Editing Japan (section)

== Japanese Culture ==
Japan has, over the span of almost 2000 years, developed an unique blend of Chinese, Korean and (most recently) Western culture, mixed with their own stuff on top of THAT. There is no single defining characteristic that can describe it, but important elements are - honor, dedication to what one does, family/clan, industriousness and hierarchy. Some of these, such as emphasis on honor and family have been somewhat eroded by modern times, but others like loyalty to one's family/clan/corporation and deference to authority/hierarchy still endure. 

One particularity of the Japanese culture is how its language was adapted to the social hierarchy. Japanese language has "politeness levels" - different ways of pronunciation and speaking reserved for those both above and below you on the social ladder. Though in itself complex, the levels can be roughly divided into 3 categories - how you'd speak to your junior/trainee/younger sibling, your equal/coworker/brother&sister and your superiors/bosses/parents&grandparents. At its core it's not that dissimilar form how you'd speak in English in a western setting (you wouldn't address your boss like you would your friend and vice-versa).

Another cultural note is that the Emperor is still ''highly'' revered in Japan culture. In the same way that Americans hate desecration of their flag, the people of Japan do not tolerate disrespect of the Emperor. Case in point: The mayor of Nagasaki was nearly assassinated in 1990 for criticizing the Emperor.

Starting from about the 70s, a major cultural trope that developed in Japan is the Kawaisa (可愛さ) or "the culture of cute". It's the reason why you see so much cutesy stuff in public broadcasts, flyers, iconography and in general culture. The phenomenon is not without it's detractors within Japan however as it drew flak for supposedly "infantilising" the population, suppressing assertiveness and/or enforcing same-think. Still, for better or worse one can expect tons of cute shit from every direction when visiting the major metropolises of Japan.