1. Japan is NOT China. They are very very different both culturally and politically. While Japan has imported a few things from China over time, it quickly blends with the local customs to become indistinguishable from native Japanese customs. 2. 漢字. Yes, this actually means something, No, they don’t make it up as they go along. These may look very similar to Chinese characters. That is because, in fact, they were originally imported from China. In Japanese, these characters are called Kanji, which literally means “Chinese Characters”. 3. Not everyone in Japan watches anime or reads manga everyday. Kids watch anime a lot more than adults, similar to how most Americans watched Spongebob as a kid. People who are obsessed with cartoons in America are viewed the same way in Japan: a bit weird. So, feel free to enjoy whatever anime you want, just don't overdo it! 4. Japanese people eat other things besides sushi. Sushi is very delicious and I would never complain if I had to eat it everyday. However, Japan has other delicious food besides sushi. Some of these are: tempura, yakisoba, and ramen. 5. Not everyone in Japan is a ninja. The traditional ninja clothing consisting of all black is from the traditional Japanese puppet theatre called Bunraku. The people controlling the puppets had to dress in all black. They became associated with Ninjas after they began participating in the theatre plays while still in their black clothing. |