Culture
Japan has absorbed many ideas from other countries over the course of its history, including technology, customs, and forms of cultural ｅxpression, and has developed its unique culture while integrating these imports. The Japanese lifestyle today is a rich blend of Asian-influenced traditional culture and Western-influenced modern culture.
Traditional Culture
Traditional performing arts that continue to thrive in Japan today include kabuki, noh, kyogen, and bunraku.
Kabuki is a form of classical theater that evolved in the early seventeenth century. It is characterized by the rhythm of the lines spoken by the actors, extravagant costumes, flamboyant makeup (kumadori), and the use of mechanical devices to achieve special effects on stage. The makeup accentuates the personalities and moods of the characters. Most plays draw on medieval or Edo period themes, and all the actors, even those playing female roles, are men.
Noh is Japan's oldest form of musical theater. The story is told not just through dialogue but also through utai (singing), hayashi (musical accompaniment), and dance. Another feature is that the leading actor, dressed in a colorful costume of embroidered silk, usually wears a lacquered wooden mask. The masks depict such characters as an old man, a young or old woman, a divine figure, a ghost, and a young boy. (213 words)
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