Compare And Contrast Analysis Of The Culture Of Hong Kong And Japan

Hong Kong and Japan are the popular spots for travelling, while is known as ‘Shopping Paradise’ and Japan is the favourite place of the tourist. However, their culture is the most fascinating place. Hong Kong is a cultural salad bowl which allows distinct communities keep its own culture without forming a single homogenous culture. Japan allows people with different culture living harmoniously under the influential culture. This essay will explain the similarities on rite, spiritual culture and eating culture while illustrating the differences in terms of ideology different, relations, lifestyles and focus on environment.

Firstly, they are both attaching the importance on the Four Ceremonial Occasions. They are both treating Gwanhonsangje as a very seriously. Hong Kong and Japanese people pay attention on the age ceremony (gwallye), wedding (hollye), funeral (sangrye), sacrifices (jerye), investing bunch of money and lots of time on preparing the ceremony in welcome the new stage of life. On one hand, in Hong Kong, most of the families will gather their relatives and tidy up the grave of their ancestor during Ching Ming Festival.

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On the other hand, Japanese will also tidy up the grave of the ancestor then they will dance the Bon-Odori Dance to celebrate the Obon Festival.

Secondly, ‘Cha’ culture is well-know a spiritual culture in Hong Kong and Japan. Both Chinese and Japanese treat ‘Cha’ as national quintessence, pay fully respect on ‘Cha’. ‘Cha’ is the necessity of both places’ people, which they get in touch them the most, as well as carrying the history, wisdom and belief showing the value the each places.

‘Yam Cha’ is believing that the most remarkable habit showing the spiritual value of ‘Cha’ toward Hong Kong. People get used to ‘Yam Cha’ every weekend with their relatives for family coherence, reveals the importance of family in Chinese history. Way of tea symbolize the accomplishment of Japanese, which educating people with a good manner. However, there are some differences of culture between Hong Kong and Japan. Firstly, there are ideology difference on couples’ relationship. Japanese normally won’t visit their partner’s parents not until they are about to get marry. Japanese are usually introverted, so they tend to not revealing their matters, emotions until it was necessary. Therefore, Japanese normally approach to their parents when having important decision to announce, marry, for instance is commonly being told when the couples approach their parents. As for Hong Kong, it is normal for Hong Kong couples to have visit and having dinner with their partner’s family.

Hong Kong was a place with the combination of western culture due to historical factor and thus the people are more open-minded, higher degree of acceptance which allows them to speak and do whatever they want. So, couples in Hong Kong will normally show themselves in front of the relatives even if their relationship isn’t stable enough. Secondly, they have differences in lifestyle. Hong Kongers have a very fast pace of life. They walk and speak more briskly than the people living in Tokyo.

On one hand, Japan is divided into provinces with distinct degree of development and competition, so with majority places are not keen on competition, many places in Japan giving an impression of slow pace. On the other hand, Hong Kong people is a small place and thus with smaller range different on economic development allows them to share the same pace. In addition, Hong Kong has gone through hard time and has long history of being a centre of economic heart which trigger Hong Kongers to treasure every second driving them to have a fast pace. Therefore, Hong Kong has a name of fast-paced city.

Sum of all the facts that I have mentioned, this essay has included parallelism between Hong Kong and Japan on respecting etiquette together with the psychic value of ‘Cha’, while explaining the clashes in aspects of thoughts different as well as ways if living. Despite of the variations, the communities still maintain its nature when getting along harmoniously in the society is one of the factors which draw many tourists to come and admire their culture. And thus highly influential in the stage of international.

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