The Land of the Rising Sun
The Land of the Rising Sun, Japan, is an island country lying off the east coast of Asia. According to M.B. Jansen (2020), it consists of a great string of islands in a northeast-southwest arc that stretches for approximately 1,500 miles (2,400 km) through the western North Pacific Ocean. Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu are the country’s four main islands. Honshu is the largest island of the four, followed by Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Tokyo, the nation’s capital, is located in the east-central Honshu and is one of the world’s most populous cities.
Language
The Japanese language is a language isolate — unrelated to any other language. It is the only major language whose genetic affiliation is not known. There are hypotheses relating the Japanese language to Korean and other languages. It is one of the world’s major languages, with more than 128 million speakers in the early 21st century. Since the mid-20th century, no nation other than Japan has used Japanese as a first or a second language. There are various dialects throughout Japan. These dialects are often mutually incomprehensible. The Kagoshima dialect of Kyushu is often not understood by the people of the main island of Honshu. This applies to different dialects of different islands.
Cultural Influences
Japan’s culture has changed greatly over the millennia, starting from its prehistoric period called Jomon Period to the contemporary period which absorbs all of the other cultural influences from the other countries. The early Japanese culture had been heavily influenced by the Chinese culture, ranging from the ancient times up to the Middle Ages in Japan. For example, the Japanese use the kanji writing system which was heavily influenced by Chinese characters but then the Japanese has no genetic relationship with the Chinese. During the Edo era, Japan had a strict isolationist policy where all of its doors were closed to all kinds of relationships in the outside world. After the fall of the Edo Period, the Meiji Restoration Period occurred in which Japan has been greatly influenced by Western countries.
In terms of their clothing, their national garment called kimono has also been developed from the Chinese court clothing in the Nara Period (Tang Dynasty in China), following the diplomatic relations that have been formed between those two countries at that time. During the Edo Period, the kimono had been developed further, creating two types: kosode (short-sleeved) and furisode (long-sleeved type).The earliest kimono garments were influenced by the Han Chinese clothing. During the 8th century, the Chinese fashion was adopted by the Japanese culture.
Kimono come in different colors, styles, and sizes. Men mainly wear darker colors, while women mainly wear brighter and pastel colors. Younger women, especially, wear kimono that has complicated abstract or floral patterns. In previous periods, married women wore short-sleeved kimono, while unmarried women wore long-sleeved kimono to both formal and informal occasions; however, during these early periods, the rise in the average age of women getting married and the numbers of women never marrying in Japan has led to women in their early twenties only wear long-sleeved kimono to formal events while women past their early twenties wore short-sleeved kimono to formal events. Other developments include the abandonment of layered kimono and the standardization of the short-sleeved kimono during the fabric shortage in World War II.
Etiquette
Bowing
In Japan, bowing is used to greet, thank, apologize, make a request or ask someone a favor. A bow can range from a small nod of the head to a deep bend at the waist. A deeper, longer bow indicates a sincere respect while a small nod is more casual and informal. If the greeting will take place on a tatami floor (a type of Japanese mat), Japanese people would get onto their knees to bow. A bow together with a handshake is expected from foreigners with minimal to no eye contact.
Gift-giving
Giving gifts is part of the Japanese Culture. Different types of gifts are given depending on the occasion. How wrapping of the gift itself is also essential. If the gift is not nicely wrapped, it should at least be given in a paper bag, preferably the bag of the shop in which the gift was purchased. Gifts in sets of four should be avoided because it is considered as an unlucky number according to the Japanese superstition; it is said the the Japanese word for “four” has the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for “death”. When it comes to handing over the present, the giver and the receiver usually use both of their hands.
Table-manners
It is traditional for Japanese people to say itadakimasu before eating and gochisou-sama after a meal. These phrases not only mean “thanks for the food” but it also indicates the beginning and ending of a meal. It is considered as impolite if you don’t say these words when eating with Japanese people.
When it comes to chopsticks etiquettes, you should not directly pass food from your chopsticks to somebody else’s chopsticks or vice versa. It’s also important that you should not vertically stick chopstick into food, especially into a bowl of rice. It is also considered as impolite to wave your chopsticks above food dishes or to use your chopsticks to point at somebody. Two people should never pick up the same food with their chopsticks (i.e. if someone is struggling to pick something up you can’t help them) as it reminds the Japanese of a funeral ritual in Japan, it’s utterly morbid.
It is mannerly to lift small bowls of rice or soup when you eat to prevent dropping food. If you don’t have a soup spoon, it is acceptable to sip soup out of the bowl and eat the solid food with chopsticks.
Making some slurping noises while eating noodles, such as ramen and soba in Japan is acceptable. They believed that it tastes better when making slurping noises.
Shoes
Shoes are never worn inside someone else’s home or on Japanese tatami flooring (mats). There will be a given place for you to place your shoes. Visitors are always given a pair of slippers when entering someone’s house. You should never wear normal slippers when going into the bathroom and vice versa.
Names
Japanese people use “-san”, “-kun”, and “-chan” to address other people. The word “-san” is a suffix used to show the title of respect added to the name. It can be used for both men and women, as well as for their surnames or given names. It can also be attached to the title names and occupations. Meanwhile, the suffix “-kun” is used to address younger men or who are the same age as the speaker. In schools or companies, a man might address female inferiors by “-kun”. Like “-san”, it can also be attached to both surnames and given names. Though it is less polite than “-san” and isn’t used between women or when addressing one’s superiors. Lastly, the suffix “-chan” is attached to children’s names when addressing them by their given names. It can also be used regarding kinship terms in a childish language.
Other etiquette
The Japanese don’t have loud public conversations on their mobile phones. They never speak on the phone in the train or in a shop and keep their phone on vibrate. When going out for drinks, it’s considered rude to drink before cheers (kampai!). Since Japan isn’t an English speaking country, it is advisable to speak slowly and be patient when speaking English and learn a few basic Japanese words. When getting on escalators, It is strictly stand left pass right on Tokyo escalators while in Osaka it is stand right, pass left; this is due to Japan always having two different standards for everything.
Japanese Visual Arts
Japanese Calligraphy
It uses flowing, brush-drawn strokes and is considered to be a traditional art form, as well as a means of conveying written information. Typical calligraphic works consist of phrases, poems, stories, or even characters represented by themselves; the style and format of the calligraphy can mimic the subject matter through aspects such as the texture of the writing and the speed of the brush strokes.
Painting
In Japan, painting has always been a form of art. The brush is considered both as a painting and writing tool. Japanese artists are often categorized based on what they painted and most of them only used animals, landscapes, or figures as their subjects for their paintings. In 7th century, Chinese papermaking was introduced to Japan and later on, washi was developed from it. Famous Japanese painters include Kanō Sanraku, Maruyama Ōkyo, and Tani Bunchō.
Ukiyo-e
Its literal translation is: “pictures of the floating world”. Ukiyo-e is a genre of woodblock prints that represents the characteristics of pre-Meiji Japanese art. These were widely available to the Japanese population, especially to those who were not wealthy enough to buy original paintings, due to their mass-production.
Ikebana
Ikebana is the Japanese flower arrangement. It became well-known internationally for its focus on harmony, color use, rhythm, and elegantly simple design. It is an art that is focused greatly on expressing the seasons and acts as a symbol to something greater than the flower itself.
Religion
Shinto and Buddhism are Japan’s two major religions. Shinto is as old as the Japanese culture and Buddhism was imported from the mainland in the 6th century. Most of the Japanese consider themselves as Buddhist, Shintoist or both
Shinto
Shinto (‘the way of the Gods) is one of the major religions in Japan since then until up to this day. Shinto does not have a founder and any scriptures just like in the other religion. And also the preaching is not common in this religion because Shinto is deeply rooted in the Japanese cultures and traditions.
“Shinto gods” are called kami. They are sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility. Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Goddess of Sun Amaterasu is considered as the Shinto’s queen and most important kami.
Shinto religion is contrary to many of the monotheistic religions, there are no absolutes in Shinto. There is no absolute right and wrong, there is no fixed dogma, moral concepts or any sacred writings, in Shinto nobody is perfect. Shinto is an optimistic faith, as humans are thought to be fundamentally good and evil. Shinto believes that evil spirit is the cause of the evil acts of human. Therefore the main purpose of Shinto is to keep away the evil spirits by purification, prayers and offering to the Kami.
Shinto shrines are the places of worship and the homes of kami. Most shrines celebrate festivals (matsuri) regularly in order to show the kami the outside world. Shinto priests perform Shinto rituals and often live on the shrine grounds. Men and women can become priests, and they are allowed to marry and have children. Priests are aided by younger women (miko) during rituals and shrine tasks. Miko wear white kimono, must be unmarried, and are often the priests’ daughters.
Shinto can be roughly classified into the following three major types: Shrine Shinto, Sect Shinto, and Folk Shinto.
Shrine Shinto (Jinja Shinto), which has been in existence from the beginning of Japanese history to the present day, constitutes a main current of Shinto tradition. Shrine Shinto includes within its structure the now defunct State Shinto (Kokka Shinto) based on the total identity of religion and state and has close relations with the Japanese Imperial family.
Sect Shinto (Kyoha Shinto) is a relatively new movement consisting of 13 major sects that originated in Japan around the 19th century and of several others that emerged after World War II. Each sect was organized into a religious body by either a founder or a ruler.
Folk Shinto (Minzoku Shinto) is an aspect of Japanese folk belief that is closely connected with the other types of Shinto. It has no formal organizational structure or doctrinal formulation but is centered in the veneration of small roadside images and in the agricultural rites of rural families.
These three types of Shinto are interrelated: Folk Shinto exists as the substructure of Shinto faith, and a Sect Shinto follower is usually also a parishioner (ujiko) of a particular Shinto shrine.
History of Shinto
Before Buddhism there was no formal Shinto religion, but there are many local cults that are nowadays grouped under the name Shinto. Like many prehistoric people, the first inhabitants of Japan were probably animists; devoted to the spirits of nature. In their case these were the Kami that were found in plants and animals, mountains and seas, storms and earthquakes, sand and all significant natural phenomena. The early Japanese developed rituals and stories which enabled them to make sense of their universe, by creating a spiritual and cultural world that gave them historical roots, and a way of seeming to take control of their lives, in what would otherwise have been a fearful and puzzling landscape.
During 6th century CE the Buddhism religion arrived into the Japan. From then on Shinto faiths and traditions took on Buddhist elements, and later, Confucian ones. Some Shinto shrines became Buddhist temples, existed within Buddhist temples, or had Buddhist priests in charge. Buddhist temples were built, and Buddhist ideas were explored. The combination of Shintoism, Buddhism and Confucianism was used by the government to rule and guide the Japanese people. But the Buddhism began to expand because of its complex intellectual doctrines they were given a role in supporting the government. In the time of Buddhism they dominated the Shinto religion since 7th century until 17th century.
Until 18th century the Meiji Restoration, it is the period wherein Shinto became the official state religion of Japan, and many shrines were supported by state funding. However, this financial aid was short-lived, and by the 1890s most Shinto shrines were once again supported by those who worshipped at them. It was the time that the Shinto was separated in Buddhism there were no any trademarks left of Buddhism to the traditions and culture of Shinto. Shinto was enthusiastically promoted by Japan’s militaristic rulers, who stressed that the emperor was a divine being, directly descended from the gods who had given birth to the Japanese islands. Shinto became the glue that bound the Japanese people together with a powerful mix of devotion to kami, ancestor-worship, and group loyalty to family and nation.
Buddhism
Buddhism originated in India in the 6th century BC. It consists of the teachings of the Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha. Of the main branches of Buddhism, it is the Mahayana or “Greater Vehicle” Buddhism which found its way to Japan. Nowadays about 90 million people consider themselves Buddhists in Japan. However, the religion does not directly affect the everyday life of the average Japanese very strongly. Funerals are usually carried out in a Buddhist way, and many households keep a small house altar in order to pay respect to their ancestors.
During the early Heian Period, two Buddhist sects were introduced from China: the Tendai sect in 805 by Saicho and the Shingon sect in 806 by Kukai. More sects later branched off the Tendai sect. Among these, the most important ones are mentioned below:
In 1175, the Jodo sect (Pure Land sect) was founded by Honen. It found followers among all different social classes since its theories were simple and based on the principle that everybody can achieve salvation by strongly believing in the Buddha Amida. In 1224, the Jodo-Shin sect (True Pure Land sect) was founded by Shinran, one of Honen’s pupils, with even further simplified teachings. The Jodo sects continue to have millions of followers today.
In 1191, the Zen sect was introduced from China. Its complicated theories were popular particularly among the members of the military class. According to Zen teachings, one can achieve self enlightenment through meditation and discipline.
The Nichiren sect, was founded by Nichiren in 1253. The sect was exceptional due to its intolerant stance towards other Buddhist sects. Nichiren Buddhism still has many millions of followers today, and several “new religions” are based on Nichiren’s teachings.
History of Buddhism in Japan
Buddhism was imported to Japan via China and Korea in the form of a present from the friendly Korean kingdom of Kudara (Paikche) in the 6th century. While Buddhism was welcomed by the ruling nobles as Japan’s new state religion, it did not initially spread among the common people due to its complex theories. There were a few initial conflicts with Shinto, Japan’s native religion, but the two religions were soon able to co-exist and even complement each other.
A major, long-established East Asian route of trade and influence ran from northern China through the Korean peninsula and across the Korean Straits to Japan. Traveling along this route, Mahayana Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Korea in the sixth century (traditionally, in either 538 or 552, as part of a diplomatic mission that included gifts such as an image of Shakyamuni Buddha and several volumes of Buddhist text). As in Korea, the religion had a lasting effect on the native culture. By the seventh century, when the religion was firmly established, Japan had dozens of temple complexes, various orders of priests, and a body of skilled artisans to craft the icons and other accoutrements that the practice of the faith required.
Vajrayana or Esoteric Buddhist and its attendant pantheon of deities and secret, mystical rituals, was introduced to Japan in the early Heian period (after 794) by a number of Japanese priests. They studied the religion in China and returned home to found influential monasteries, two of which became the centers of the main Japanese Buddhist sects, Tendai and Shingon. Images of wrathful deities, such as Fudo Myo-o (Achala in Sanskrit), were introduced at this time as part of the Esoteric Buddhist pantheon.
In the late Heian period (until 1185) and following centuries, Pure Land Buddhism became very popular. The salvationist Pure Land Buddhism taught faith in Amida (Amitabha in Sanskrit), the buddha of the Western Paradise. Believers trusted that the diligent recitation of his name enabled the soul to be reborn in a heavenly Pure Land rather than in a Buddhist hell or other undesirable rebirth. Intense devotion to Amida produced voluminous requests for Buddhist statuary and paintings, in addition to the many temples dedicated to him. Another salvationist deity popular at this time was Jizo, who had been introduced to Japan centuries earlier as a bodhisattva in the Mahayana Buddhist pantheon.
Festivals and Celebrations
Yuki Matsuri — January/February
Yuki Matsuri, also known as “Sapporo snow festival”, is held for about a week in Hokkaido. This festivity is one of Japan’s most popular winter events, starting out in 1950 when a group of high-school students built snow statues in the local park. It has since developed into a huge, cultural event featuring snow and ice sculptures which people compete in by making their own, it attracts more than two million visitors from Japan and across the world every year.
Omizutori — March
The Omizutori festival, also known as the “sacred water-drawing” festival, takes place over 2 weeks in March, in the city of Nara. The Buddhist festival is a ceremony to cleanse people of their sins and bring spring to the New Year once the festival is over the cherry blossom season blooms. There are many different events that happen during this festival — but the most famous is Otaminatsu. During the Otaminsatsu, giant fire torches that are up to 8 meters long are walked to the top of a balcony and shower down to the crowd, which is thought to bestow people with a safe, healthy and happy year.
Gion Matsuri — July
Arguably, this is known as the mother of all Japanese celebrations. This festival began as part of a purification ritual to appease the gods thought to cause fire, floods and earthquakes. The event itself is so popular, that it gets celebrated for the whole month of July with something different happening nearly every day. It’s a huge event in Kyoto culture and loved by locals and tourists alike, with the favourite events held on 17th and 24th July. For visitors, the most enjoyable part of the festival is the “Yoi-yama” events held on the three evenings preceding the main float processions.
Aomori nebuta Matsuri — August
Japan’s most colourful festival takes place in August, featuring stunning floats shaped as mythological creatures and famous Japanese characters. Nebuta refers to the float of a brave warrior-figure which gets carried through the centre of the city. The festival uses these creature-inspired floats that replicate armies in the 800’s to scare away the enemy. The floats are normally made from cotton, cloth and bamboo. The highlight of the festival is the daily parade of enormous lantern floats, surrounded by large drums, musicians and dancers. As a tourist, you can enjoy the food, soak up the live music, cultural dances and the mesmerising light-up floats.
Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri- September
The Danjiri Matsuri is essentially a harvest festival to pray for a good autumn bounty! It takes place in Kishiwada, South Osaka, is a fun, powerful celebration and the most famous danjiri matsuri in Japan. A danjiri is a traditional Japanese wooden float decorated with carvings and lots of ornaments. The wooden floats are made in the shape of a shrine or temple and are pulled through the streets on festival days. Today, the festival is considered to be Osaka’s wildest party, that’s celebrated in mid-September. The majority of the floats weigh over 3000 kg and are pulled by an enthusiastic team of up to 1,000 people. All the floats represent a different district of the city with each districts pride being at stake as each team is competing for the victory.
Family
Family First Principle
Individuals are expected to serve family’s interest before their own and show preferential treatment to fellow family members.
Collective Face
An act of a single individual impact the perception of one’s family name by others.
Family Structures
Typical Japanese household — Nuclear Family model (Mom, Dad, Children)
Extended family is usually in kept close proximity and visited often and the paternal grandparents may live with their family as they grow older, however Japan’s small living spcaes usually limit this multigenerational household situations
Patriarchy and Member Roles
Typical Japanese Man or “Salary man” — works 6 days a week for long hours. It was considered inappropriate for mother to hold jobs before, but with the rise of gender equality, women now is receiving equal educational and employment opportunities (with men still dominating the workforce).
Father/Husband — breadwinner and receive utmost respect from family (his wife and children must facilitate his home-life needs)
Mother/Wife — devotes time to domestic duties and raising children; has a lot of authority in the household over the children
Children — expected to be motivated, self-disciplined and be successful
Heavy Expectations on Child/Children
Most Japanese parents utterly devote to their parent’s success. Japanese mothers make most of the decisions regarding the future of their children. They want the best educational opportunities for them and attend universities. They also tend to pressure their children to excel and reach their own aspiration- particularly with wealthy families.
DATING AND MARRIAGE
Dating practices are same with western cultures. Dating starts at 15; marriage is at an average age of 26/27. Wedding can be elaborate — multiple outfits for the bride and groom for photographs and ceremony (traditional kimonos or modern dress). Guests may give typical wedding gifts/money to the couple and they may also leave with a gift from the couple.
Sports
TRADITIONAL
Sumo shows an important side of traditional japanese sport (competitve and
religious); very eary sumo were “offerings” to Kami (Deity). Kyudo (longbow archery) became popular and Yabusame (mounted archery) which is now considered a 904-year-old ritual and a sacred ceremony.
SPORTS TODAY
Sports have always been a significant Japanese culture which explains their 12 stadiums all over the country.
The statement “East Asian countries, are more focused on the group”, the Collective face culture and the disciplined work ethic of japan reflect heavily on their interest on sports.
Sumo wrestling and Martial arts — work ethic
Soccer and Baseball — collective face culture
Golf — discipline
Japanese Cuisines
The traditional cuisine of Japan, washoku is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes; there is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. And also, side dishes often contains of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth.
Seafoods are also common in Japanese cuisines they often grilled, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi. Seafood and vegetables are also deep-fried in a light batter.
Aside from those there are still so much to find in Japanese cuisines, and are very common to use. Like tonkatsu a are thick slices of pork that are breaded and deep fried with rice and with a side dish of cabbage salad, and aside from that there are different types of serving it, the classic tonkatsu, katsudon, katsu kare and katsu sando.
Apart from rice, staples include noodles, such as soba, udon and the most popular one is ramen. Ramen a noodle soup dish that was originally imported from China and has become one of the most popular dishes in Japan in recent decades. Japan also has many simmered dishes such as fish products in broth called oden, or beef in sukiyaki and nikujaga. And also Curry that is hugely popular in japan, and can be in sided with other foods like tonkatsu’s.
Aside from that there are some popular pan-fried dish in Japan which is okonomiyaki, a popular pan-fried dish that consists of batter and cabbage. Selected toppings and ingredients are added which can vary greatly (anything from meat and seafood to wasabi and cheese). Similar to that here is Takoyaki, which literally translate to grilled octopus. A savory dish of grilled balls of batter made with flour and eggs filled with octopus chunks and other ingredients like pickled ginger (beni shoga) and leftover fried tempura batter (tenkasu). Each takoyaki ball is approximately the size of a golf ball.
Automotive
Japan is one of the countries that has a rich history within an automotive space since 1960’s. From Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Mazda to name a few, Japanese cars, also known as JDM (Japanese Domesticated Model) in the US and other places outside Japan, it takes up 8.7 % of the country’s workforce (JapanNewsIndustry, 2020). The design ranges from a small, compact and boxy aesthetic to some of the luxurious and futuristic models and concepts. It also sparked a famous motorsport called “drifting” and increased the interest for the car market for Japanese cars and a car culture known as “JDM” culture which showcases the greatest and iconic cars from the 70’s to 90’s with beautiful to crazy mods done to it which helped boost the interest and why their cars are still popular up to this day.
Anime
Anime has been around for a long time. It has played an integral role in spreading Japanese culture all around the world. Philippines is one of the countries who has integrated the anime culture. Some of the well-received and dearly loved shows in the Philippines are Naruto and Dragon Ball Z. Anime emerged in the 1900’s but it had a different style from what we are used to which is the cel animation technique that is commonly used at present. It started out as chalkboard drawings, cut-outs and more but as technology continued to advance, so did the anime industry.
After World War II, the first ever Japanese animation company was born and it was called Toei. It produced some of the most well-known animes such as Dragon Ball Z and many more.
Trivia: The anime “Shonen Sarutobi Sasuke” was the first of its kind to be released in the United States although it did not cause as much of an impact as the film titled Rashomon that made Japan known in the movie industry.
What truly caused anime to become well-known in Japan is the shift to television (TV) back then. After the emergence of TV, the film makers as wells as animators who were focused on films, gravitated towards TV due its endless opportunities. This is when a lot of trial and errors took place and gave birth to the common tropes of anime at present. Different artistic styles, storytelling, and genres have emerged due to this. And as time passed, the anime industry started to emerge in other countries such as the US and one of the first to be exported was “Astro Boy”.
But what is anime and what makes it so popular?
Anime pertains to animations that came from Japan. It comes in different art styles and a variety of stories that will keep the audience hooked. It is divided and categorized into a variety of genres such as romance, sci-fi, shounen, seinen, shoujo, horror, and many more. Their storylines, storytelling, themes are all incredibly distinct that over the years anime has amassed millions of viewers. Its uniqueness, compared to other types of animation, is what makes it stand out. The audience also has a wide range to choose from as it covers a lot of topics and people of all ages can watch it.
Aside from that, anime also includes themes related to the Japanese culture. Every anime has parts that display the values of Japanese people regardless of its genre. Not only is it helpful in spreading their culture, its themes also showcase beliefs, etiquettes, and other mannerisms of Japanese people which aid in spreading cultural awareness and appreciation. Not only that, some animes also instill moral lessons in their storyline while some aim to raise awareness about sensitive topics.
Otaku is a term used for people who are avid fans of anime. Anime culture is widely spread in Japan, especially in places like Akihabara. Traces of anime can be found almost everywhere. There are landmarks, statues and more, dedicated or in honor of anime and their authors. Some of the most well-known animators are Masashi Kishimoto, who’s famous for creating Naruto, and Kunihiro Abe for Gundam. An example of said landmarks and statues is the massive Gundam statue in Odaiba. Although it may be considered odd in other countries, for Japan this is normal. Anime can be found not only in places but also in daily necessities as popular characters can become mascots of brands. Not only anime themed products, there are also stores that exclusively sell anime products and are solely dedicated for anime. Akihabara is a prime example of this. Akihabara is considered as the anime central of Japan. It houses multiple exclusive stores for anime merchandise and anime related venues.
And lastly, because of its popularity, Japan holds annual anime conventions wherein anime fans gather to immerse themselves in anime booths, events, and other things. Cosplay is also a big part of the anime culture and conventions/events. This pertains to the act of dressing up as your beloved characters. It is usually seen in events like anime conventions. Some of the biggest anime conventions are Anime Japan, which was able to amass 135, 323 attendees in 3 days, and Comiket or Comic Market which brought in over 750, 000 people.
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