Monday, April 20, 2009

Japanese studies: open notes quiz and map quiz on Th, Ap 23


Japanese kite
Originally uploaded by <andreea>
Nihon, Nippon or Japan

* Notes from the web site will form the basis for a 10-item quiz Thurs. Open notes! careful reading is the key.
* Include S. Korea, Chin and Russia in your hand-sketched map quiz on Japan on Thurs. Sketch the mainland, 4 islands and correctly place and spell 10 identifications overall.

Notes on Japan

- Mt Fuji: 12000 ft, comp to Rocky Mtns.; volcanic; plate tectonics; mountainous background of the nation. Shinto holy mtn.
- Art of Japan: 36 Views of Mt Fuji.
- Shinto: animist, polytheistic. Worship spirits found in nature. Kami found in rocks, etc. Torii: gateway to Shinto shrines.
- Buddhism: the other great religion of Japan. Most Japanese use both Shinto and Buddhist rituals.
- Zen Buddhism: emphasis on meditation and insight-inspiring riddles.
- Konichi wa: "Hello!"
- Japanese xenophobia: a stereotype in which the homogeneous culture of Japan has little interest in adding to their population through immigration. 98% of Japanese are ethnic Japanese.
- Kites and kite fighting. Bamboo & paper const. Large kites.
- Karaoke dev in Japan in 70's.
- Pecha Kecha ("chit-chat") recent dev which has spread across globe. Presentations limited to 20 images of 20 seconds each. Max 6:40. Topics include business and the arts.
- Anime since 1917. Influenced in 1937 by Disney's Snow White.

No comments: