The People
The Japanese people are largely of the Mongoloid ethnic group, but little is known about their specific origin. Successive groups of migrating Asians from the mainland are believed to have settled on the islands some time before 300 a.d. Confronting them were the islands' earliest known inhabitants—the Ainus, a people probably of Caucasoid origin. The Japanese people have developed from the mingling of these different ethnic groups. Only a few hundred full-blooded Ainus remain, on Hokkaido.
Japan's population density is 870 persons per square mile (337 per km 2), about 11 times that of the United States. The density of the lowland settled areas far exceeds the national average; the mountainous areas are rather sparsely settled.
Since World War II, Japan has become one of the most highly urbanized countries in the world.
Japanese culture is partly of Chinese origin and partly indigenous, for the Japanese adapted and did not merely imitate the culture of the mainland. Since the middle of the 19th century, Japan has been influenced more by the culture of Western countries than by that of its neighbors. Adoption of many Western ways produced sharp contrasts between the new and the old. Buildings and clothing, for example, are now seen in both traditional and Western styles.
Among forces that have helped to mold the Japanese character are Buddhist, Shinto, and Confucian religious beliefs, the effects of a long feudal period, and the influences of the Japanese industrial revolution. With industrialization came a change from rural to urban living. American influences have been particularly strong since World War II.
Japanese art has been strongly influenced by Chinese art. From the mainland came the technique of ink painting on silk and the Buddhist influences in sculpture and painting. A landscape school developed from Zen Buddhism after the 13th century. Japanese prints of the 17th and 18th centuries had a profound eifect on Western art. Distinctive contributions have also been made in architecture. Traditional arts also include landscape gardening; bonsai, the cultivation of dwarf trees; ikebana, flower arranging; ceramics; and origami, paper folding.
Flourishing throughout Japan are no, classical plays in which the actors wear masks depicting their character; bunraku, puppet plays; and kabuki, drama with stylized chanting and dancing. An important part of Japanese culture is the tea ceremony, a highly formal ritual, of which there are many variations. As a way of entertaining guests, it is regarded as the best expression of traditional etiquette. Some of the traditional arts—especially classical Japanese music and dance and the tea ceremony—are part of the repertoire of geisha, female entertainers who perform for groups of men.
In Japan the family is a traditional and strong institution. It has a formal structure with authority vested in the male head of the family. The wife is expected to be subservient. Children learn discipline and their respective roles in the family at an early age. Sons are given preference over daughters, and the eldest son is superior to all others. However, many of the more repressive aspects of the family, such as that of parents determining marriages, have weakened since World War II.
Japanese homes are noted for their simplicity. Traditional houses are built of wood. In many such houses paper-covered wooden frames, called shoji, are used for windows and doors. Being light and easily moved, they allow much of the house to be opened to the out-of-doors. Some houses are adjoined by landscaped gardens. Rooms usually have thick straw mats, called tatami, on the floor and very little furniture.
The Japanese language is unrelated to other Oriental tongues. However, it is written in characters that originally were adapted from Chinese writing.
The Japanese constitution of 1946 provides for freedom of religion and separation of church and state. The two major religions are Shinto and Buddhism. Many Japanese adhere, in varying degrees, to both. Confucianism, though not a religion in the Western sense, has had considerable influence on Japanese personal and social relationships. There are some 1,000,000 Christians, of whom about 40 per cent are Roman Catholics and about 60 per cent Protestants.
Six years of elementary education and three of lower secondary school are free and compulsory for children 6 to 15 years of age. At the three-year upper secondary schools, tuition is charged. Education in Japan is highly competitive, and admission to upper secondary school and to college is determined by rigorous entrance examinations. As a result, many Japanese children spend their after-school hours attending jukas, “cram” schools that specialize in preparing students for entrance examinations and other school tests. Japan has virtually no illiteracy.
There are more than 1,000 institutions of higher education, the majority being private. Junior colleges are attended mainly by women. Technical colleges—most of them government-financed—provide a five-year program for graduates of lower secondary school. The most prominent government university is the University of Tokyo (founded 1877). Large private universities include Keio University (1858), Waseda University (1882), and Nihon University (1889), all in Tokyo.
Baseball, played since the 19th century, is probably Japan's most popular sport. Traditional sports are sumo, a form of wrestling; judo, the Japanese art of self-defense; and kendo, a fencing sport using bamboo staves for swords. Other favorite sports are swimming, track and field, gymnastics, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, and golf.
