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     It is well-known that the best way to understand another culture is to plunge into it, to dissolve in it. But not everybody has a chance to move to another country and live there among native people for quite a long period of time that can be enough for understanding its customs and traditions. Another way which is cheaper and more available is to get acquainted with it by means of different culture carriers – painting, music, architecture, movies etc. Anime as a kind of visual arts and essential part of Japanese life can also be considered as certain "informational resource”.

     I think, it's not a secret that Japanese culture is heavily symbolic and its comprehension can turn out to be very difficult for a European. Based on religion, mythology and epic, Anime world is saturated with different symbols that are fixed in mentality of Japanese people but can be recondite for us. For example, let's take some popular Miyazaki's Anime. Ko-dama from "Princess Mononoke” and Cat-bus bakeneko from "My neighbour Totoro” are spirits from Japanese legends and I really doubt that a lot of people from our country have an idea what they are, how they look and behave. But after watching these two Anime one (not everybody but the one who's interested in it) can get certain notion about these mythological spirits.

     Anime can also illustrate a great deal of cultural aspects concerning every-day life, social relationships, traditions and etiquette. Do you need any examples? Well, first, let's talk about holidays. Do you know what is the most popular present for Valentine's day in Japan? Valentine cards? No. Watch... hm.. "Vampire Knight” for example and you'll see that on this day Japanese girls present hand-made (or bought if they cook badly) chocolate to those people they respect or like. Something about everyday life? Well, watch "Fruit basket” or any other school Anime and you'll find out that study year in Japan begins in April. Something about people's relationships? Do you know that it is usually a girl who first tells a boy about her "romantic feelings”? She can give him a letter with her "I love you” or just her lunch which is called "obento” to show her liking. A lot of people may disapprove of Anime because they see pron (let me use this euphemism) hints almost everywhere. Sometimes they are right. It's all because of the religion. In contrast to Catholic Europe and Orthodox Russia, Japan has never come across religion's disapprobation of sex. So, this aspect of people's relationships isn't "a delicate subject”. And you know, in Japanese religion homosexuality has never been regarded as something shameful, on the contrary, during the centuries the love between two samurais was believed to be the purest one. Reflecting cultural views Anime can also contain certain homosex hints even not being of the Yaoi genre.

     A great deal of other examples can be provided but I guess that'll be enough. It's clear that all aspects of Japanese life are shown and even explained in Anime.

     There are different ways of getting knowledge about this or that country. There are different means to understand this or that culture. There are different people who prefer this or that way or means. And I do believe that Anime can be deservedly named one of them.