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* Link to purchase the published book, "When Life Feels Hungry, I Read Culture": https://bit.ly/3tnybpW The Culture That Dominates Japan Why Are There So Many Old Stores in Japan? Are They a Good Thing? Old Stores in Japan There are many restaurants that have been around for over 100 years in Japan. Not just restaurants, but also rice cake shops, confectionery shops, side dish shops, tea houses, and even these days, stamp shops have been in business in the same place for hundreds of years. These old stores are called "shinise (老舗, old store)" in Japan. According to one survey, there are a whopping 27,300 stores or companies in Japan that are over 100 years old. There are even 21 stores that are over 1,000 years old. Why are there so many unimaginably old stores in Japan? And how is it possible to do the same thing for generations? And is this really a good thing, like the craftsmanship that is praised in Korea? The key to understanding this is the Wa culture that has dominated Japan for 1,400 years. Wa simply means Japan itself, as seen in Japanese food (washoku), Japanese clothing (wafuku), and Japanese confectionery (wagashi). The simplest interpretation of this is “getting along well.” So how do we get along well? It’s about each person doing their own thing in their own place. If you understand how this Wa culture works and dominates in Japan, you’ll understand why young Japanese people graduate from prestigious universities, get good jobs, and then return to small udon shops to continue their family line. #JapanWa #JapaneseWaThoughts #JapaneseWaCulture