Culture of Japan
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the years, from the country's original Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America. After several waves of immigration from the continent and nearby Pacific islands (see History of Japan), followed by a heavy importation of culture from China, the inhabitants of Japan experienced a long period of relative isolation from the outside world under the Tokugawa shogunate until the arrival of the "The Black Ships" and the Meiji era. As a result, a culture distinctively different from other Asian cultures developed, and echoes of this persist in contemporary Japan.
Japanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture includes Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, anime, manga, video games and music, all of which retain older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation can be traced to traditional art forms. Contemporary forms of popular culture, much like the traditional forms, are not only forms of entertainment but also aspects to distinguish contemporary Japan from the rest of the modern world. There is a large industry of music, films, and the products of a huge comic book industry, among other forms of entertainment. Game centers, bowling alleys, and karaoke parlors are well-known hangout places for teens while older people may play shogi or go in specialized parlors.
After the end of the US occupation of Japan in 1952, Japanese popular culture has been deeply influenced by American media. However, rather than being dominated by American products, Japan localised these influences by appropriating and absorbing foreign influences into local media industries.
Japanese low culture
Related: anime - ero-guro-nansensu - low culture - Japan - Japanese erotica - Japanese erotic films - Japanese horror - Sexuality in Japan
Connoisseurs: Stephen Barber - Roland Domenig - Andrew Grossman - Jack Hunter - Tom Mes - Mark Schilling
Directors: Yasuzo Masumura - Teruo Ishii - Masaru Konuma - Koji Wakamatsu - Hisayasu Satō - Ryu Murakami
Writers: Edogawa Rampo
Titles (non fiction): Eros in Hell (1988)
Titles: Blind Beast (1969) - In the Realm of the Senses (1976) - Tetsuo (1988) - Tokyo Decadence (1992)
See also
