All aboard… The Train

to Japan! CHO-CHOO!

Religion…

There are two main religions in Japan. They are Shinto

and Buddhism. Major life events, such as weddings birth

celebrations, deaths, and the marking of the New Year.

People use religion to help celebrate these events.

Shrines and Temples…..

Wedding are usually held in shrines. When you

enter a temple you show your respect by making a

short prayer in front of a sacred object. Also, many

Japanese people believe that visiting a shrine

purifies the mind, which is necessary is the body

needs to heal.

Today 94.6 percent of Japanese people say that they

believe in both religions. Shinto is for [the living world].

Buddhism is for [after death]. But the word Shinto

means “The way of the gods.” Buddhism originated in

India in the 6th century B.C. Religion doesn’t play a big

role in most Japanese people’s life.

Some people in Japan believe in Christianity. In

1549, Fransic Xavier, a missionary brought

Christianity to Japan. By 1614 the number of

Christians in Japan had grown more then 300,000.

In Japan freedom of religion is granted to all.

Clothes….

The Japanese wear a lot of different kinds of

traditional clothing like the kimono which is the

most popular in Japan. The kimono originated in

china but we loved the idea so we made it ours.

People think that Chinese and Japanese clothing

are a lot alike but the designs are very different.

The Lolita fashion to you looks goth but to us

it’s very popular. They usually have knee

long skirts, high boots, a dressy shirt, and

sometimes wear a top hat. Not a lot of people

wear that exact design, but some people add

more color.

The Junihitoe is a type of dress that started

coming out in the 10th century. It is a very

decorative dress that women wear. It has so

many decorations it can weigh up to 50

pounds.

The zori is a type of sandal that almost looks like the

flip flop. They are made out of rice, straw and other

plant fibers, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, or

rubber. They might not look comfortable but to us

they are.

Foods…

There are many different kinds of food such as Gyoza,

mushrooms, rice, ramen, and sushi. Gyoza is originally a

Chinese dish; witch has become most popular in Japan. Next is

mushrooms, you may know what mushrooms are, but here

there are different kinds. Shiitake are one of the most popular

mushrooms. They come fresh or dry.

DID YOU KNOW… that the freshest vegetables are

used in Japanese cooking? When we prepare food

we use the basic cooking methods. Japanese

cooking has grown and changed over more than

2,000 years that Japan has existed.

Sports….

Some sports are sumo, base ball, soccer, go,

and golf. Go is a popular board game that was

introduced to Japan from China in the 8th

century. Each player tries to control as much

as the board with his or her stone.

Thanks For Listening… THE END!