Most Japanese-English dictionaries literally translate Yamato-damashii as "the Japanese spirit".
The Spirit of Japan is the story of the Wakamatsu family, who have been making the traditional Japanese distilled spirit, shochu, at their Yamatozakura Distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture since the 1850s.
The Japanese word yamato-damashii means 'Japanese spirit/soul.
Yamato-damashii is loosely translated into "the spirit/soul of Japan", and defined as anything and everything which makes Japan (and the Japanese) unique, distinct, and great.
Shochu is the most popular spirit in its native land, outselling even sake and whisky. But to the rest of the world, it's still a well-kept secret — only about 1% of global shochu sales are outside Japan.
The Most Popular Liquor Overall
While staple liquors like gin and rum aren't the most popular liquor in more than a single state, whiskey and vodka apparently run the entire country.
Lucky seven
This is not imported, but steeped in the country's religious traditions. Seven is an important number in Buddhism. Japanese Buddhists celebrate a baby's seventh day and mourn the seventh day after a person dies when the soul is said to cross over.
Although their origins lie in Japanese folk traditions, omamori are still a popular sight throughout Japan. The word itself, 御守り, doesn't have a direct translation into English, but they are protection charms – usually for sale within both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines – which are said to contain spirits.
The Obon tradition includes hanging lanterns, obon dance (bon odori) performances, visiting ancestors' graves and food offerings at house altars and temples.
Kami are an ever-changing concept, but their presence in Japanese life has remained constant. The kami's earliest roles were as earth-based spirits, assisting the early hunter-gatherer groups in their daily lives. They were worshipped as gods of the earth (mountains) and sea.
Tengu: The Japanese Demon That's Basically a Mini-God Full of Pride, Full of Power. In Japanese folklore, many stories include spirits, supernatural creatures, and demons called yokai. And of all the yokai, the tengu is the one that might seem most familiar to a modern Westerner.
Shintoism is Japan's indigenous spirituality. It is believed that every living thing in nature (e.g. trees, rocks, flowers, animals - even sounds) contains kami, or gods. Consequently Shinto principles can be seen throughout Japanese culture, where nature and the turning of the seasons are cherished.
Yōsei (Japanese: 妖精, lit. "bewitching spirit") is a Japanese word that is generally synonymous with the English term fairy (フェアリー). Today, this word usually refers to spirits from Western legends, but occasionally it may also denote a creature from native Japanese folklore.
Yamato (大和, "great harmony") is the oldest native name for "Japan". Daiwa and Taiwa (borrowed from Chinese dàhé 大和) are on'yomi readings.
Bushido contributed to the rise of extreme Japanese nationalism following the Meiji Restoration. The Busido Code became the core of the phemonomenal martial spirit exhibited by the Japanese military during World War II. The Bushido spirit was a code for Samurai.
noun. Ya·ma·to. yäˈmä(ˌ)tō plural Yamato. : a Japanese of the principal racial stock of Japan that is of ancient origin, has possibly Alpine characteristics, and is supposed to have entered Japan from the mainland in the protohistoric period compare ainu.
Trimming hair and nails
Generally, this emanates from the belief that nails and hair were given to the children by the deceased as a parent and as such they shouldn't be trimmed during the mourning period and after the burial. At least you should wait for 49 days.
There are six unlucky numbers in Japanese. Traditionally, 4 is unlucky because it is sometimes pronounced shi, which is the word for death. Sometimes levels or rooms with 4 don't exist in hospitals or hotels.
The Japanese religious tradition is made up of several major components, including Shinto, Japan's earliest religion, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Christianity has been only a minor movement in Japan.
Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like thunder and lightning, along with their evil nature manifesting in their propensity for murder and cannibalism.
The Three Sacred Treasures (三種の神器, Sanshu no Jingi/Mikusa no Kamudakara) are the imperial regalia of Japan and consist of the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi (草薙劍), the mirror Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡), and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama (八尺瓊勾玉).
Omamori are Japanese good luck amulets sold at various temples and shrines to bring good luck or ward off evil. The charms are dedicated to certain deities or figures in Buddhist and Shinto beliefs.
Although the number 444 is almost always regarded as a positive symbol, in some cultures, it means bad luck and is even feared by many people. In Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese languages, the word for number four sounds like their words for 'death'.
88th Birthday
The day is known as yone-no-iwai and is special because when the characters for eighty-eight are written together in Japanese, the characters resemble the kanji for rice . Rice plays a major role in the lifestyle of many Japanese, being a food consumed at nearly all ages.
In Japanese culture, the 88th birthday, or “Beiju” (米寿), is known as the long life celebration. Beiju is a play on the kanji characters for rice and 88. “Bei” (rice米) is important in Japanese society because it sustains life and represents purity and wholesomeness.