Japans Emperor

Akihito who was born on December 23, 1933, is the current Emperor of Japan and the 125th emperor.

GOVERNMENT
Legislature House of Representatives (480 members) House of Councilors (242 members)
Administration Cabinet Office and 11 ministries and agencies under a prime minister Judiciary Supreme Court, High Courts, District Courts, Summary Courts, and Family Courts

A Japanese home is a wooden building that is raised slightly above the ground. Most Japanese homes are small, and the rooms are usually separated by moveable paper partitions called fusama that can be rearranged to change the size or shape of the room. When the outside screens are open, the gardens can be seen from every room in the house. Upon entering a house or apartment, it is customary to take off your shoes. At dinner families often kneel on cushions surrounding a low table.

ORIGAMI
Origami, an old Japanese art form, is taught to children in Japan. Origami from ori meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper. It is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding.

The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of material into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques, and as such the use of cuts or glue are not considered to be origami.
Paper cutting and gluing is usually considered kirigami.

SUMO
Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling and Japan's national sport.

The basic rules of sumo are simple: the wrestler who first touches the ground with anything besides the soles of his feet, or who leaves the ring before his opponent, loses.
Fights take place on an elevated ring, called a "dohyo", which is made of clay and covered in a layer of sand. The fights themselves usually last only a few seconds, or in rare cases, about a minute.

Tea Ceremony
The tea ceremony (sado: "the way of the tea") is a ceremonial way of preparing and drinking tea. The custom has been strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism.

Gagaku
Ancient court music from China and Korea. It is the oldest type of Japanese, traditional music.

Ofuro is a traditional Japanese hot bath

The Japanese bath means much more that just getting oneself clean. Having shed ones clothes and daily concerns, then lathered, scrubbed and rinsed oneself thoroughly, one steps into the ofuro and sinks slowly into the deep, pure and clean hot water. Soaking, submerged to the chin, it is a time for relaxation and contemplation.

Traditional Japanese Childbirth Customs

Customarily, a month before birth, a woman would leave her husband, return to her parents home and give birth. Her family would care for her for one month then she'd return to her husband with the child. After the fifth month of pregnancy, a woman wears a cotton abdomen band called a Iwata-obi. It is given by her family for protection, good luck and an easy birth. After birth, a practice widely held is "seventh night", or the celebration of naming. On this day the child is named and introduced to the world, although the baby does not leave the house for one month.

Traditional Japanese Marriage Customs

The Japanese bride wears a kimono, obi and uchikake. The kimono has long sleeves (furisode) that reach the floor. The kimono can be of any color and print and usually has the family crest on it. The uchikake is a white heavy upper coat that is worn over the kimono. The make-up process includes painting the face, neck, arms and hands white. The groom wears a hakama (pleated skirt) or a haori (black cloak) with white house crests.

Shiatsu
Shiatsu is an ancient art of health. In Japan, the word "shiatsu" means finger pressure: shi (finger) atsu (pressure). Shiatsu is used to relax the body, guard against colds, relieve fatigue and relax aching shoulders & backs. The most common reason people get shiatsu is to treat backaches.

Geisha Geisha ("person of the arts") are traditional Japanese artistentertainers. The word Geiko is also used to describe such persons. The Kansai region the terms geigi and, for apprentice geisha, "Maiko". Strictly speaking, geisha are not prostitutes. Because they entertain men behind closed doors in an exclusive manner. Although a geisha may choose to engage in sexual relations with one of her patrons.

Samurai Samurai were the military nobility of feudal Japan who served overlord Shoguns. Samurais were expected to be educated, and were influenced by the religious philosophies of Buddhism, Zen, Shinto, and Confucianism. The Samurais were disbanded in the late 1800s during the Meiji Period. However, Samurai culture was at the base of the Japanese national identity as a martial nation