What do you know about Japan? Most people know the name of Japan; however, if I ask people about Japan, people tend to say " Sushi " or " Kimono ", etc. Their preoccupation with Japan is not the real Japan. Three aspects of the Japanese lifestyle that everyone should know about are food staples, housing and clothing.
First of all, what do you know about Japanese food? Most people know " Sushi ." A kind of sushi in which wasabi paste and raw fish are placed on top of a rice ball is served with soy sauce. It's very healthy because it doesn't include any artificial seasoning or too much fat. Everyone knows that fish provides good nutrition for our bodies such as protein and iron content. According to these points, sushi is very popular in Japan; however, we don't often eat sushi in Japan because it's so expensive. " Onigiri " is more popular as a take-out lunch and traditional Japanese food. It is a rice ball with lightly salted rice, and we usually put either pickled plum, roasted cod roe or salted salmon into the center of the ball. When we make onigiri , we take the ball of rice into the palm and squeeze it into the shape of a triangle; then it is wrapped with nori (seaweed). It's easy to eat as finger food. Besides, we have other rice dishes such as " Sekihan ", " Takikomi gohan (Japanese paella) ", " Okayu (porridge)" and " Domburimono. " So, obviously, rice is the staple food in Japan.
How about Japanese housing? Recently, most houses contain a mix of Japanese-style rooms with tatami mat and Western-style rooms with hardwood floors. Most houses have ceramic tile roofs of different designs and shapes. If you enter the Japanese house, you might see the " Genkan (entrance)" where you take your shoes off and put them inside a cabinet. You may look for beds in bedrooms, but the Japanese bed is not a normal bed which you may use every day. At night, the bed is made on the tatami by laying a sleeping mattress covered with a sheet on it. On top, a comforter is used. This Japanese bed is called a " Futon ." In the morning, all futons are stored in the " Oshiire (closet)", and the room is used as a living room by day. Because it is humid in Japan, the futon is frequently aired in the sun.
As for Japanese clothes, most people think that Japanese wear " Kimono " which is traditional Japanese clothing, but it's not usual. Some people wear kimono on special occasions such as on New Year's Day, Coming-of-Age Day ceremonies, wedding receptions, etc., but most Japanese wear Western-style clothing in daily life. However, we have some people who wear kimono as part of their work, not only women, but also men. Here are some examples of those people:
