Gourt > Regional > Asia > Japan > Society and Culture (64)
The word culture, from the Latin colo, -ere, with its root meaning "to cultivate", generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitions of "culture" reflect different theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity. Anthropologists most commonly use the term "culture" to refer to the universal human capacity to classify, codify and communicate their experiences symbolically. This capacity is long been taken as a defining feature of the genus Homo. However, primatologists such as Jane Goodall have identified aspects of culture among our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.Goodall, J. 1986. The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior.
Defining "culture"
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WHO's sick manifesto for global recession
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:10:00 -0500
LONDON — The World Health Organization claimed this week that "social injustice is killing people on a grand scale." Its major report on the "Social Determinants of Health" concludes that social and economic inequality is a major global cause of disease and that only massive government intervention and redistribution of wealth can improve the health of the poor. But, as with many prescriptions, the side effects would be worse than the disease. The WHO report revolves around the idea that relative poverty — as opposed to absolute poverty — is an important determinant of health. This is based on medical research conducted in the 1990s that purported to show that people lower on the... Read the full story
Veiled sexuality meshes with Muslim values
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:11:00 -0500
NEW YORK — A woman swathed in black to her ankles, wearing a head scarf or a full chador, walks down a European or North American street, surrounded by other women in halter tops, miniskirts and short shorts. She passes under immense billboards on which other women swoon in sexual ecstasy, cavort in lingerie or simply stretch out languorously, almost fully naked. Could this image be any more iconic of the discomfort the West has with the social mores of Islam, and vice versa? Ideological battles are often waged with women's bodies as their emblems, and Western Islamophobia is no exception. When France banned head scarves in schools, it used the hijab as a proxy for Western values in... Read the full story
Fukuda hounded out of office
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:12:00 -0500
Japan's PR-vulnerable public and lightheaded media have done it again. Between them they have got rid of yet another of Japan's better prime ministers. I have no brief for Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's policies. On two key issues I think he was wrong. One was his determination to force through legislation allowing Japan's naval vessels to continue Indian Ocean refueling for U.S. aircraft heading off to bomb more Afghan wedding parties and villages. But no doubt he was inspired by the promise he and his predecessors had made to Washington to assist that conventional wisdom called the "war on terror." He was also wrong on economic policy. But here too he was a victim of another conventional... Read the full story
Need for mandate
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:13:00 -0500
Japan and the rest of the world have seen two Japanese prime ministers in a row suddenly throw in the towel without giving convincing reasons for doing so. Mr. Shinzo Abe announced his resignation Sept. 12, 2007, and Mr. Yasuo Fukuda on Sept. 1. The manner in which the two prime ministers decided to step down after less than a year in power was most unusual and irresponsible. It is unavoidable for people to get the impression that politicians these days make light of the duties and position of prime minister and to develop a distrust of politics in general. Read the full story
Top hedge fund manager Mukai joins Epic Partners
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:14:00 -0500
Tadashi Mukai, who outperformed all his hedge fund rivals in Japan last year, joined Tokyo-based Epic Partners Investments Co. and will start a new fund that won't bet on stocks rising or falling. Mukai, 43, joined Epic on Aug. 20 as a senior fund manager, said Tetsuya Abe, the firm's head of compliance, in a telephone interview. Mukai was most recently at Tokyo-based fund adviser United Managers Japan Inc., overseeing the UMJ Neutro Fund, which climbed 11 percent, the biggest return among 13 market-neutral funds, in 2007, according to data compiled by AsiaHedge. Read the full story
Pakistan agents paid us to kill Ito: suspect
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:15:00 -0500
KABUL — A suspect in the abduction and killing of a Japanese aid worker in eastern Afghanistan has confessed he was paid a "large sum of money" by Pakistan's intelligence service to carry out the attack, the Afghan intelligence service said Wednesday. A statement issued by the National Directorate of Security said that Adel Shah, one of the two suspects arrested by Afghan security forces, made the confession while being interrogated over the kidnapping of Kazuya Ito, a 31-year-old agriculture expert from Shizuoka Prefecture who was working with Peshawar-Kai, a Fukuoka-based aid group. Read the full story
Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion
Politics › Koike, Ishihara, Yosano to challenge Aso in LDP presidential race
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:55:00 +0100
Three Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers stepped up moves Thursday to challenge LDP Secretary General Taro Aso in the Sept. 22 party presidential election to pick…
Sports › Kuroda earns 8th win; no-decision for Matsuzaka
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:11:00 +0100
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda threw 5 1/3 shaky innings but picked up his eighth win of the season while the Boston Red Sox's…
Politics › Japan to urge N Korea to keep promises
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:15:00 +0100
Japan will keep urging North Korea to act on its denuclearization promises agreed on under the six-party talks framework, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said…
World › Thai gov't opts for national referendum to resolve political crisis
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:13:00 +0100
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej beleaguered government decided Thursday to hold a national referendum as a means of ending the country's prolonged political crisis, according…
Crime › 4 fired Oita education officials admit to taking, giving bribes
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:09:00 +0100
Four sacked public education officials in Oita Prefecture admitted Thursday to either taking or giving bribes in connection with the hiring of teachers during the…
National › Record number of climbers scale Fuji in summer
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:54:00 +0100
A record number of climbers scaled Mount Fuji during the summer season and deaths and injuries rose as many underestimated the trek, city officials said.…
An Illustrated Introduction to Japan - A school exercise on Japanese history, culture, composition, and geography,
H-Net Asia-Pacific Network - H-Net, humanities and science online; Japanese history and culture mail list.
Information Resources for People with Disabilities in Japan - Resources across Japan for the blind, the deaf, and the handicapped.
Japan for the Uninvited - Comments on various news and stories in Japan from recent items to those several years old.
Meta Description: [ Articles about Japanese culture from a slightly twisted foreign perspective ]
Japan from Asahi to Zen - An A-Z of traditional terms, and a pop culture glossary, from an interested European's perspective.
Meta Description: [ A Japanese Cultural Glossary -
traditional terms and pop culture ]
Japan Information Network - A fun approach to a guide. Lots of current information.
Meta Description: [ japan portal site ]
Japan Review - In contrast to most western media, uses top rated Japan experts to review and critique English books about Japanese society, economy, politics, and culture. Also features news, author interviews, and essays.
Meta Description: [ JapanReview.Net contains book reviews, news, author interviews, essays,and topics related to mainly English books on Japan ]
Japan-101.com - Japan information specializing in travel, tourism and culture. Article categories also include business, language, history and art.
Japanese Culture - Details Japanese weddings, kimono, koto, and festivals.
Meta Description: [ Over 120 pages of Japanese culture: Geisha, Samurai, cherry blossom, Japanese Clothing, kimono, Japanese New Year, Japanese tea ceremony, Japanese gardens, Christmas in Japan, Japanese music and more. ]
Japanese Culture -- A Primer For Newcomers - Explanations of Japanese cultural traits and resulting culture shock facing westerners.
Meta Description: [ Insights on important Japanese cultural traits and attitudes for non-Japanese ]
Japanese National Holidays for 2004 - Listings of holidays when banks and offices are closed.
Meta Description: [ Japanese Public Holidays for 2004 ]
Japanorama: City Population Rankings - The largest 209 Japanese cities ranked by population.
Japundit - Blog about Japan by someone who isn't a Japanese native.
Real Life in Japan - Short articles about various aspects of life in Japan, from women only buses to the hamburger wars.
The Japan FAQ: Know Before You Go - A comprehensive site with detailed necessary information on visiting or relocating to Japan - visas, accommodations, transportation, survival, driving, banking, shopping, customs, tips, and links.
The Japan Zone - Broad intro to old and new Japan; also has a good listing of Japanese companies.
Meta Description: [ Japan travel guide, offering information on Japanese popular culture, the history of Japanese culture, etiquette and relocation information - it's all here at Japan Zone. ]
Tokyo English Information Source - English information on Japan, Tokyo restaurants and other useful things.
Meta Description: [ English Information on Japan, Tokyo restaurants, and other useful things. ]
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