Origami

Some say that Origami, or Japanese paper folding, began in China and came to
Japan around the 6th century. People did paper folding for both recreation and
other purposes. Origami is the art of making shapes from paper. You can make
many shapes, animals, and other objects with paper. You dont need special
paper, and you dont need special tools.

You fold the paper in different directions and ways to make objects. One of the
most popular objects is the crane, or tsuru, in Japanese. It is popular because
the crane represents long life.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy is an important part of Japanese life, and you only need a few special
tools to write: brushes, special rice paper, ink, and _________.

To write, you should first prepare the ink, either pouring it from an ink bottle or
rubbing the ink from an ink stone to create the ink. Next, you should dip your
brush in the ink. Posture is very important, so you should sit straight up.

Your writing style is important, and good writing includes:

There is a good balance in both the characters in size and shape

Straight lines are strong and clear

Curved lines are delicate and mobile

The amount of ink on the brush, or lack of it, is consistent throughout

The size of the characters

There is a rhythm in the whole work

Calligraphy is like music.

There are several writing systems. Kanji, or Chinese characters, originally from
China.

But around the 9th century, the Japanese developed an own writing system
based on syllables: Hiragana and katakana. Of the two kana systems, hiragana
is more cursive while katakana characters are more angular.
Hiragana and katakana each have 46 symbols which originally were kanji but
were change to easier symbols over the centuries. When looking at Japanese
writing, you can easily see the difference between: the complicated kanji and the
simpler kana signs.

Among the syllables are 5 vowels (a i u e o). The rest are syllables combined by
one of these vowels with a consonant (ka ki ku ke ko ra ri ru re ro...). One
exception is the n.

Katakana is usually used for foreign words like hamburger, x-ray, and even
English names.

Information from http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2047.html.

Kimono

Kimono is traditional clothing for men and women, and today it is usually worn
during festivals, weddings, and other formal events. The yukata is a summer
kimono often worn during festivals, and people sometimes wear it to relax when
staying at a Japanese hotel. There are many rules to wearing a kimono, but all
you need is the kimono and an obi (or sash belt). You usually fold the left side
over the right. If it is too long, adjust the length and fold at the waist. Then, you tie
the sash into a bow in the front of the back.

People often wear special shoes called geta when wearing a kimono.
Tea

Japanese drink many kinds of tea including green tea. For people who dont drink
caffeine, you can drink mugicha, or wheat tea. You can drink it hot or cold.