A Guide to Japanese Culture — So, What Kind of Country Is Japan? [Part 1]

The country you're in now — or about to visit — called Japan. Many come to Niseko for the snow. But that snow, the hot springs, the food — all of it is part of "Japanese culture."

Manners and customs aren't just rules. Behind most of them lies a way of thinking — a "why." Once you understand the why, both travel and daily life grow far richer.

In this series, "A Guide to Japanese Culture," we'll gently cover everything from the everyday — how to enter an onsen, how to enjoy a meal — to the deeper values the Japanese have long held dear. As a starting point, Part 1 begins with the big picture: so, what kind of country is Japan, really?

• Japan is an island nation with four distinct seasons
• It has long valued "harmony," "nature," and "purity"
• Behind every manner, there's always a reason

Japan: An Island Nation Surrounded by Sea, With Four Clear Seasons

Japan is an island nation, ringed by ocean. Long from north to south, its climate and culture vary from place to place. Hokkaido, at the northern end — and Niseko within it — is one of the snowiest places on Earth.

Japan also has four distinct seasons. Cherry blossoms in spring, the sea and festivals in summer, autumn leaves, and snow in winter. With each season, the flowers in bloom, the food at its best, and the ways to enjoy it all change.

The Niseko snow you came to see is one of those four seasons. Since long ago, the Japanese have cherished the turning of the seasons in daily life. This "delight in the seasons" sits at the very root of the culture we're about to explore.

Valuing "Wa": Harmony With Those Around You

A word that comes up often in talking about Japanese culture is "wa" — meaning harmony, or to soften.

In Japan, there are many moments that prize not just yourself but the balance with those around you. Staying quiet on the train, lining up neatly, taking care not to trouble others — at the root of these lies the spirit of wa: "so that everyone can be at ease."

At first it may feel a little confining. But once you know what's behind it, how you see it begins to change.

Living With Nature: Delighting in the Seasons, Sensing the Many Gods

Since ancient times, the Japanese have seen nature not as something to conquer, but as something to live alongside.

Shinto, Japan's old native faith, holds that gods dwell in mountains, in rivers, in great trees. There's even a phrase — "yaoyorozu no kami," the eight million gods — for the sacredness felt all through nature. That a beautiful mountain like Mt. Yotei is treasured as more than mere scenery is one expression of this.

And that two faiths — Shinto and Buddhism — sit side by side in daily life without conflict is itself distinctly Japanese. Many visit a shrine at New Year, yet hold funerals at a Buddhist temple.

Valuing Purity: That's Why You Take Off Your Shoes

One of the first things that surprises people arriving in Japan may be the custom of taking off your shoes indoors.

This isn't only to keep the floor clean. At its root is an old way of thinking that treasures the inside of a home as a "pure space." Purifying your hands and mouth at a shrine entrance (chozu), and rinsing your body before an onsen (kakeyu), come from the same heart of "purification."

"Don't carry the outside's dirt within." Knowing this feeling makes your conduct in Japan come naturally.

A Safe, Clean Country: A Place You Can Relax

Many who visit Japan say the same thing: it's safe, and the streets are clean.

You can walk alone at night and feel relatively at ease. It's not rare for a dropped wallet to come back with its contents intact. And though there are few trash bins on the streets, the streets are remarkably clean — because each person takes it upon themselves to carry their trash home and not be a bother to others.

Here, too, the spirit of harmony and purity is quietly alive.

The Heart of Omotenashi: Care Without Expecting Anything Back

You may have heard the word "omotenashi" — the spirit of welcoming a guest with all your heart.

The glass of water set before you at a restaurant, a careful bow, attentive little touches. Most are offered without expecting a tip or anything in return. They're a quiet thoughtfulness: "I hope you'll be comfortable."

When you notice that care along the way, your time in Japan grows warmer.

Old and New, Side by Side

Part of Japan's fascination is how the old and the new live right next to each other.

A high-rise stands beside a shrine or temple that's centuries old. Bullet trains run at 300 km/h, while age-old festivals are still lovingly handed down. Cutting-edge technology and ancient tradition both simply belong — that's Japan today.

Niseko, too, is a world-class snow resort where old fields and ways of life still breathe. That overlap of new and old is itself part of what makes it feel Japanese.

"Ma" and "Wabi-Sabi": Beauty in What's Lacking

There's something distinctive about Japanese beauty.

Rather than adorning everything, it leaves space — "ma" — on purpose. It finds beauty in the aged and the plain — this is "wabi-sabi." A quiet garden, a single flower, a chipped bowl. The Japanese have loved a still beauty, different from the dazzling.

It may not click right away. But spending time in Japan, you'll likely meet that feeling all of a sudden.

Language and Script: No Need to Worry

Japanese uses three kinds of script — hiragana, katakana, and kanji — a rarity among the world's languages. At first, you may not be able to read a single sign.

But there's no need to worry. English guidance is growing at stations and tourist spots. Translation apps are a real help. And above all, when you're stuck, a gesture and a smile go a long way — most people will kindly help you out.

Useful Japanese phrases for travel will get their own part later in this series.

Knowing the "Heart" Behind the "Form" Deepens the Journey

By now you may have noticed something. Many of Japan's "manners" aren't scattered rules but spring from a few shared ideas — harmony, nature, purity, hospitality.

So there's no need to memorize each custom. Know the "heart" behind them, and the conduct follows naturally. And an experience understood for its reasons is many times richer.

What This Series Will Bring You

From next time, we'll get more concrete. The Japanese way of thinking, greetings and etiquette, how to enter an onsen, how to enjoy a meal, useful Japanese for travel, the festivals of the seasons — part by part, from the big picture toward the everyday.

If you, who came for Niseko's snow, find yourself growing fonder of "Japan itself" along the way — this series is a small signpost toward that.

Next time, we step a little deeper into the Japanese way of thinking. We hope you'll join us.

— Niseko Hub Editorial Team