Nature and People

Japan has two-third of its land covered by mountains, forests, lakes and hills. Along its thousands-years history, Japanese people have viewed nature not only objective existing thins, but divine-spirit-living entities.

Mount Fuji has lived in Japanese people's minds as the nation's popular image and spirit. More than attraction for tourism, Mount Fuji carries with more divine characteristics and traditional virtues for both government regulations and people's attitudes. 

A tall and old tree lives near a village or crossroad is considered as a sacred tree. Japanese villagers and people have preserved and protected their sacred trees for centuries with their respectful worship because the sacred trees are their guardian spirits. 

Sacred forests with beautiful sites are selected to build Shinto shrines and temples in Japan. Religious institutions have prestiges to locate their foundation among beautiful landscapes.

Foreigners can discover both cultural and religious values and virtues by visiting shrines and temples. 

Japanese people have treasured both virtues and values of bamboo totally different to other Asian people. Their attitudes and bamboo-made products have rooted into Japan's history and culture. 

Japanese people have made 1400 products from bamboo trees. Their creative power and innovative capability have transformed bamboo threes into different daily used products.

Rivers have reflected beauty of nature and other sacred spirits of Japan's culture and tradition. 

Rivers' origins from Springs or smelting snows from mountains. 

Tranquility and virgin characteristics of rivers are preserved in Japan.

Even in a larger city like Hiroshima, a river looks peaceful beauty.

Foreigners usually know Japan though high-tech products and J-Pop cultures from Sony TVs, Walkman Stereo cassette player, PlayStation consoles, Toyota cars, Canon camera, and Doremon comic books and animation  but rarely about Japan's nature and concepts of beauty and divine spirits.

Garden designing composition, house architecture and public construction are harmoniously arranged for comfort and harmony.

People coexist in nature as connecting elements. People also reflect nature through colors, pattern and cultural beauty.

Japanese traditional Kimono for ladies

Mother and daughter in kimono, Japanese tradition clothes

Traditional outfits are still seen on street, marketplaces, temples on regular days, weekends and holidays. People also participate in a watering festival to begin Summer Time.

Young people casually put on comfortable outfit as contemporary mirrors of modern society.

Casual fashion clothes

Japanese maid fashion

Street fashion styles in Japan

Summer fashions for liberal and rebel girls

Japanese school girl fashion (Not school uniform)

Japanese school girl uniform

Japanese salary-men

Japanese salary-man 

Japanese office ladies outfits

Japanese office lady outfits 

Japanese office ladies on streets 

Tokyo Fashion Collection 2011

AKB48 Girls-band

 Arashi Boys-band

Kurara Chibana, Former Miss Universe Japan

Maki Yoko, Japanese actress

Kitagawa Keiko, Japanese Actress

Perfume Girls-band

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, a member of SMAP Pop boy-band

Miki Ando, Japanese female figure skater

Ryo Ishikawa, Japanese golfer. 

Ueto Aya, Actress and Model and Designer

Ueto Aya in Vietnamese Traditional dress

Rei Kikukawa, Actress

Shiori Katsuna, Actress and Model

Tokyo Dome

Tokyo Fish-market Tsukiji, the largest fish and sea-food market in the world

Japanese bullet-train, Mount Fuji in the backgrouund

Nature has existed before a human society was founded. But over a long history, Japanese people have got along with evolution of nature and co-exited with nature with their unique culture, religions and tradition.