INTRODUCTION TO JAPAN Ms. Jones January 25, 2005

FACTS: Capital-Tokyo Located in Eastern Asia near North Pacific Ocean and Sea of Japan 47 Prefectures (states) Smaller than California 127,333,002 people 99% Japanese people; 1% other races Mostly rugged and mountainous

Anime Japanese students and adults love to read anime. Anime is a type of cartoon. The drawings are very detailed and look almost real. Anime is very popular; with many comic books and movies being made. There are also many different kinds of anime. Some teach important skills such as English and Science. While others are just for fun.

BICYCLES People in Japan often ride bikes everywhere because its faster and easier. They ride bikes to school, work, the grocery store, and many other places. Some bicycles have special baskets in the front for mothers to carry small children.

CLOTHING The Japanese wear the same clothing as Americans. But on special occasions such as weddings, funerals and festivals many people wear kimonos.

EDUCATION School in Japan is a little different from school in Baltimore. The school year begins in April and ends in March. All students wear uniforms to school.Elementary schools begins with Kindergarten and ends with 6 th grade. Middle school is from 7 th -9 th grade. High school is from 10 th -12 th grade. Students do not have to go to school after middle school. Also all students must learn English beginning in middle school.

EDUCATION II Bowing before class Japanese classroom

FOOD Japan has many of the same restaurants as Baltimore such as McDonald’s, KFC, Baskin Robbins and Subway. However, here are a few of traditional Japanese foods. Most food (except soup or cereal) is eaten with chopsticks. gyoza sushi tempura rice

GREETING Bowing is a very important custom in Japan. Japanese people bow all the time. Mostly, they greet each other by bowing instead of handshaking. It is impolite not to return a bow to whoever bowed to you. Bowing can mean many things. You can bow, when you say, "Thank you", "Sorry", "Hello", "Good bye", "Congratulations", "Excuse me", "Good night", "Good Morning", and more!! Teachers and students even bow before and after class. If the person is a teacher, doctor or other important person or older than you are, you should bow deeper and longer. It is polite to bow, bending from your waist. Men usually keep their hands in their sides, and women usually put their hands together on their thighs with their fingers touching.

HOMES The land is so small in Japan that there are many apartment buildings and very small houses. Almost the size of an apartment. There is a small hall near the door. Here, you must take off your shoes before you enter the house. Each room is separated by a sliding door. The floors of most rooms are made from Tatami mats. Some houses have beds but most people sleep on futon mats. The toilet and bathtub are in different rooms. Most houses have an American style toilet although some have traditional Japanese toilets. When taking a bath, you must first stand and wash with the shower. The bath is for soaking only. You can not use soaps in the bathtub.

HOMES II Futon bed Bath and shower toilet room Tatami mat

Important places Japan is a very beautiful country with many wonderful things to see and do. But here are a few places that most people like to see when they come to Japan. Mt. Fuji Kamakura- Big Buddha Tokyo Disneyland

LANGUAGE Unlike English, Japanese language has many letters and sounds. There are 3 sets of letters/sounds used to write in Japanese. Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji.

HIRAGANA

KATAKANA

SPEAKING JAPANESE: It’s Easy! Let’s Count: Ichi (eechee)-1 Ni (nee)-2 San (sun)-3 Shi (she)-4 Go-5 Roku (roekoo)-6 Shichi (sheechee)-7 Hachi (hychee)-8 Kyu (kew)-9 Jyu (jew)-10 Phrases: Konnichiwa (ko-nee-chee-wa)- hello/good afternoon Sayonara (sy-ya-na-ra)-goodbye O Genki Desuka? (o-genkee-des-ka)- How are you? O Namae Wa? (o-ny-my-wa)-What is your name? Watashi wa (___) desu. (wa-ta-she- wa) My name is __. Hajimemashite! (hi-jay-may-mosh- te)-How do you do! Dozo Yorosh(i)ku! (doe-zoe-yo-roesh- koo) Nice to meet you!

MONEY (YEN) 1 yen=1 cent 5y=5 cent 10y=10cent 100y=$1 500y=$5 1000y =$10 *Values are approximate because of change in currency rate.

RECREATION & SPORTS There are many sports and recreation activities in Japan but the most popular are Sumo Wrestling, Martial Arts (such as Karate), baseball, and Kabuki (type of theater play where men dress up and act out scenes).

Weather Weather in Japan is different from place to place. In southern Japan (near Okinawa Island) it is very warm all year long. However, in mainland Japan, the weather is very similar to Baltimore. There are four distinct seasons. Winter is very cold but there is hardly any snow. Spring is warm. Summer is very hot. During the end of summer there is also a period of intense rain. Fall is cool and breezy.

CONCLUSION Now that you know a little about Japan why don’t you try to practice some of the customs. You can try bowing, counting, and even introducing yourself. Have Fun!