Japan
...e also other indicators for the growth of the economy: the number of machinery orders and the unemployment rate. Manufactures, suppliers, distributors and banks – they all work together in groups. The huge companies and unions give their employees benefits like: Good relations with people from the government and the guarantee of lifetime employment. Small and medium enterprises, women, and foreign employees typically don´t enjoy such benefits. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, depends on important raw materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly subsidised and protected, especially because of the rice. Living in Japan is expensive, because the best products are usually the most expensive ones. There are three major problems: There is too less land for the big population, the ageing of the people and a rising cost of health care. 4.) Japanese culture and language Japan's culture is very different from any other. Japan has a shame culture rather than the guilt culture that is more familiar in the West. In Japan, relationships between people are heavily influenced by "obligation" and "duty". Generalised ideas of morality and behaviour are under-developed in Japan, where particular obligations to family, school, friends tend to guide behaviour. Because of strong correlation between Japanese culture and language, the Japanese language has always played an important role in Japanese culture. It reflects the harmony that is desired and respected within Japanese culture. While Japanese are better known for their physical comedy outside of Japan – you all know the shows in which Japanes make a fool of themselves- , they have a complex humor. Because this humor relies so heavily on Japanese language and culture the jokes are impossible to translate, because they rely on the similarity of two different words. I´ve got an example of a joke with keywords in a bold text. A:"Tonarino ieni HEI ga dekitandattene." (I heard that a neighbour built a Wooden fence.) B:"HEE" (Oh, really or Wooden fence, so?) These kind of jokes rely on the similarity of two different words' pronunciations. 5.) Japanese popular culture Japanese popular culture doesn´t only reflect the attitudes and concerns of the present but it has also a link to the past. Films, television programs, comics, and music all developed from older traditions. Today´s forms of popular culture, provide not only entertainment but also an escape for the today´s Japanese from the problems of an industrial world. Although Japan is often considered as a hard-working society with little time for pleasure, the Japanese seek entertainment wherever they can. It is common to see Japanese riding the train to work, enjoying their favourite comic books or listening through earphones to the latest in popular music on portable music players. Japan has about 100 million television sets in use, and television is the main source of home entertainment and information for most of the population. Characters in dramas and cartoons often reflect racial and gender stereotypes. The books, comic books, magazines and newspapers are also a part of the Japanese popular culture. Even though TV has led to a decline in the time spent on reading, book stores are everywhere. There is a large selection of music, films, and the products of a huge comic book industry, among other forms of entertainment, from which to choose. Game centers, bowling alleys, and karaoke are popular hangout places for teens. 6.) Japanese clothing Although our Western-style dress has been popular in Japan since the late 19th century, the traditional kimono hasn´t disappeared. Its form and use have been improved to play an appropriate role in Japan's modern life. Designers have tried to modernize its style over the last decade beca...