On the evening of November 28th, the Foreign Languages and Cultures Center of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences successfully hosted the "Japanese Culture Festival" in the campus performance hall. Students collaborated, enthusiastically participated, and superbly demonstrated their roles, showcasing a spirit of cooperation. Using art as a pen and passion as ink, students broadened their cultural horizon and collectively sketched a grand cultural panorama that spans mountains and seas.

Group photo for posterity

The "Inch-High Samurai" is the title character of a Japanese folklore tale - a divine hero capable of dispelling fearsome demons. Japanese people cherish these stories, not only due to their ancient beliefs but also relishing the otherworldly power of "small taking on the big." This folk story, originating from the Heian period, recounts the exploits of a tiny one-inch hero who overcomes adversities with his courage and wit.

                           

 

Folk story "Inch-High Samurai"

 Obon Festival is a major folk holiday in Japan, held annually from August 13th to 15th. The 13th is the day of welcome when every household lights laterns, bearing their family crests, to invite their ancestors' spirits. The 15th is the day of farewell when individuals escort the spirits of their kin with lighted lanterns. Detailed with grand celebrations, involving parades and dances until midnight, workplaces and institutions usually give holidays during this period.

                           

Displaying Obon culture

        The origin of Yokai (spirits/monsters) springs from ancient peoples' deep reverence towards nature and animals. Yokai are unseen, intangible, uncontrollable forces that humans fail to explain. In Japanese culture, the "Nine-tailed Fox" is both a symbol of wisdom and an unpredictable Yokai. Originating from ancient Chinese mythology and introduced through the Korean Peninsula, this legend took root and bloomed into a unique cultural flower in Japan.

　　                            

Displaying Yokai culture "Nine-tailed Fox"

Cultural festivals, analogous to China's Open Day, invites individuals from other institutions for a visit. As one of the most representative activities in Japan's campus culture, it serves not only as a stage for students to show talents but also a crucial platform for crystallizing a collective spirit and inheriting cultural traditions. Through drama, music, and delicacies, students manifest their youthful vitality and creativity.

                           

Displaying Cultural festivals

A shrine is the building where spirits of Shintoism are worshipped, representing some of the oldest religious architectures in Japan. Due to the intimacy between Shintoism and the lives of the Japanese people, shrines are ubiquitous. Typical shrine visits involve the visitor purifying their hands by a pond using a long-handled wooden spoon, throwing some money into the donation box, clapping their hands, and praying. "The Test of the Gods'" showcases the solemn and sacred worship rituals in Shinto culture.

                           

Stage drama "The Test of the Gods"

Japanese New Year, also known as "Shōgatsu," is the most significant traditional holiday of the year in Japan, carrying countless wonderful cultural traditions. From the New Year's Eve bell ringing to the first shrine visit of the year, and from New Year's greeting cards to gift money, each custom embodies the Japanese people's special feelings for the New Year.

                           

Displaying Japanese New Year's culture

        Geisha refers to women engaging in traditional performers specializing in song, dance, and music - a blend of arts representing quintessential Japanese culture. Regarded as "living fossils" of traditional Japanese culture, Geishas bear the essence of a multitude of art forms, like Kabuki, Tea Ceremony, and Flower arrangement. They are not only inheritors of art but also the perfect interpreters of traditional Japanese aesthetics. So let's follow the footsteps of these young individuals and step into an elegant yet resilient world of traditional Japanese aesthetics.

                           

Displaying Geisha culture

        The term "Yakuza" refers to individuals or groups engaged in violent or organized criminal activities in Japan. The performance "High School Yakuza Battle" cleverly combines modern Japanese campus culture with traditional Yakuza. This displays the dilemmas and choices of Japanese youth between tradition and modernity. Schools are not only the temple of knowledge, but also the forge of character. Through this youthful story, we can feel another side of modern Japanese campus culture.

                           

Drama "High School Yakuza Battle"

Bushidō originally denoted the code of conduct and rules for Samurai in traditional Japanese society. Although traditional Samurai have faded into history, the spirit of Bushidō leaves a profound imprint in the lifestyles and beliefs of the Japanese people, evolving into an occupational spirit influencing Japan's historical trajectory and deeply rooted in modern Japanese values.

                           

Stage Drama "The Cost of Honour"

                                          

A dance by Dong Jialing, President of the Japanese Society, "The Drifting of the Deities"

                           

Teachers perform songs for students

        With the generous support of Professor Wang Xiang, the director of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Foreign Languages and Cultures Center, this culture festival was a resounding success. The festival enhanced the students' innovation consciousness and honed their practical skills. From graceful dances to profound cultural contemplation, from traditional art to a modern interpretation, students painted a robust and dynamic panorama of Japanese culture with their enthusiasm and talent. It is hoped that this event will prompt more students to identify, feel, and understand Japanese culture, thereby deepening the cultural exchanges between China and Japan.

            Written by: Xiao Lin (Course instructor)                               

Photos by: Jiang Qian Mei (Student of the Japanese Culture Class)