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600 Kanji Later
03.06.10The Japanese culture has been a part of my life for as long as I remember. Whether it was Speed Racer and Power Rangers when I was 4 or Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon when I was 11, 12, I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t interested in the Japanese Culture (more specifically anime and manga). Now that I’ve reached the end of my teenage years, I’ve realized that there’s so much more to the culture and it fascinates me.
From the food to the religion and customs, I can’t seem to wrap my head around it all. The language is what has my heart (and my time), however. I’ve been trying to dip my feet in it since I was 16, but sometime around last summer (June 2009) was when I really took that step and dove in. Now, 600 kanji later, I’m still going forward. I hope that I can visit, maybe even live there, once or twice during my lifetime.
The religion of Japan is pretty fascinating as well. It’s called Shinto, and within it there are no absolutes. There is no clear cut as to what is right and what is wrong, and no human is perfect. Shinto is a pretty optimistic faith, as humans are thought to be essentially good, and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits. You should give it a bit of research in your spare time. It’s captivating. And if not, at least head over to flickr and give their shrines a look; they’re beautiful.
