In class yesterday we were talking about other cultures and customs. Of course there are lots of nice customs and cultural attractions in Japan. Sometimes I'm surprised that students seem to misunderstand about a few things. For example, taking your shoes off in the house is a part of the culture in many countries around the world, not only Japan. Tofu and sushi, among other foods, are originally Chinese etc. One of the things I like about Japan is bathing culture, in sentos or rotenburo or onsen. I especially like riverside rotenburos in the mountains.
Among the many odd cultural events we can find around the world, I'm intrigued by this one (in the photo), called Tomatina. Do you know it? It's held in a small town in Spain every year around the time of the tomato harvest. You could say that it's a waste of tomatoes, but it also looks like a lot of fun and attracts many tourists. If possible, I'd like to take part someday.
What parts of Japan's culture do you like? Are there some things you don't like so much? What foreign cultural events are you interested in?
