The Japanese Culture

Geisha are traditional, female Japanese entertainers, whose skills include performing various Japanese arts, such as music, singing, and dancing. They also engage their clients with light conversation. Maiko are Geisha apprentices.

Modern geisha still live in traditional geisha houses called okiya in areas called hanamachi ("flower towns"), particularly during their apprenticeship.

Young women who wish to become geisha now most often begin their training after completing junior high school or even high school or college, with many women beginning their careers in adulthood. Geisha still study traditional instruments like the shamisen, shakuhachi (bamboo flute), and drums, as well as traditional songs, Japanese traditional dance, tea ceremony, literature and poetry. By watching other geisha, and with the assistance of the owner of the geisha house, apprentices also become skilled in the complex traditions surrounding selecting and wearing kimono, and in dealing with clients.

Kyoto is considered by many to be where the geisha tradition is the strongest today, including Gion Kobu. The geisha in these districts are known as geiko. The Tokyo hanamachi of Shimbashi, Asakusa and Kagurazaka are also well known.

During my time in Japan I have done a lot of research relating to the Kimono and Yukata. I am currently studying the art of hand sewing a Yukata. A Yukata is simply a summer kimono made of cotton fabric verses the silk of a traditional kimono.

Kimono (the plural form of Kimono is simply Kimono) are no longer the everyday clothing choice of Japanese women, however, you do see elderly women wearing them more often than the younger generations. If you have the chance to go to festivals, weddings, or other types of traditional ceremonies you will see more women wearing them.

During my second semester I had to write a research paper on an object and present it via a recorded DVD. My object was a Kimono. I obtained a lot of my facts from this wonderful website. Kimono

One can trace the history of shodou to China, where the mater Wang Xizhi is credited with the creation of the art. Shodou was first introduced into Japan in the 8th century. The early Heian contemporaries Kuukai, Emperor Saga, and courtier Tachibana no Hayanari are respectfully known as the Sanpitsu (Three Great Brushes), and their calligraphy is considered a true representation of Chinese calligraphy’s timeless beauty. A great website for further details of shodou can be seen here.

The Japanese tea ceremony (chado or sado, "the way of tea") is a traditional ritual influenced by Zen Buddhism in which powdered green tea, or matcha, is ceremonially prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests in a tranquil setting. Colloquially it is often called ocha among Japanese.

The pronunciation sado is preferred by some traditions, including the Omotesenke and the Mushanokojisenke, while the pronunciation chado is preferred by others, including the Urasenke tradition, though the two words are completely interchangeable.

Cha-no-yu (literally "hot water for tea") usually refers to either a single ceremony or ritual or equivalent with sado/chado, while cha-ji refers to a full tea ceremony with kaiseki (a light meal), usucha (thin tea) and koicha (thick tea), lasting approximately four hours. A chakai (literally "tea meeting") was originally equal to cha-ji, although today it means the simplest one, which does not include a kaiseki meal, in some cases, nor even koicha.

Since a tea practitioner must be familiar with the production and types of tea, with kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics, incense and a wide range of other disciplines and traditional arts in addition to his or her school's tea practices, the study of the tea ceremony takes many years and often lasts a lifetime. Even to participate as a guest in a formal tea ceremony requires knowledge of the prescribed gestures and phrases expected of guests, the proper way to take tea and sweets, and general deportment in the tea room.