
22) When people give business cards to Japanese, they take the cards with both hands. This is like a rule for them.
23) A geisha is a traditional entertainer in Japanese culture. The geisha are female. However, the first geisha were men. Geisha means performing artist in English.
24) Anime is a Japanese cartoon that is drawn in its own style.
25) Japanese people bow when they greet, apologize, show gratitude and congratulate.
Russians and their culture:
1) 1 Russian Ruble is equivalent to 1.41 Japanese Yen.
2) Women are very important for Russians. Men have a lot of respect for women.
3) They go to a banya which is similar to a sauna. They think that their bodies and souls are cleaned there.
4) They drink different kinds of tea. They have tea time to socialize with the people around them.
5) Many of them have their own gardens. They grow vegetables in their gardens and use them to cook meals.
6) They are proud of their history. In the cities, there are statues of people who have achieved success in the past.
7) Children start to read poems and tales at a young age. Literature is important for Russians.
8) Russians do not smile if they have no reason. Because of that, they do not throw a person who they do not meet before a smile.
9) Matryoshka is a Russian doll. There are many dolls one within the other.
10) A large part of Russia consists of forests.
11) Art, ballet, opera, literature, and architecture are developed in Russian culture. There are lots of museums, theatres, and libraries in Russia.
12) Wedding ceremonies are precious for Russians. The ceremonies may continue for a week.
13) People used to work voluntarily on Saturdays and Sundays in Russia.
14) People give flowers to each other. If the number of the flowers is odd, it represents happiness. They give an even number of flowers at funerals.
15) Tetris was invented in Russia.
16) Family is a priority for them. Relatives help and support each other. They have strong family ties.
17) The Trans-Siberian Railroad is the longest railway in the world and it is in Russia.
18) Russians play helicopter golf. It is similar to traditional golf, but the scale is bigger in this game.
19) There are no exact translations of the words fun and privacy in Russian.
20) In Russian, healing and gaining weight are expressed with the same word.
21) They celebrate Christmas on January 7 and they give their presents on the first days of the year.
22) The tradition of hanging a carpet on the wall is common in Russian culture.
23) In Russian, a sentence can be formed with only one subject or one predicate.
24) Russians like entertainment and luxurious life.
25) Russian culture has cultural symbols exclusive to official ones. The official ones are flag, anthem, and emblem.
Important events which occur in countries affect cultures. Because these events determine the flow of people’s lives. Cultures can change because of these events. Also, cultures can be affected by each other. In this way, cultures sprawl, and some cultures have common features. For this reason, Russian and Japanese cultures have similar features. But there are not too many similarities between them. They usually differ from each other in terms of their traditions and cultural characteristics. When people socialize with each other in their daily life with the effect of their traditions, they strengthen their culture. Thus, their cultures improve. In contrast, traditions are forgotten if people do not communicate with the effect of their own culture. In this case, traditions become less important for this society. There are not many people who are acultural in Japan and Russia. Most of them pay homage to their customs. The cultural features of Russian and Japanese cultures like clothes, music, food, religion, special days, personal characteristics of Russians and Japanese, etc. are not very similar. Because the ways of thinking and the lifeways of these communities are unlike. For example, they see artists, women, governments, etc. from different points of view. The discrepancy of these cultures is also derived from their history. There were different circumstances for Russian and Japanese societies in the past. In conclusion, Japanese and Russian cultures have both common and nonmutual features and these features form the personalities and the lifestyles of Japanese and Russians.
Bibliography
https://medium.com/konsiteo-today/shinbashira-pagodas-exceptional-earthquake-resistance-9d7e3eac1d6d
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