Culture of Kumogakure

The citizens of Kumogakure are known for their laid-back and friendly attitude. Individual and artistic freedom is very important to them, as they enjoy a lot of different arts like music, drawing, and poetry. Generosity, friendliness, and humor are considered great values, while shyness, cowardness, and being ‘boring’ are seen as negative. It is not rare to find strangers asking each other “How are you doing?”, however it is seen more as a greeting as opposed to a genuine question. Saying Kumogakure has only one culture would be wrong, as it consists of a lot of cultures being blended together. Outsiders may mistake their easily approachable and proud attitude for being loud and obnoxious, but later on, they realize that it is easy to make friends in Kumo. As a guest, bringing smaller gifts for your hosts is well seen here, the most common ones being a bottle of sake or a box of pralinés. Due to the strong diversity and multiculturalism, Kumogakure is known as one of the least xenophobic and LGBT-phobic villages.   Kumogakure has a free market economy and is internationally known as a tax oasis due to the lowest taxes in the five great ninja nations, a lot of businesses and corporations are located here, leading to a strong, flourishing economy. In contrast to Kirigakure, Kumogakure does not have a state-owned social welfare system, however, it is a common expectation for the bigger corporations and businesses to hold private charities to help those in need. A refusal of these charities will often lead to bankruptcy in the long term. Since artistic limitations are often frowned upon, freedom of speech is guaranteed in Kumogakure, although complaining about the taxes being too high right in front of the Raikage is seen as very impolite and rude. However, it does leave room for musical and visual satire, which consumption is also one of A’s guilty pleasures. Although criticized by other nations, Kumogakure does teach their children about financial management and sex education in the academy to minimize the rates of teen pregnancy and encourage local spending of money.   Most residents prefer grey and light brown clothes in a more western cut. It is not easy to tell which class a citizen belongs to, as clothing tastes are usually shared between the rich and the poor. Agility and freedom to move are important factors when it comes to picking the right clothes.   The climate in the lightning realm is cold to moderate, resulting in cold winters and mild summers. Due to the warm air coming from the wind realm, sweeping over the wave realm, and clashing with the cold mountain air of the lightning realm, thunderstorms are not a rarity here. The landscape is dominated by mountains, rivers, and luscious grasslands which are often used for cattle breeding. There is a wide variation of herbs and flowers growing in the mountains, some of which are often used in the cuisine. The woods in the mountains also offer a great variation of mosses and mushrooms, which are also popular in the light realm cuisine. The lightning realm is also known for its impressive coastlines, although swimming is rather difficult due to strong rip tides and high waves that crash against the rocks. Due to the high geothermal activities, there are also a lot of hot springs located in the country, which have become a big tourist attraction over the years.   The mountains and grasslands offer a great habitat for various cattle like cows, bison, sheep, and mountain goats, most are kept for commercial success. Most native animals, including bears, ibex goats, and lizards, have been driven out to expand the room for cattle breeding. In the sea around the lightning realm, there is a lot of saltwater fish that are moving through the rivers. Near the village though, it is not uncommon to find raccoons and badgers scavenging the trash for food. In winter you can also often find whales migrating towards the waters of the iron realm.   The Kumo cuisine consists mostly of beef, lamb, and other cattle, there are a lot of different ways the latter is prepared. Kumo’s meat industry is very big, and a lot of it is exported into other countries like the wave realm and the fire realm. The most popular meat-based dishes are roasted beef, roasted lamb, and burgers. The meat coming from Kumogakure has a great quality, which a lot of residents are very proud of.   Beer and Sake. Nuff said.   Many don’t know this, but most manufactured sweets come from Kumogakure and the lightning realm. They are known for their colorful candy and delicious sweets. Rainbow bonbons are especially popular among children. These are available in apple, cherry, strawberry, lemon, melon, and mango flavors.   In the lightning realm, there is a lot of apples, pear, and cherry trees. It is a common tradition to make delicious pies and cakes out of them, they taste very good with whipped cream.