Immersing yourself in a new culture requires some serious research, and the Japanese culture is no exception. Lucky for you, we have assembled a list of different ways that you can fully immerse yourself in the Japanese culture so that you can fit right in if you are ever there.
Some of these steps can be tailored to suit your own taste in entertainment, so be sure to customize them to your liking to make your experience even better.
8 Ways to Immerse Yourself In Japanese Culture
Learn Japanese
One of the first things you should do if you want to immerse yourself in Japanese culture is learn the language. Nowadays, you can learn Japanese from the comfort of your home through an online course or an interactive app. With these useful apps where it can help you learn Japanese and have fun while doing so. In no time, you will find yourself understanding and speaking the language. This step is quite important because it enables you to do other activities that will help entrench you in Japanese Culture.
Watch Japanese Shows and Movies
Watching Japanese TV-shows and movies can make you more familiar with the language, not to mention that it makes you more familiar with the unique culture of Japan. There are so many different TV shows and movies that you can enjoy. One of the most popular types of Japanese shows is Anime. Although this type of show is animated, many are not suitable for children, so keep that in mind if your child is interested in finding Japanese shows to watch.
Read Japanese History
Japan has a very rich history that has shaped it into the culturally rich place it is now. Familiarizing yourself with Japan’s history is going to give you insight into how Japan developed into the country that it is today. Part of learning the culture of a place is learning its history, whether it is social, economic, or political history because history plays a very large part in how a country operates now. You can learn things such as what their traditional clothes mean to them and why they seem to value their customs and traditions so much.
Look Up Japanese Customs and Traditions
Japanese customs and traditions may seem extensive and complicated, but they are mainly based on the Japanese values that many Japanese until this day live by. For example, the Japanese take respecting elderly people to a whole new level. A lot of their customs show respect to others, but especially towards those older than them.
Cook Japanese Inspired Cuisine
Culture consists of various aspects, but cuisine plays a very important role in it. You can immerse yourself in Japanese culture more thoroughly by cooking a variety of Japanese meals. Learning about the ingredients they use, and the differences in what they include in their breakfast, lunch, and dinner, is going to give you a lot of information about Japan. For example, in Japan, it is common to find rice as a part of everyday breakfast. One very popular food from Japan is Sushi. Japan depends largely on fishing, so you will also find them, including different seafood into their diets.
Learn Japanese Art
Origami is a Japanese art that entails folding paper into different shapes. While it is not necessarily going to help you learn Japanese customs and traditions, art is part of a country’s culture. If you are into poetry, then you can find different Haikus that you might like. You can even try your hands at doing some origami or writing a Haiku. If you are not into creating your own art, you can simply look up the different Japanese artists out there, ranging from painters, musicians, authors, and poets.
Listen to Japanese Music
While music is considered an art, it still deserves to be focused on specifically. Music does not just help you immerse yourself in a specific culture, but it also helps in learning a language. No matter what genre of music is your favorite, you are going to find a variety of Japanese musicians and bands that create it. You can find pop, rock, metal, and classical music to name a few.
Read Japanese Books
This can be done after you have already learned the language if you plan on reading the books written in Japanese. If you cannot wait that long, you can read the translated versions of various Japanese books. You can always go back and read them when you are able to read Japanese.
With these different activities and enough research, you can fully immerse yourself in the Japanese culture right from the comfort of your home. Of course, there might be other ways to find out even more about Japan’s colorful culture, like visiting the country and interacting with locals, but not everyone has the ability to travel abroad. Plus, even if you are able to travel, you still need to learn the language to be able to interact with the locals there.
