The Ask Josiah About Japan Thread

[Cheezdude]

Why is Mayonnaise a Tomato Sauce substitute in Japan...?

[Josiah]

Why is Mayonnaise a Tomato Sauce substitute in Japan...?

For some reason Japanese people love mayonnaise. And I mean they really really love mayonnaise. So it shows up in a lot of things that it really shouldn't.

[Giga-Gar]

Have you ever heard of the Hira Hurricane?

Oh, how does Japanese mythology compaire(or contrast) to Greek and Roman mythology?

[Josiah]

Have you ever heard of the Hira Hurricane?

Oh, how does Japanese mythology compaire(or contrast) to Greek and Roman mythology?

Have you ever heard of the Hira Hurricane?

Oh, how does Japanese mythology compaire(or contrast) to Greek and Roman mythology?

No to the first question.

For the second one... It's a lot different. Japanese mythology is based of a mix of Japanese Shintoism (worship of ancestor spirits and nature spirits) and Bhudism, which have little similiarity to the Greek pantheon (for the record, Roman mythology is mostly Greek stuff with name changes). A more detailed explanation would take quite a long time to type and be a bit beyond the scope of this thread (mainly cause of the length) although I might do it as a Random Japan Comment on PV some time. If you want to know more I'd recommend doing some research online.

[Kaida]

Ooo, random question.

Have you had Ramen yet?

[Giga-Gar]

I don't know if you already told us this, but how popular are non-anime shows in japan? oh, and what's the japanese equivalent of Superman or Batman?

[Josiah]

Ooo, random question.

Have you had Ramen yet?

Well, when I did that sukkot camping trip a couple months back we made some huge pots of ramen for breakfast. Other than that though, I haven't had any. I'd like to, but it's kinda complicated. See, many types of ramen include things that I can't eat (shrimp, pork, etc) and some ramen even use a pork broth. Add that to the my limited knowledge of kanji (I can read about 150 out of 2000) and it makes getting random ramen at restaurants or grocery stores kinda risky so I tend to avoid it. It's too bad really cause I do like ramen.

[Josiah]

I don't know if you already told us this, but how popular are non-anime shows in japan? oh, and what's the japanese equivalent of Superman or Batman?

Japanese TV aside from anime and news is often pretty weird. There's lots of strange game shows and variety shows (often hosted by Japanese commedians). At least some of them have a pretty large following. Outside of that, there are some historical dramas and soap opera type shows (both with modern and historical settings), some of which become fairly popular here (but nothing like the big anime).

As for Superman and Batman... If you're thinking super heroes then you're out of luck since that seems to be one genre that just isn't done much here (unless you count magical girls like Sailor Moon). Goku from Dragon Ball Z is about the closest equivalent that I can think of.

[NabMaster]

Japanese TV aside from anime and news is often pretty weird. There's lots of strange game shows and variety shows (often hosted by Japanese commedians). At least some of them have a pretty large following. Outside of that, there are some historical dramas and soap opera type shows (both with modern and historical settings), some of which become fairly popular here (but nothing like the big anime).

Have you ever seen that human tetris show? I saw a bit of it one time, where a wall comes towards someone and they have to try and fit through the tetris block shaped hole or they fall in a pool and lose. I'd like to try that sometime!

[Doodleshark]

What are the major holidays in Japan? And how important is stuff like Christmas, New Years, and Easter?

Also (This is sort of random but I have to know because I am a roller coaster fanatic), have you ridden any Japanese roller coasters and if so how good are they compared to American ones?

[BionicleMandi121]

Have you ever seen that human tetris show? I saw a bit of it one time, where a wall comes towards someone and they have to try and fit through the tetris block shaped hole or they fall in a pool and lose. I'd like to try that sometime!

My English teacher randomly showed us a YouTube clip from that thing, last Friday, I think. It was hilarious and sad at the same time. My class is still asking her to show more. XD

[Josiah]

Have you ever seen that human tetris show? I saw a bit of it one time, where a wall comes towards someone and they have to try and fit through the tetris block shaped hole or they fall in a pool and lose. I'd like to try that sometime!

I've seen some weird game shows but not that one.

[Josiah]

What are the major holidays in Japan? And how important is stuff like Christmas, New Years, and Easter?

First off, the only US holidays that are widely celebrated in Japan are Halloween, Christmas, and Valentines, although they're observed a bit differently than in the US or Europe (more on that in a minute). Holidays like Thanksgiving and 4th of July naturally aren't celebrated in Japan because they're tied into US history so they don't really take place anywhere else. I'd assume Easter is observed by Japanese Christians but they're a minority so I'd be surprised if most Japanese people even knew what Easter was.
New Years is a major holiday BUT it's observed differently in Japan than in the US and Europe plus New Years is kinda an internation things anyway.

Now, for a quick (well, kinda quick) list of major Japanese holidays (keep in mind that there are numerous small local holidays in various parts of Japan, this is just the main ones). National holidays are ones official sanctioned by the government (and ones that many buisnesses close on. All holidays on this list, national or not, are still widely observed.
New Years (late Dec - early Jan): Typically more of a focus on resting and family than partying. Many people dress in traditional clothes and visit shrines to pray and get their luck predicted for the new year. Traditional foods include special kinds of noodles and mochi and quite a lot of buisnesses shut down for several days (sometimes starting as early as the 29th or 30th and going till anytime between the 2nd and 4th).
Coming of Age Day (2nd Monday of Jan): Celebrates people who recently turned 20. Typically involves lots of partying.
Setsuban (Feb 2): Celebrates the start of spring. Not a national holiday. Popular traditions include throwing and eating soy beans.
National Foundation Day (Feb 11): Celebrates the establishment of the country.
Valentine's Day (Feb 14): Not a national holiday. In Japan, it's a day when women give chocolate both to men they like, and to male friends and coworkers. There are actually different names used for the chocolate depending on if it's being given in a friendly or romantic spirit.
Minamatsuri (Mar 3): Girls' Day. Not a national holiday. Girls display a fancy set of dolls.
White Day (Mar 14): Not a national holiday. It's Valentine's Day all over again except this time it's the guys' turn to buy things for girls. The holiday was actually established by Japan's national association of candy makers.
Verinal Equinox (sometime in Mar): A holiday for the equinox.
Hanamatsuri (Apr 8): The Flower Festival. Not a national holiday. Celebrates Buddha's birthday.
Golden Week (Apr 29 - May 5): A week long holiday period encompassing Showa Day (Apr 29) (celebrates the birthday of the Showa Emperor), Constitution Memorial Day (May 3) (which is to commemorate the Japanese constitution), Greenery Day (May 4) (to celebrate nature), and Children's Day (aka Boys' Day) (which has its own set of dolls different from the Girls' Day ones and is marked by flying koi shaped streamers).
Tanabata (in Jul or Aug, date varies by location): The Star Festival, based on the ancient myth of the lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi (the stars Vega and Altair). Not a national holiday. People celebrate by having festivals, fireworks, and tieing cards with their wishes written on them to bamboo.
Marine Day (3rd Monday of Jul): A pretty new holiday. It's celebrates the ocean.
Obon (Jul or Aug 13 - 15 depending on location, Aug is more common): Not a national holiday but many buisnesses still close. It's marked by people visiting their ancestrial homes to visit their family's tomb and pray to the spirits of ancestors. Exact celebration details vary by location.
Respect for the Aged Day (3rd Mon of Sept): The name says it all.
Autumnal Equinox (sometime in Sept): A holiday for the other equinox.
Health & Sports Day (2nd Mon of Oct): Once again, the name kinda says it all.
Halloween (Oct 30 or 31, they get it mixed up sometimes): Not a national holiday. There's no trick or treating or any real celebration (aside from some costume parties) but a lot of people like the candy and decor.
Culture Day (Nov 3): Celebrates the Japanese constitution and the Meiji Emperor's birthday.
Labor Thanksgiving Day (Nov 23): Kinda like US Labor Day but without any real celebrations or parties. No relation to US Thanksgiving Day.
Emperor's Birthday (Dec 23): The birthday of Emperor Akihito (the current emperor).
Christmas (Dec 24 - 25): Not a national holiday. Santa, presents, carols, and lights are all popular (trees a bit less so cause of limited space both to grow and store them) but the Christian elements are often ignored because of the relatively small amount of Christians in Japan. Actually, Christmas Eve is often considered to be the holiday more so than Christmas Day. It's a popular time spend with your family or girlfriend/boyfriend.

Also (This is sort of random but I have to know because I am a roller coaster fanatic), have you ridden any Japanese roller coasters and if so how good are they compared to American ones?

I've been on a couple at Tokyo Disney and seen a few others that I've passed on because of the price. Disney's were fun (though not exactly "thrill rides"). The rest have looked fairly average.

[Shadowman]

But anyway, in Japan staying home from school or work when you`re sick is discouraged

Japan might be awesome, but I'm never going to go work there because of that single thing.

[Josiah]

But anyway, in Japan staying home from school or work when you`re sick is discouraged

Japan might be awesome, but I'm never going to go work there because of that single thing.

Really depends what job you have. You really, really, really don`t want to be regular buisnessman. There are many sad and depressing reasons why that, I`m sad to inform you, are far worse than that. However, perhaps you can take some solace from the fact that they rarely hire foreigners for that sort of thing. Perhaps I will write a RJC on it some time if I can managed write about such depressing matters.
Unfortunately, I assume translation work would have many of the same faults. Teaching is not quite so bad but unless you have an extremely good employer it will be your sad obligation to come to work when sick. However, many foreigners in Japan run restaurants and I suppose that might possibly be something where you could give yourself sick days, provided you had some employees to run things for you.