Ethnic Project: Japan

This photoshoot was unplanned. My Malaysian model brought two of her Japanese coworkers to church (the day we might do her photoshoot), so she asked them to bring their traditional clothing so we could do both countries the same day.

One model is from Tokyo and the other one is from Sapporo.

The Tokyo area is very small, so it's a convenient place to live, go somewhere, eat something, etc. It's a fast-paced modern city that still embraces its traditional roots. Yes, there's a ton of people there, but instead of chaos, it's an orderly crowd. Sapporo is the largest city in the northern island of Hokkaido. The city is known as the birthplace of miso ramen and is famous for its beer.

Both of the models are wearing yukatas, which is a more casual style kimono. The yukata is a popular outfit during summer times because the kimono has many layers, which often makes it too hot to wear during warm temperatures. In addition, Japanese people wear the yukata after taking a bath or shower, or during cool evening times.

Nowadays, people wear yukata for many occasions, like the summer festival. Because of its comfortable fabric and light feel, most Japanese have a yukata instead of a kimono.

Yukatas are made with straight seams and wide sleeves. The material is cotton, as opposed to the kimono's more expensive silk material.

Like the kimono, the general rule with the yukata is that younger people wear bright, vivid colors and bold patterns, while older people wear dark, matured colors and dull patterns.

Spring time is the best in Japan. From the beautiful cherry blossoms to the nice temperature, many people enjoy the spring season! In the spring especially, they celebrate Hanami, a cherry blossom festival to welcome in the new spring season. People gather under the trees to eat and drink with family, friends, and coworkers.

The Yuki Matsuri in Sapporo, held during one week in February, is one of the largest and most distinctive winter festivals. The festival is staged on three sites: Odori, Susukino, and Tsu Dome. The sites contain a number of snow/ice sculptures. It all started back in 1950, when high school students built a few snow statues in Odori Park.

A big part of Japan is that it adopted many other countries' culture into their own. For example, ramen noodles are originally from China, even though Japanese ramen has gained popularity around the world. But we all agree that you must eat ramen quickly before the noodles get soggy!

Despite their adaptation of different cultures, the Japanese are also very strict in protecting their original culture.

The Japanese language is separated into a large number of dialects with Tokyo dialect considered standard Japanese. The Okinawan Japanese dialect is also spoken in the respective region. The Ryukuan languages are the indigenous languages of the Ryukyu Islands, the southernmost part of Japan. In Hokkaido, the indigenous Ainu people speak Ainu languages.

The Japanese flag is called Hinomaru, which means "circle of the sun" or "rising sun." As you guessed it, the circle signifies the sun. The kanji that make up Japan's name mean "sun origin", and it is often called the "Land of the Rising Sun".

The reason why this symbolism is so important is because it is said that the Emperor is the direct descendant of the sun goddess.