Quick Facts: Shinto is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. It is a type of polytheism, and involves the worship of kami , or spirits. Some kami are local and can be regarded as the spiritual being/spirit or genius of a particular place.
Quick Fact: In Japanese cuisine, Sushi is vinegared rice, usually topped with other ingredients, including fish, various meats, and vegetables. Outside of Japan, sushi is sometimes misunderstood to mean the raw fish itself, or even any fresh raw-seafood dishes.
Quick Fact: J-pop is an abbreviation of Japanese pop. It refers to Japanese popular musicians, and was coined by the Japanese media, to distinguish Japanese musicians from foreign musicians.
Quick Facts: Kana (Moon Kana) born January 26, in Tokyo) is a Japanese pop and rock singer. She is also a toy designer, illustrator, and a fashion designer. She began her career as a model for the Gothic & Lolita Bible magazine, and still appears in the magazine regularly.
Quick Facts: More than 99% of Japanese children are enrolled in elementary school. All children enter first grade at age six, and starting school is considered a very important event in a child's life.
Quick Facts: Cosplay (kosupure), short for "costume play", is a subculture centered on dressing as characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, and video games, and, less commonly, fantasy movies, Japanese pop music bands.
Quick Facts: The taiko is a Japanese drum that comes in various sizes and is used to play a variety of musical genres. It has become particularly popular in recent years as the central instrument of percussion ensembles whose repertory is based on a variety of folk and festival music of the past.
Quick Fact: Tarento is a Japanese rendering (Wasei-eigo) of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for Mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Successful tarento craft unique public personas in order to cater to certain Japanese demographics, just as in every other entertainment culture.
Quick Facts: Tokusatsu is a Japanese word that literally means "special effects." It is primarily used to refer to live-action Japanese film and television dramas that make use of special effects.
Quick Facts: Sera Myu are the Sailor Moon Musicals that are performed in Japan. They began in 1993 and ran until they were put on hiatus in 2005. The cast of the Sailor Soldiers was mostly idols, including Hara Fumina (2nd Sailor Moon), Kanbe Miyuki (3rd Sailor Moon) and Kawabe Chieco (5th Sailor Mercury).
Quick Fact: The core of Tokyo is an area slightly larger than the island of Manhattan, New York. Yet, there is no one downtown. Rather, Tokyo is comprised of a series of smaller downtowns, each with adjacent parks, gardens, and shrines.
Quick Facts: The word for music in Japanese is ongaku, combining the kanji ("on" sound) with the kanji ("gaku" Fun, comfort).
Quick Facts: Geisha ("person of the arts") are traditional Japanese artist-entertainers. The word Geiko is also used to describe such persons. Geisha were very common in the 18th and 19th centuries, and are still in existence today, although their numbers are dwindling.
Quick Fact: Japan comprises over 3,000 islands making it an archipelago. The largest islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, together accounting for 97% of Japan's land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano.
Quick Facts: Japan has the world's tenth largest population, with about 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
Quick Fact: Japanese names in modern times usually consist of a family name (surname), followed by a given name. This naming order is common in countries that have long been part of the Chinese cultural sphere, including among the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures. "Middle names" are not generally used.
Quick Facts: ANZA is a South African - Japanese musician and actress who originated the role of Sailor Moon in the Sailor Moon musicals or Sera Myu, playing the character from 1993 - 1998. Currently she is the lead vocalist of the metal band Head Phones President.
Quick Fact: Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer application software developed by the Yamaha Corporation that enables users to synthesize singing by just typing in lyrics and melody.
Quick Facts: Even though upper secondary school is not compulsory in Japan, 99% of all lower secondary school graduates entered upper secondary schools as of 2005.
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