A visit to Japan

Like the Bahamas, Japan is a nation made up of many islands, but the cultures and ways of life of the two nations are very different. Japan lies in the western part of the North Pacific Ocean, off the east coast of mainland Asia. Scenery in Japan is varied, with mountains, volcanoes and plains, all surrounded by the sea. Earthquakes are frequent in Japan. Earthquake tremors can shake buildings and houses causing then to become damaged or destroyed. Despite this, there are many tall buildings in Japan. The highest building in Japan is the Tokyo Sky Tree (634m). Architects and engineers make sure that the buildings can withstand earthquakes by being flexible. A building made out of concrete only is more likely to collapse when there is an earthquake because the concrete will crack under pressure. Metals such as steel are considered better materials because they can easily bend and are flexible, they can sway when hit by an earthquake but do not collapse as easily. In Japan, architects use concrete reinforced with steel to build tall structures. However, there are also many Japanese homes that are made from wood and are no higher than two floors. This means when an earthquake strikes that there will be less falling debris. In most Japanese homes, there is a mixture if traditional and modern furniture. For example, many people sleep on a futon, a type of mattress that is laid out on the floor at night then rolled up during the day. The floors are covered with straw matting called tatami. These are
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A Visit to Japan

kept spotlessly clean, and everyone must take off their shoes as they enter the house. Rooms within a home can be separated by partitions called fusuma, which are sliding doors made from wood and paper. Fusuma are portable and easily removed, so you can change the shape of your room very easily! An industrious nation Japan is one of the most developed and industrial counties in the world. The standard of living in Japan is one of the highest in the world. The Bahamas has natural resources that have allowed it to develop a tourist industry, but Japan has few natural resources. So the people have learnt to manufacture goods that are exported all over the world. We see many Japanese goods on sale in The Bahamas electronics such cameras, music players, TVs, computers, cars. Other Japanese exports include ships, heavy machinery, lorries, steel, textiles, fish products, and art objects. Most of the large-scale manufacturing companies are in the cities, but there are also many small factories scattered all over the country. The currency used in Japan is called the Yen.

Festivals and celebrations As in The Bahamas, people in Japan celebrate many special days, but their festivals are very different from our festivals. For example, on the first day of January- New Years Day- many Japanese families dress in their best clothes and meet to share a drink of sweet, spiced rice wine. The wine is said to destroy evil spirits and build up strength. Traditional New Years Day foods have special meanings too: rice cakes mean good fortune, food made from seaweed is for happiness, and potatoes also help to drive away evil spirits. Children may receive small gifts, or envelopes containing money, from relatives and friends who call. Whenever people visit one another in Japan, small gifts are exchanged. It is an important part of Japanese culture always to give a gift when accepting one.

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A Visit to Japan

Another festival is the Iris Festival, or Childrens Day, celebrated 5 May. In the past, boys in Japan were paid much more attention than girls, and this festival was originally a celebration of and for boys. The iris is a favorite flower that blooms in parks and gardens all over Japan in May and June. Iris leaves are a symbol of heroism. They are put into a boys bath to make him strong and brave. On the day of the festival, brightly colored paper and cloth kites fly from bamboo poles in the garden. The children also have kites which they fly high in the air, and the wage kite battles with their friends. Its fun to see the many different colors and shapes of the kites oaring in the wind- dragons, butterflies, dragonflies and carp. The carp is a fish which is a symbol of energy and power. Have you ever flown a kite? If so, what shape was it, and what were its colors?

Akira visits the countryside Akira lives in Tokyo, the largest city and capital of Japan. Here there are many modern factories and offices, busy streets and brig tights, and there is television everywhere, in homes, shops and offices. Tokyo is extremely vibrant and it is one of the most exciting cities in the world. Akiras father is an electronics engineer, and he travels to work each day on the busy Tokyo underground railway system. Today Akira and her mother and father are going to visit relatives in the country. As they travel out of the city, they leave behind the busy streets and begin to see small, neat farms and rice fields. Less than one-quarter ( ) of the land in Japan is suitable for farming, because there are so many mountains. The farmers work hard to get the most from the areas where they can grow crops, the most valuable of which is rice. Like the Singhs in Book 5, Akir as uncle also owns a paddy field. He does not harvest his rice by hand as they do, but uses machinery to gather the rice from the paddy fields. The family arrived at the home of Akiras cousin, Masa around lunchtime. There they dry their wet feet, and Aunt Yukiko gives them some mochi, which is a special cake made from earlyharvested rice. Then the two girls go to put on their kimonos. The kimono is a long, loss gown
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A Visit to Japan

that is tied around the middle with a wide sash called an obi. Both men and women wear the kimono in the past everyone wore it all the time, but nowadays they usually only worn on special occasions. Soon more friends and family arrive; special dishes are handed round tiny fish, rice cakes and other sweet cakes. It is good for the family to be together again. Now that Akiras father works in Tokyo, they dont see each other so often. PICTURES

Mount Fiji

Tokyo city (tall buildings)

electronic goods

Iris Festival

Iris Festival

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A Visit to Japan

carp kites

Tokyo train station

the bullet train

rice field

a rice farmer

tatami

a kimono

fusuma

futon

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A Visit to Japan