Japanese Food and Celebrations Essay -- Sociology, Culture, Golden Wee

What comes to mind when thinking of traditions? Well, tradition is a repeated action in a community or group of people which had been passed down from generations. Even in a modern country like Japan, tradition is part of their life just like in every country. Whether it’s celebrating or eating food, there’s always something people do as a tradition. The foods and celebrations in Japan are important because they are part of their tradition, which is essential to Japanese everywhere. The best example of a Japanese celebration is Golden Week. Firstly, it is a cluster of national holidays between April 29 and May 5 (Kids Web Japan). There are many celebrated things on this day. Furthermore, most big companies close down for a week or even ten days in these holidays. It is just like a spring break. Most importantly, April 29 is Greenery Day, which is to celebrate nature. May 3 is Constitution Day; it is the day when the present constitution was made. Finally it’s May 5, which is Children’s Day (Kids Web Japan). These holidays show that celebrations are highly regarded in Japan. Of course, Children’s day isn’t the only day to celebrate kids. There are also Hina Matsuri, Doll’s Festival or Girls’ Day, in March 3 and Shichi-Go-San, Seven-Five-Three, on November 15. First of all, Seven-five-three is a celebration for three-year old boys and girls, five-year old boys and seven-year old girls (Asij Elementary School Japanese Department). They visit a Shinto shrine with their parents and pay for chitose-ame, longevity candy (Kids Web Japan). Children are introduced to Japanese tradition at an early age. Then on Girls’ Day, parents with a daughter display dolls in their homes and wish for their daughter’s health and happiness (Broderick... .... It means one soup and three sides (Japanese Food and Culture Association). A meal could illustrate one’s culture and tradition. Secondly, it consists of a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, pickled vegetables and fish or meat (Japanese Food and Culture Association). This shows that Japan can eat healthy because of the diversity of the food. Lastly, â€Å"Japan is a country of islands, so much of its food comes from the sea† (Ridgewell 8). Everyone knows that Japan is big on seafood. Fish is usually one of their sides. Truly, Japan has several different and exotic foods. In conclusion, there are many significant foods and celebrations in Japan. Big parts of Japanese customs are because of things like festivals and foods. Traditions are important in life because many people takes part in it and it will still be there in the future, just like it was there in the past.