INDEXJapanese cinema and literature.......................... 3

Japanese food.................................................... 5

Interview........................................................... 9

Japanese religion............................................... 10

Manga comics................................................... 13

What are martial arts?....................................... 15

Japanese traditions............................................ 16

Japanese music.................................................. 18

Japanese fashion................................................ 19

STUDENTS

Pablo AguirreSantiago TortosaRamón Moreno GarcíaMario Sánchez LópezJose Pablo Gálvez ReverteMarcos GarcíaAntonio RamalElena MartínezSarai HerreraPablo MuñozManuel MuñozJoaquin GarreAndrea MarínCarmen CapelPaloma PortilloMarino Bañón

COORDINATION

Rosalia Lax VivancosPablo Muñoz

COVER AND EDITION

Marcos Gómez Toledo

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CINEMA

The cinema of Japan has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japanhas one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world - as of 2010the fourth largest by number of feature films produced.[1] Movies havebeen produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramenarrived. In a ranking of the best films produced in Asia by Sight & Sound,Japan made up eight of the top twelve, with Tokyo Story ranked numberone. Japan has won theAcademy Award for the Best Foreign LanguageFilm four times, again more than any other country in Asia. Some notableJapanese films are “Tokyo Story”, “Seven Samura”i, “Ugetsu”, “Tampopo”,“In the Realm of the Senses”, “Yojimbo”, “Godzilla” and“Battle Royale”.

Takeshi Kitano

Seijun Suzuki

Early works of Japanese literature were heavilyinfluenced by cultural contact with China andChinese literature, often written in ClassicalChinese. Indian literature also had an influencethrough the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan.Eventually, Japanese literature developed intoa separate style in its own right as Japanesewriters began writing their own works aboutJapan, although the influence of Chineseliterature and Classical Chinese remained untilthe end of the Edo period. Since Japanreopened its ports to Western trading anddiplomacy in the 19th century, Western andEastern literature have strongly affected eachother and continue to do so.

LITERATURE

NatsumeSoseki

Shintaro Ishihara

SushiSushi may refer to any dish that contains sushi rice, cooked whiterice flavored with seasoned rice vinegar. There are various kindsof sushi dishes, such as nigirizushi (hand formed sushi), makizushi(rolled sushi), and chirashi (sushi rice topped with raw fish). Sushiis the most famous Japanese dish outside of Japan, and one of themost popular dishes among the Japanese themselves.

DonburiDonburi refers to a bowl of plain cooked rice with some otherfood on top of it. Donburi are served at specialty restaurants, butthey are also a common dish that can be found on all kinds ofrestaurants' menus. Some of the most popular varieties are gyudon(stewed beef), katsudon (tonkatsu), tendon (tempura), oyakodon(chicken and egg), tekkadon (maguro), and kaisendon (rawseafood).

SashimiSashimi is raw seafood. A large number of fish can be enjoyedraw if they are fresh and prepared correctly. Most types of sashimiare enjoyed with soy sauce and wasabi.

YakizakanaYakizakana means grilled fish. Many varieties of fish are enjoyedin this way, especially mackaral (saba), sweetfish (ayu), and hoke.

Hundreds of different fish, shellfish and other seafood from the oceans, seas, lakes andrivers are used in the Japanese cuisine. They are prepared and eaten in many differentways, such as raw, dried, boiled, grilled, deep fried or steamed. in recent years, riceremains one of the most important ingredients in Japan today.

SobaSoba are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour or amixture of buckwheat and wheat flour. Soba are about as thickas spaghetti, and are served either hot or cold and with varioustoppings.

UdonUdon are Japanese noodles made of wheat flour. Udon are thickerthan soba and are also served either hot or cold and with varioustoppings such as fried tofu (kitsune udon), tempura (tempuraudon), and mountain vegetables (sansai udon).

OdenA nabe dish prepared with various fish cakes, daikon, boiled eggs,konyaku and kombu seaweed, slow simmered in a soy saucebased soup. Oden is a popular dish available at convenience storesin the winter.

SukiyakiA nabe dish prepared with thinly sliced meat, vegetables,mushrooms, tofu and shirataki (konyaku noodles) simmered ina sweet soy sauce broth. The pieces of food are dipped into rawbeaten egg before being eaten.

YakitoriYakitori are skewered grilled chicken pieces seasoned with saltor sauce. Almost every part of the chicken is used for yakitoriincluding the white and dark meat, gizzards, skin, and other organs.

TonkatsuTonkatsu are deep fried pork cutlets. Tonkatsu is usually servedaccompanied by shredded cabbage or on top of cooked rice(katsudon). It is also a common addition to Japanese style curryrice (katsu kare).

HiyayakkoHiyayakko is fresh chilled tofu (usually soft tofu) commonlygarnished with grated ginger, katsuobushi (shaved bonito flakes),and green onions and seasoned with soy sauce. Diners shouldpour a little soy sauce over the tofu before eating it if it did notcome already seasoned.

YudofuYudofu are tofu pieces boiled in a clear, mild soup and dippedinto soy sauce or ponzu (citrus sauce) before being eaten. Yudofuis a specialty of Kyoto and commonly served during the colderwinter months.

All these delicacies can be found and eaten in any of the several Japanese restaurantsin Murcia, for example Tiquismiquis, Enso sushi, Nagoya, Jie - Ichiban.In Murcia there are quite a few Japanese food lovers and the number is growing.

This is an interview to a Japanese lady who has lived in Murcia for several years, Michiko Akabosi, Presidentof Japanese residents in Murcia and Japanese teacher in the university of Murcia.Very friendly, she has answered to some questions from Marcos Garcia and Antonio Ramal, students at“Licenciado Francisco Cascales”

Interviewer: How long have you lived in Murcia?Interviewee: I have lived here for about twenty years

Interviewer: How many japanese live in Murcia now?Interviewee: There are living 66 japanese in Murcia but thereare more Japanese workers temporarily in Murcia

Interviewer: Are there japanese products in Murcia?Interviewee: There are chinese products but japanese products,like wasaby or sweadeeds are lacking.

Interviewer: Is Japanese culture acepted in Murcia?Interviewee: Yes, because Japanese culture attracts many young people interested in manga and martial arts

Interviewer: What do japanese people think about Murcia?Interviewee: Murcia isnt known in Japan, they know cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia ... They alsoknow a lot about Spain, for example: Flamenco, ham, wine , paella and much more

Interviewer: Is the opinion we have about Japanese people correct?Interviewee: Yes it is. People in Japan are quite hard working, educated, respectful and humble, especiallywhen a disaster happens, then people often help each other to overcome that misfortune.

Interviewer: Are Spanish language and culture popular in Japan now?Interviewee: Yes it is. Many japanese persons are trying to learn Spanish to expand their culture, especiallyin the last years.

Interviewer: Is it normal to get confused when talking about Japanese and Chinese?Interviewee: Yes it is, based on facial features it is normal that people get confused, but when you hear aJapanese person speaking their language it is completely different from Chinese.

Interviewer: Well, that's all, thank you very much for your help, Mrs. Michiko.Interviewee: Thank you, good luck with the project about Japan! Bye!

Most Japanese people do not exclusivelyidentify themselves as adherents of asingle religion; rather, they incorporateelements of various religions in a syncreticfashion known as Shinbutsu shugo.Shinbutsu Shugo officially ended withthe Shinto and Buddhism SeparationOrder of 1886, but continues in practice.Shinto and Japanese Buddhism aretherefore best understood not as twocompletely separate and competing faiths,but rather as a single, rather complexreligious system.About 70% of Japanese profess noreligious membership, according toJohnstone, 84% of the Japanese claim nopersonal religion. In censusquestionnaires, less than 15% reportedany formal religious affiliation by 2000.And according to Demerath, 65% do notbelieve in God, and 55% do not believein Buddha. According to EdwinReischauer, and Marius Jansen, some 70-80% of the Japanese regularly tell pollstersthey do not consider themselves believersin any religion.Japanese streets are decorated onTanabata, Obon and Christmas.

ShintoTypical Shinto shrine with paper streamersmade out of unprocessed hemp fibre.Shinto, meaning "the way of the gods",is Japan's indigenous religion and ispracticed by about 83% of the population.Note that unlike Judeo-Christian religionsShinto due to its nature does not requirethe same admission of faith, insteadmerely participating in certain aspects ofShinto is generally considered enough forassociation. Shinto originated inprehistoric times as a religion with arespect for nature and for particular sacredsites. These sites may have originallybeen used to worship the sun, rockformations, trees, and even sounds. Each

of these was associated with a deity, orkami, and a complex polytheistic religiondeveloped. Shinto worship of kami isperformed at shrines. Especially importantis the act of purification before visitingthese shrines.

During World War II, the governmentforced every subject to practice StateShinto and admit that the Emperor wasdivine. Those who opposed the Imperialcult, including Oomoto and Soka Gakkai,were persecuted. When the United Statesoccupied Japan in 1945, the shrines weretaken out of government control, and StateShinto was abolished. Shrine, Folk, andImperial Shinto again became separate,and Sect Shinto further distanced itselffrom mainstream

Buddhism.Buddhism first arrived in Japan in the 6th centuryfrom Korea. The Baekje king sent the Japaneseemperor a picture of the Buddha and some sutras.Japanese aristocrats built Buddhist statues andtemples in the capital at Nara, and then in the latercapital at Heian (now Kyoto).

Buddhism is divided into three forms: the orthodoxTheravada Buddhism, which is prevalent in Indiaand most of Southeast Asia; Mahayana Buddhism,which spread to China, Tibet, Vietnam,and ultimately to Korea and Japan;and Vajrayana Buddhism. Fromthe beginning, the largestform of Buddhism in Japanwas the Mahayana school.91 mil l ion Japaneseidentify themselves asBuddhist.

When the shogunate tookpower in the 12th century andthe administrative capital movedto Kamakura, more forms of Buddhismarrived. The most popular was Zen, which becamethe most popular type of Mahayana Buddhism ofthe time period. Two schools of Zen wereestablished, Rinzai and Soto; a third, Obaku, formedin 1661.

In modern times, Japanese society has become verysecular, and religion in general has become lessimportant. However, many Japanese remainnominally Buddhist and are connected to a local

Buddhist temple, althoughthey may not worshipregular ly . Buddhismremains far more popularin traditional rural areasthan in modern urban areasand suburbs. For instance,while some 90% of ruralhouseholds include a Buddhist altar (Butsudan), therate drops to 60% or lower in urban areas.

Minority religionsHinduism

Hinduism is a minority religion in Japan.There are currently 4,000 registered Hindus

in the country, about one third of whomare located in the Kansai area and livingin Kobe. Though Hinduism is a little-practiced religion in Japan, it has still hada significant, but indirect role in the

formation of Japanese culture. This ismostly because many Buddhist beliefs and

t r a d i t i o n s(which share a

common Dharmicroot with Hinduism)spread to Japan fromChina via Koreanpeninsula in the 6thCentury.

TaoismTaoism is believed to be the inspiration for spiritualconcepts in Japanese culture. Taoism is similar toShinto in that it also started as an indigenous religionin China. Taoism's influence can be seen throughoutthe culture but to a lesser extent than jukyo.

In Murcia it's possible to practice zen meditation in different places, such as:

-Dojo Zen: Avenida del Río Segura, 5 entresuelo B-8,30002 (MURCIA)

-There is also a Buddish temple in: "Centro Budista Kadampa Sugata" in street:Compositor Agustín Lara, 5, 30008 (Murcia) and there is a Buddhist temple inAbanilla where a number a monks live permanently and where you can go andpractice spiritual retirement.

Manga are comics created in Japan, orby Japanese creators in the Japaneselanguage, conforming to a styledeveloped in Japan in the late 19thcentury. They have a long, complexpre-history in earlier Japanese art..Manga has several genres that changedepending on the age or sex of thepeople that will read it

Kodomo: It's aimed on kids.

Shonen: It's for teenage boys. It's

mainly about action.

Shojo: It's aimed on teenage girls.

It's about love.

Seinen: It's for adult men; it has a

more worked plot.

Josei: It's aimed on adult women.

Apart from these genres, there are otherwords that are related to the drawing orother aspects of manga; forexample,ecchi is a provocative drawing,yaoi is referred to relationships betweentwo men, yuri to relationships betweentwo women, mecha cover all series thatrevolve around the use of piloted roboticarmors in battle, Magical girl, storiesfeature young girl heroes withsuperhuman abilities, forced to fightevil and to protect the Earth….

The most importantgenres are:

Every year there are a lot of eventsrelated to manga, called “Salón delManga” that is an event where you canbuy comics, merchandising, and muchmore… Sometimes, a mangaka (amanga writer) comes to one of theseevents, expecially in the event ofBarcelona. Murcia is one of the citiesin Spain where these events have takenplace for more than 4 years!

Manga, Japanese comic , has a lot offollowers in our country, that's why thereare a lot of publishing houses that havecontracts with another Japanesepublishing houses and they've publisheda lot of manga here in Spain. The mostimportant publishing houses are NormaEditorial, Ivrea, EDT, and Panini. Andthe most sold comics in Spain are: OnePiece, Naruto, Death Note, Bleach, FairyTail…That made some people wanted to createspecialized shops in Japanese, Americanand European comics.Here in Murcia,there are two shops : Yakata, where youcan buy ramen and other foodstuff apartof comics and Nostromo, that is a littleshop.

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The martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combatpractices. They are practiced for a variety of reasons, includingself-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well asmental, physical, and spiritual development.The term martial art has become heavilyassociated with the fighting arts of easternA s i a , b u t w a s originally used inregard to the combat systems of Europe asearly as the 1550s. An E n g l i s h f e n c i n gmanual of 1639 used the term in referencespecifically to the "Science and Art" ofswordplay. The term is ultimately derived from Latin, and means"Arts of Mars," where Mars is the Roman god of war.[1] Somemartial arts are considered 'traditional' and are tied to an ethnic,cultural or religious background, while others are modern systemsdeveloped either by a founder or an association.

Mixed martial arts (MMA), is a full contact combatsport that allows the use of both striking andgrappling techniques, both standing and on theground, from a variety of other combat sports. Theroots of modern mixed martial arts can be tracedback to the ancient Olympics where one of theearliest documented systems of codified full rangeunarmed combat was in the sport of pankration.Various mixed style contests took place throughoutEurope, Japan and the Pacific Rim during the early1900s. The combat sport of vale tudo that haddeveloped in Brazil from the 1920s was broughtto the United States by the Gracie family in 1993with the founding of the Ultimate FightingChampionshipThe more dangerous vale-tudo-style bouts of theearly UFCs were made safer with theimplementation of additional rules, leading to thepopular regulated form of MMA seen today.

Ryoichi Onaga is Japanese and karate teacher in a gym in Murcia, a city where he has livedfor 36 years.

16

The tea ceremony is a japanese cultural activityinvolving the ceremonial preparation and presentationor Matcha, powdered green tea. Tea is served to a smallgroup of guest in a tranquil setting.

Cha-ji is a much more formal gathering, usuallyincluding a full-course (kaiseki) meal followed byconfections, thick tea ang thin tea. A cha-ji can lasttwo to four hours.

The person making the ceremony must know the typesof tea, kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics,inciense, suiseki and other disciplines and traditionalarts. Even to participate in the ceremony as a guestneed to know the gestures and postures, how to havetea, and conduct in the courtroom.The habit of drinking tea is the made first as medicinaldrink currently done for pleasure.

Bonsai is the art of growing trees and plants, reducing itssize by techniques such as transplanting, pruning, wiring,pinching, etc.., and modelling the way to create a stylethat reminds us of a scene from nature.

Historically, Japanese wedding ceremonies wereperformed in Shinto Shrines. Many of Japan's weddingsites, therefore, provide shrines for couples who wantto follow Japanese wedding traditions.The Japanese bride-to-be is painted pure white fromhead to toe, visibly declaring her maiden status to thegods. The bride wears a white kimono and a veil tohide her 'horns of jealousy' from the groom's mother,who will now become the head of the family. Japanesegrooms wear black kimonos to their weddingceremony.

Origami is the Japanese art of paperfolding. "Ori" isthe Japanese word for folding and "kami" is theJapanese word for paper. That is how origami got itsname. However, origami did not start in Japan. Itbegan in China in the first or second century and thenspread to Japan sometime during the sixth century.

Generally, the traditional Japenese clothes are called as 'Wafuku'.

In Murcia it is possible to learn to do origami and grow bonsai. We had the chance to do so in theHall of manga of Japanese culture we visited in october. Exceptionally, when an important visitorcomes to Murcia or there's a special celebration, the Japanese colony of residents our city organisesand invite guests to a tea ceremony; we hope to have the chance to attend one in June when differentevents will take place to commemorate the Spain-Japan first encounter five hundred years ago.