Japanese mythology

and the morals in the anime made me an official anime fan. After I discovered anime my perspective on life and ideals changed, which made me a better person, and it also became my main form of escapism. In case you've been wondering, animes are Japanese animated cartoons. As I mentioned before, Shugo Chara was the first anime that I watched. The plot is basically about a group of middle school students preventing other kids from giving up on their dreams and helping those who can't find their…

Okinawan Soba is made up of Chinese noodles with Japanese flavoring and soup. I relate to Okinawan soba because Okinawa is closer to Japan than to China, even though my father’s ancestors are from Taiwan or the Chinese noodles. I believe that I identify more to my Japanese side because I lived in Japan for the first few years of my life, I even went to a Japanese-speaking school during Kindergarten. In Japan a candle-lit ceremony is held, that is called the Bon Odori or Bon…

A Place of the Heart Gardens are known for bringing beauty and color into people’s life and on many occasions they hold secrets to the creator's life. People plant their gardens to express themselves in a different way other than just words.The garden’s design or plants use can relate to certain aspects in a character's life. In the novel Samurai’s Garden, by Gail Tsukiyama, the author metaphorically compares the two very different gardens of Matsu and Sachi to show how they overcome their life…

States, with the total annual sushi industry earnings worth more than two billion dollars. Sushi, dawning from second century Southeast Asia, is full of fish and vegetables. Although it is considered “takeout”, sushi is one of the fanciest types of Japanese cuisine. However, sushi is high in cholesterol, in particular shrimp tempura rolls. Although they are adored by sushi lovers, shrimp tempura rolls are not beneficial for one’s health. By changing the rice type, not “over tempura-ing” the…

Background Info on Gagaku Gagaku is a fusion of music and dance. Instrumentalist passed down their roles from generation to generation and performed for the imperial families. Although we are not entirely sure when it began, we know it was formally organized around the Tenth Century. Gagaku has three forms songs along with chanted poetry or Kayō, instrumental or Kangen, and dances along with music or Bugaku. Today we will be exploring Kangen. The music is mainly monophonic with moments of…

Ryoan-ji Garden Japanese gardens have many influences from Chinese civilization and used elements of plants, rocks and water to represent the natural world and natural forms. The Japanese gardens styles also were influenced by the religions of Shintoism and Buddhism. The Ryoan-ji garden is one of the most famous Zen Buddhism gardens in Kyoto, Japan and was built in the second half of the fifteenth century. It is a significant garden because of organization and symbolism. The organization of…

Many would oppose to the idea that Anime and Gangsta Rap are the same. The opposition’s stance can come from various viewpoints. It can be argued that Anime and Gangsta rap are not only different but nowhere close to being the same. Many arguments can branch out from this common thought. For example, it can be said that one is music and the other is visual entertainment. Or even it could be argued that none of the characters in Anime are closely related to realism like Gangsta Rap is; and though…

entry barriers.  Ben and Jerry's would be a late entrant, more than ten years behind Haagen-Dazs’ initial entry. In addition, there were at least six Japanese ice cream manufacturers selling a super premium product.  Despite the challenges of entering Japan, it would not be necessary to educate the consumers to super premium ice creams. Japanese consumers were known for demanding high quality products with great varieties of new flavors, attributes which characterized the Ben and Jerry’s…

Once something hits the media, it spreads like wildfire. All it takes is one source to report on a topic, or just report something in general before that little piece of information goes worldwide. One little click makes the news spread faster and farther. There are many techniques that can be used in the media to create buzz and attention, but one of the most common techniques is fear mongering. Fear mongering is defined by Merriam Webster as “The action of deliberately arousing public fear…

Introduction and Popularization of Teriyaki Sauce in United States from the 1940s to 1990s “Te ri（照り）” means light, glowing and shining, and “Ya ki（焼き）” means a way of cook and grill in Japanese (Trang 87). Teriyaki is a direct translation of the word “Teriyaki” in Japanese. Teriyaki is used as a traditional Japanese cooking style that involves grilling food with a special sauce called Teriyaki sauce. Teriyaki sauce are familiar to most people in the world, including Americans. Many people…