***Iitoko* - *Dori***

By Brandon, Karena, and Daisy.

Ever wondered how the country of Japan got to where they are today?

Shintoism

Concept of deity in every aspect of nature, such as mountains, waterfalls, stones, and natural phenomena like thunder and typhoons, as well as worshipping your ancestors. But Shintoism contains absolutely no sense of values. With Shintoism, the emperor's family maintained the highest status throughout the land.
Buddhism

More sophisticated, but people questioned on believing it because if they did, the emperor system was denied.
Confucianism

According to Japan, it was introduced by Prince Sotoku. Although controversial in whether it was brought from Korea or China back in roughly the 7th century, Confucianism is mostly concerned about the development of ethical behavior.
Harmony

Balance in all things around us, both literally and implied. A guiding principles in all interactions.

- Prince Sotoku

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By Vecteezy

1. Japanese people often celebrate Christmas, even without believing in Christianity.
2. Japan has the third longest life expectancy in the world with men living to 81 years old and women living to almost 88 years old.
3. Yaeba, or crooked teeth, are considered attractive in Japan. So much so that girls go to the dentist to have their teeth purposefully unstraightened.

Japan had quite one of the fastest technological advancement periods compared to other countries in Asia, which began back in the Tokugawa period. Where both the cottage industry and financial systems were all developed.
Back when Japan began opening to foreign trade, they often brought the most effective and useful Western technology and "Japanized" it.
Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong all also adopted Western culture. But Japan was able to modernize much faster because they had a very solid foundation of accepting foreign culture(s) and their technology.

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By Vecteezy

People of Japan often find themselves believing in two or more religions simultaneously. Which gave rise to:
RELATIVE rather than ABSOLUTE ethical value systems.

For example, BULLYING, the reason many Japanese tend to not speak up is because it's rather tough to defend their values when it can change so easily.
Consequences also included:
Environmental and social problems.

Japanese homes often have both traditional Japanese rooms with tatami (washitsu) and western-style rooms with carpeting (yōshitsu). Is this an example of iitoko-dori ?
Give other examples.
Today, Japanese pop music, also known as J-pop, is greatly influenced by American music and many English words are borrowed and used in Japanese songs.
How do you think this is related to iitoko-dori ?
Give some examples of iitoko-dori in other countries. Are they similar or different when compared with the Japanese model?

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By Vecteezy