JAPAN

The Japanese, like the English, are an island race and for many centuries jealously preserved that insularity with the consequence that much of their culture remains intact.

With most of the land that makes up the five main islands, uninhabitable, a high population is very concentrated, and the people therefore put a high value on space, privacy, and respect.

The Kanji character for umareru (the root of umaremasu) has several other pronunciations and meanings such as sei (life), nama (raw)

This is reflected in their language, with it's several levels of politeness, and their culture with the small and understated being considered beautiful.

A few brush strokes in Kanji represents not just a letter or a word, but a complete concept.
Haiku, a poem made up of only 17 syllables has several layers of deep meaning.

A bonsai tree can take many years to reach perfection, but can be grown by anyone, with patience!

The Bonsai tree is an art to produce, and the arrangement of a single or maybe two flowers needs long thought and concentration.

Even much of their music and theatre is understated, with uncluttered notes, dense white make-up, (Kabuki theatre) and mime.

Kabuki actor shown wearing the traditional white make-up

Within such an overcrowded population, peace is essential. In the west religion differences are the excuse for splits, and wars. But in Japan, Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity, the three main faiths, co-exist in harmony, with the pragmatic Japanese often choosing to worship in whichever suits them at the time.
This is a philosophy I well understand. My own beliefs, although originally quite orthodox, have developed, as I have integrated beliefs from other religions. Ultimately if any religion is based on true love of life, who has the right to sit in judgement to say it is wrong and should be scorned?

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