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Like us, politics play a prominant role in their life. A good place to start researching Japan as it is today would be to start at the end of WWII You get info on the Yakuza (japanese mafia, which is insanely fun to learn about) the reason behind the friction between Okinawa and the rest of the country, the political mindset that to this day is repeated, for example the text book issue their having with China. Or theres the little princess and wheather or not she should be the first real woman leader of the nation.

There lives are just as complex as our own and other than common curticies like the ones above their lives and current culture is mainly politics and recent history. The new generation of Japan has to learn about their past just like us, so I wouldnt try to delve to hard into the deep past.

P.S., it's concidered polite to slurp soup, because it tells them it eas good.

a lot of the info everyone has posted is great. its right on. =) reminds me of when i was there. i got to eat school lunch with the kiddies at elementary school and with the teachers in junior high. when with the teachers they went all out to teach me how to eat properly (like a lady). you never ever leave your rice bowl on the table while eating from it. They told me its like eating like a dog. Also if you are sipping from your bowl there is a certain way to hold your chopsticks against the bowl while you are holding them both.

as much as i liked sake when i was in the usa when i got to japan i went nuts for chu-hi. it is one part soda water, one part shochu and fruit flavoring to taste. one can would go for about 165 yen (dollar to yen rate at posting: 1 USD = 107.94 yen)

also about the chopstix in the bowl. you dont leave them standing straight up because it is only for funeral and memorial services. the chopsticks (hashi) are left standing for rememberance of the deceased. Also you dont hand stuff off between chopsticks because this too is a part of the funeral service. After the body has been cremated the family open the coffin/case and hand to each other the remaining bones. Also another bit of info funerals happen quick in Japan. My friend Tomoko and a teacher told me that it is law that after a person dies they must be cremated in two days. They said it but I dont know. The body isnt embalmed like the west does it. When friends and family come to the funeral they bring money to help with expences. Also, after services fruits (mostly oranges) are given to guests/friends of the deceased as a type of thank you for coming and paying last respects.

sorry for all the morbid stuff. i saw a lot of memorial thingys go on on my street while in Wakayama. its sad when you are enjoying your day just riding your bike on the inner streets and you find a memorial service going on. all you can do is bow to family and keep going. crying

some vocab words to my funeral lecture above 3nodding

kouden~ condolence money mourners give at at funeral ceremonies

kotsuage~ the picking up of the deceased's bones (by attendants) with chopsticks

kotsutsubo~ the small jar the bones are placed within

*extra* noukotsu~ the kotsutsubo (jar bones are placed in) is kept in the house of the deceased for 49 days. Think kinda like an Urn. There is a memorial service on the 49th day (after the death) and the urn is buried at a grave site.

Ever since I was able to talk, my grandmother would be babbling on and on about how the Japanese were so much politer than us. When I went to Japan when I was seven, I was walking my great aunt's dog, Chiizu (Erm...Cheese). Chiizu was a wild one, and everything looked the same, so I accidentally pulled Chiizu in the wrong direction and ended up being a mile away from the house. I knew no Japanese, and I was shy anyways, so I didn't talk to anyone. Some people helped me, and even though I knew not to talk to strangers, I decided to trust them. They fed me, and in the end I was found. (Yep. Grandma was right.)

I love that you can tell that you're finished with your rice by laying your chopsticks on top of the bowl. You don't have to say anything.

Here's a bit about Japanese history, at least in the Heian Period that I found interesting. Though most of the facts that I have are about homosexuality, anything else is moreso jack-of-all in nature. Sadly not enough to speak on much completely accurately.
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/Forced_Affection.html

And they know when you would like anpther pot of tea if you set the lid on its side, too.

I would love to get a kimono...especially with the obi, even if it is hard to walk around in it. I fall over enough anyways that a little more hindrance may do nothing at all.

i dont remember too much slurping when drinking tea but then again i was schooled by kyoto women.

if you get that big bowl of ramen though PLEASE by all means slurp that bad boy down!