Ukiyoe is a style of wood-block printing developed during the Edo period. It depicts the Japanese landscape, the everyday life of commoners, kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, and beautiful women.
Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. Shinto is polytheistic, and its gods are worshiped at shrines called jinja. Shinto has neither a specific founder nor any books of scripture.
Bukkyo is Buddhism, founded in India and introduced through China and Korea to Japan in the 6th century. It teaches a way to enlightenment and has exerted great influence on the spiritual and cultural life of the Japanese.
Jukyo is Confucianism, formulated by Confucius, a philosopher in ancient China. It teaches ethics with an emphasis on ancestor worship and devotion to parents, family and friends. Combined with Buddhism and Shinto, it has exerted great influence on the spiritual and cultural life of the Japanese.
zakaya is a Japanese-style tavern that serves a wide range of food and drinks at relatively low prices. It is popular with mostly office workers and young people.
Kabuki is a traditional stage drama performed exclusively by men to the accompaniment of songs and music. It is characterized by a combination of rhythmical words, dancing, elaborate costumes, and stage sets.
Noh is a classical stage art performed mostly by men to the accompaniment of recitative chants called yokyoku and an orchestra consisting of a flute and three types of drums. It is characterized by symbolic, highly stylized acting, and elaborate masks.
Kyogen is a traditional comic or mime drama which reflects everyday conditions of life. In addition to being performed between the works of a Noh program as an interlude, it is also performed in its own right.
Bunraku is a classical puppet play performed to the accompaniment of narrative ballads known as joruri. Its charm lies in the harmony of skilled puppeteers and the voices of the joruri singer.
Joruri is a traditional narrative ballad originally accompanied by biwa and later by shamisen. Today the term usually refers to the music of the bunraku puppet theater.
Gion-matsuri, held in honor of Yasaka Shrine, is one of the three great festivals of Kyoto. Conducted throughout the month of July, it reaches its high point on the 17th with a parade of floats, some of which carry groups of musicians.
Samurai were originally the servants of government officials who were dispatched from the capital to rural communities during the Heian period. They later became warriors specializing in the martial arts, and eventually some went on to become influential in politics.
Shogatsu is the celebration of the New Year and is the most important holiday in Japan, comparable to Christmas in Western countries. Entrances of houses and buildings are decorated with a set of pine branches and bamboo. A sweet sake called toso, and a soup called zoni are served during the holiday.
Shimekazari is a decoration of twisted straw rope with fern leaves, an orange, and other items of good fortune. It is placed over the entrance of a house during the New Year holidays.
Kadomatsu is a decoration consisting of a set of pine branches and bamboo. It is placed at the front door of many houses and buildings during the New Year holidays. Kadomatsu symbolizes longevity and prosperity.
Osechi-ryori are special dishes for the New Year holidays. A variety of ingredients such as fish, black beans, rolled kelp, and vegetables are prepared and arranged artfully in a set of layered lacquer boxes.
With a height of 3,776 meters, Mt. Fuji is Japan’s highest mountain. Though classified as an active volcano, Mt. Fuji last erupted about 300 years ago. Its almost perfect cone shape is world-famous for its beauty and the mountain is a symbol of Japan.
Ema is a picture tablet on which a wish is written. It is offered to a shrine or temple when one prays for a particular blessing or when a prayer has been answered. The tablet sometimes bears a picture of a horse because people once offered real horses.
(16)Please explain the Meiji Restoration. Why was it so important in Japanese history? Japan realized the need to establish a modern state to cope with powerful Western countries, once it opened its doors to the world in 1854 after 220 years of national isolation. As a result of strong demands from imperial loyalists of the lower samurai class, the last shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu stepped down in 1867, and Emperor Meiji came to the throne. Thus, the Meiji Restoration took place in 1868, which included a series of drastic political, economic and cultural changes. Seeking to “enrich the nation and strengthen the military,” the new government promoted industrialization and modernization, through abolishing the feudal system and introducing Western culture and political systems.
Ukiyoe is a style of wood-block printing developed during the Edo period. It depicts the Japanese landscape, the everyday life of commoners, kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, and beautiful women.
"The Shinkansen is the super-express train nicknamed ""The Bullet Train."" It first began operating in 1964, the year of the Tokyo Olympics, and now has lines extending from Tokyo to the southern island of Kyushu and northern Honshu."
Kyoto is located in a valley part of the Yamashiro Basin in the eastern part of themountainous region known as the Tamba highlands. The Yamashiro Basin is surrounded on three sides by mountains known as Higashiyama, Kitayama and Nishiyama, with a height just above 1,000 meters above sea level. There are three rivers in the basin, the Ujigawa to the south, the Katsuragawa to the west, and the Kamogawa to the east. Kyoto has a humid subtropical climate, featuring a marked seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation. Summers are hot and humid, though contrarily, winters are relatively cold with occasional snowfall. Kyoto's rain season begins around the middle of June and lasts until the end of July, yielding to a hot and sunny latter half of the summer. Kyoto, along with most of the Pacific coast and central areas of Japan, is prone to typhoons during September and October. Since Kyoto was the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years until 1868, it is richin cultural assets, including 2 Imperial villas, 200 Shinto shrines, 1,500 Buddhist temples and over 60 beautiful gardens. Many foreign tourists visit the city every year.
【5】質疑応答の内容 外国人試験官=(A)、日本人試験官=(B)としてください。
(A)Tell me some famous sightseeing spots in Kyoto. (私)They are Nijo castle, Heian Shrine, Yasaka shrine, Kinkaku-ji temple and Kiyomizu-dera temple. (A)............................... (私)............................... (B)............................... (私)...............................