1. Raw horse meat is a popular food in Japan.

2. Sometimes the trains are so crowded railway staff are employed to cram passengers inside.

3. For many Japanese couples Christmas is celebrated like Valentine's Day in the western world.

4. Poorly written English can be found everywhere, including T-shirts and other fashion items.

5. More than 70% of Japan consists of mountains, including more than 200 volcanoes.

6. Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, is an active volcano.

7. Religion does not play a big role in the lives of most Japanese and many do not understand the difference between Shintoism and Buddhism.

8. A nice musk melon, similar to a cantaloupe, may sell for over $300US.

9. There are four different writing systems in Japan, romaji, katakana, hiragana, and kanji.

10. Coffee is very popular and Japan imports approximately 85% of Jamaica's annual coffee production.

11. Japan's literacy rate is almost 100%.

12. Sumo is Japan's national sport, although baseball is also very popular.

13. Sumo wrestlers eat a stew called Chankonabe to fatten up. Many restaurants in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo serve this nabe (Japanese word for stew).

14. Many of the western style toilets in Japan have a built-in bidet system for spraying your backside.

15. When you use the restroom in some one's home, you may need to put on special bathroom slippers so as not to contaminate the rest of the home.

16. Noodles, especially soba (buckwheat), are slurped loudly when eaten. It is often said slurping symbolizes the food is delicious, but the slurping also serves to cool down the hot noodles for eating.

17. Japan is the world’s largest consumer of Amazon rain forest timber.

18. Vending machines in Japan sell beer, hot and cold canned coffee, cigarettes, and other items.

19. When moving into an apartment it is often required to give the landlord a "gift" of money equal to two months' rent.

20. There are around 1,500 earthquakes every year in Japan.

21. In Japan it is not uncommon to eat rice at every meal, including breakfast.

22. Average life expectancy in Japan is one of the highest in the world. Japanese people live an average of 4 years longer than Americans.

23. Japan is the largest automobile producer in the world.

24. The Japanese language has thousands of foreign loan words, known as gairaigo. These words are often truncated, e.g personal computer = paso kon. The number of foreign loan words is steadily increasing.

25. Tsukiji market in Tokyo is the world's largest fish market.

26. Although whaling is banned by the IWC, Japan still hunts whales under the premise of research.  The harvested whale meat ends up in restaurants and supermarkets.

27. In the past men might shave their heads to apologize.

28. In the past women in Japan might cut their hair after breaking up with a boyfriend.

29. Tokyo has had 24 recorded instances of people either killed or receiving serious skull fractures while bowing to each other with the traditional Japanese greeting.

30. The first novel, The Tale of Genji, was written in 1007 by a Japanese noble woman, Murasaki Shikibu.

31. The term karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.

32. In a Sumo training "stable" the junior rikishi Sumo wrestlers must wash and bathe their senior sumo wrestlers and make sure their hard to reach places are clean.

33. Contrary to popular belief, whale meat is not a delicacy in Japan. Many Japanese dislike the taste and older Japanese are reminded of the post-World War II period when whale meat was one of the few economical sources of protein.

34. Rampant inbreeding of dogs has resulted in one of the highest rate of genetic defects in the world for canines.

35. Raised floors help indicate when to take off shoes or slippers. At the entrance to a home in Japan, the floor will usually be raised about 6 inches indicating you should take off your shoes and put on slippers. If the house has a tatami mat room its floor may be rasied 1-2 inches indicating you should to take off your slippers.

36. Ramen noodles are a popular food in Japan and it is widely believed extensive training is required to make a delicious soup broth. This is the subject of the movies Tampopo (1985) and The Ramen Girl (2008).

37. On average, it takes about 7-10 years of intensive training to become a fugu (blowfish) chef. This training may not be needed in the future as some fish farms in Japan are producing non-poisonous fugu.

38. Ovens are not nearly as commonplace as rice cookers in Japanese households.

39. Geisha means "person of the arts" and the first geisha were actually men.

40. It was customary in ancient Japan for women to blacken their teeth with dye as white teeth were considered ugly. This practice persisted until the late 1800's.

41. In ancient Japan, small eyes, a round puffy face, and plump body were considered attractive features.

42. Some traditional Japanese companies conduct a morning exercise session for the workers to prepare them for the day's work.

43. In Japan non-smoking areas are difficult to find in restaurants, including family restaurants. Many of Japan's politicians have interest in the tobacco industry so anti-smoking laws are almost non-existent.  If you are planning a trip to Japan you may want to think twice if you are sensitive to cigarette smoke.

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Suddenly, the ground begins to shake. It's an earthquake! As yet, no one has figured out a way to predict exactly when or where an earthquake will strike. So what can we do to lessen the damage caused when one does happen? We can’t expect to think fast in an emergency. It’s important to prepare for an earthquake before it arrives. In Japan, where there are lots of earthquakes, disaster prevention training takes place every year in schools, offices, and local communities throughout the country.

The best thing to do will be different depending on things like the size of the earthquake and where you are when it happens. In a very strong earthquake measuring at least Magnitude 6 Lower on the Japanese scale, it is difficult to stay on your feet, most unfixed furniture will shift, and windows and wall tiles may shatter. In a major earthquake like this, the best thing you can do is to stay where you are, keep low, and cover your head. In a smaller earthquake measuring Magnitude 5 Upper, on the other hand, things start to fall off the shelves, but it is still possible to walk as long as you hold on to something. In the case of an earthquake measuring Magnitude 5 Upper or less, therefore, you should move to a safe place close by. If you are in a school or some other building that is well protected against earthquakes, it is a good idea to take shelter under a nearby desk to protect your head. If you are in a building that does not have good earthquake defenses, you should evacuate the building, keeping your head covered against falling objects at all times. Kids in Japan grow up practicing this kind of drill as part of their classes in school.

Preparing for a disaster is a serious matter. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! Lots of training programs in Japan use an original and fun approach so that children can learn and have fun at the same time. One of these is called “Crisis! Frog Caravan.” This gives kids a chance to try lots of different drills. In the “Blanket Stretcher Time Trial,” participants have to roll up a blanket to make a stretcher, and then use the stretcher to carry a heavy frog-doll out of danger. The idea of using everyday items like blankets comes from previous experiences in real-life earthquake situations, when there have sometimes not been enough stretchers available. There are lots of other fun drills. One is the “Fire Extinguisher Target Game,” in which kids spray fire extinguishers at a spinning frog target and try to flip it over. Another is the “Jack-Up Game” in which children use a jack to lift the frog to safety.

Another activity on the timetable at many schools in Japan is making up disaster safety maps. Students do research to find out where the local evacuation areas and danger spots are, and then use this information to create maps of their local area. These maps show things like walls that might fall down in an earthquake, and the addresses of people who might need special help in an emergency, such as old or disabled people. Japan has also been helping to introduce these maps in schools in other countries in Asia.

Computer programs and games are another way of teaching students important lessons about planning for a disaster while having fun at the same time.

All these activities are based on lessons learned from real earthquakes. Taking part in these training exercises helps kids to imagine what things might be like in a real emergency and what the best response would be. The fun drills let kids enjoy themselves at the same time as learning how to act appropriately if a real earthquake ever strikes. Japan is often struck by earthquakes and other natural disasters like typhoons, but because people practice these drills from childhood, the damage caused when natural disasters do occur is very limited. 

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Cream pastry ornaments are a really big craze in Japan these days. You can make them yourself, and if you do it right they look so delicious they make your mouth water. But you can't possibly eat them because all those scrumptious-looking cakes, doughnuts, cream puffs, éclairs and things that seem so real are just toys.

Those real-looking toy ‘sweets’ are the inspired idea of a Japanese company named Epoch Co., Ltd. The company noticed that many women in Japan—from little girls to grandmothers—had developed a fascination for knickknacks and accessory items that looked like little cakes, doughnuts, cookies, and other pastries. It also noticed that quite a few of those women were not satisfied with what the stores offered, and had begun handcrafting their own original pastry ornaments.

 

The first cream decorating toy set appeared in the spring of 2008. A series of sets with pastry motifs ranging from doughnuts to cupcakes quickly followed. And as of March 2009 sales had passed the one million mark! This is an astonishing success in the Japanese toy market, where a product is considered a hit if it achieves sales of 10,000 units.

With the new Excellent Set you can create a total of 20 different pastry ornaments, including a decorated double-layer cake.

One big reason for the immense popularity of the cream decorating toy sets is the enjoyment that mothers and daughters find in making the little pastry ornaments together. Another is the opportunity it gives young women to practice before making their own original pastry accessories. Their amazing popularity contributed to the selection of the cream decorating toy sets for an award at the first Japanese Toy Awards in 2008. They took the Excellence Award in the Trendy Toy category.

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The land area of Japan is 378,000 square kilometers, which is one twenty-fifth that of the United States (a little smaller than California), one-twentieth that of Australia, and 1.5 times that of Britain. Three-quarters of the country is mountainous, with plains and basins covering the remaining area. Japan consists of a long series of islands stretching for 3,000 kilometers from north to south. The four main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.

Japan is surrounded by sea. Warm and cold currents flow through the seas around it, creating an environment that supports a variety of fish species.

Most of Japan is in the Northern Temperate Zone of the earth and has a humid monsoon climate, with southeasterly winds blowing from the Pacific Ocean during the summer and northwesterly winds blowing from the Eurasian continent in the winter.

The country has four well-defined seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Two of the most beautiful sights in Japan are the cherry blossoms in spring and the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows of the autumn leaves. The Japanese people enjoy these signs of the changing seasons and track their progress with weather reports, which feature maps showing where the spring blossoms and autumn leaves are at their best. The far north and south of Japan have very different climates. In March, for example, you can go sunbathing in the south and skiing in the north!

The country often suffers such serious natural disasters as typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. Although these disasters can claim many lives, as in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of January 1995 and the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011, the Japanese have been working hard for years to minimize their damage. Japan uses state-of-the-art technologies to design quake-resistant structures and to track storms with greater precision

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Location: Japan's neighbors include the Republic of Korea, China, and Russia.

National flag: Known as the Hinomaru, the flag depicts the sun as a red ball against a white background.

National anthem: "Kimigayo"

Population: 127,797,000 (as of June 2011) 

Land area: 377,947 square kilometers

Unit of currency: yen

Language: Japanese (The written Japanese language uses a combination of three writing systems: kanji, hiragana, and katakana.)

Main religions: Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity

Number of prefectures: 47

Capital: Tokyo (population 13,188,831 as of Nov 2011); land area 2,187.58 square kilometers)

Emperor: Emperor Akihito acceded to the throne as the 125th emperor of Japan in 1989. The Emperor is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people.

Goverment:

Legislature: House of Representatives (480 members); House of Councillors (242 members

Administration: Cabinet Office and 11 ministries and agencies under a prime minister

Judiciary: Supreme Court, High Courts, District Courts, Summary Courts, and Family Courts

Main industries: automobiles, precision machinery, consumer electronics, computers, and other electronic goods

GDP: US$5,042 billion (as of 2009)

GDP per capita: US$39,530 (as of 2009)

 Administration: Cabinet Office and 11 ministries and agencies under a prime minister

Judiciary: Supreme Court, High Courts, District Courts, Summary Courts, and Family Courts

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Ancient Japanese history includes alternating periods of isolation and revolutionary influences from the rest of the world. As early as the Jomon period from about 14000BC to 300 BC, Japan had a hunter-gatherer lifestyle; wooden stilt houses, pit dwelling, and agriculture. Weaving was still unknown and the ancient Japanese clothing consisted of fur. However, some of the world's oldest pottery is found in Japan, along with daggers, jade, combs made form shell and clay figures.

The period thereafter to 250 BC saw the influx of new practices like weaving, rice sowing, iron and bronze making influenced by china and Korea. Chinese travelers describe the men 'with braided hair, tattooing and women with large, single-piece clothing.' Initially ancient Japanese clothing consisted of single piece clothing. The ancient and classical Japan begins from the middle of the 3rd century to 710. An advanced agricultural and militaristic culture defines this period. By 645, Japan rapidly adopted Chinese practices and reorganized its penal code.

The peak period of ancient Japan and its imperial court is from 794 to 1185. Art, poetry, literature and trade expeditions continued with vigor. Warlords and powerful regional families ruled ancient Japan from 1185 to 1333 and the emperor was just a figure head. By the Japanese Middle Ages, Portugal had introduced firearms by a chance landing of their ship at Japanese coast; samurai charging ranks were cut down; trade with Netherlands, England and Spain had opened up new avenues. Several missionaries had entered Japan as well.

Distinct features of the lifestyle, ancient Japanese clothing and women is difficult to decipher for the simple reason that it is super-imposed by the Chinese culture. Ancient Japan readily adopted other cultures and practices and most of its own culture is lost among these adaptations.

Ancient Japanese clothing was mostly unisex, with differences being in colors, length and sleeves. A Kimono tied with an Obi or a sash around the waist was the general clothing and with the advent of western clothing are now mostly worn at home or special occasions. Women's obi in ancient Japanese clothing would mostly be elaborate and decorative. Some would be as long as 4meters and tied as a flower or a butterfly. Though a Yukata means a 'bath clothing', these were often worn in the summers as morning and evening gowns. Ancient Japanese clothing consisted of mena and women wearing Haori or narrow paneled jacket for special occasions such as marriages and feasts. These are worn over a kimono and tied with strings at the breast level.

The most interesting piece of ancient Japanese clothing is the ju-ni-hitoe or the 'twelve layers' adorned by ladies at the imperial court. It is multi-layered and very heavy and worn on a daily basis for centuries! The only change would be the thickness of the fabric and the number of layers depending on the season. Princesses still wear these on weddings.

Since the Japanese people don't wear footwear inside their homes, tabi is still worn. These are split -toe socks woven out of non-stretch materials with thick soles. Clogs have been worn for centuries in ancient Japan and were known as Geta. These were made of wood with two straps and were unisexual. Zori was footwear made of softer materials like straw and fabric with a flat sole.

Ancient Japanese clothes, culture and footwear are slowly regaining their popularity with the western world. There is an honest curiosity in knowing more, wearing kimonos or using silk fabrics with beautiful floral prints from the 'land of the rising sun'.

Christopher Schwebius is an entrepreneur who seeks out sharply defined, specifically focused topics to research. Upon finishing his research he provides relevant, un-biased information to his readers based on his discoveries and/or personal experiences.

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HI PEOPLE!

This is not funny or good news...

Recently i saw a lot of questions that i had scent to a girl on her blog: http://mixa.bloggplatsen.se/fragor/

BUT THAT WASN'T ME!

I don't know what have happend!! :((

Someone has logged in on my blog somehow...

I have mailed blogg.se about this... And i hope that they will solve this!

IF you get nasty comments or something like that from me, that's not the REAL ME!

I hope that you will understand this <3

HUGGGGGSSSSS from the REAL Shin-chan! <3

The thought of Japanese culture might bring to mind masks, white faces, kimonos and tea; but there’s much more to it than that. While those things still exist – and remain important part of the Japanese culture – there is more to what goes on in Japan. 

Japan’s traditional arts offer an opportunity to experience something truly exotic or find inner calm. These ancient 'ways' are not for the faint of heart, but each year many foreigners trek to Japan to enlighten themselves through study of these arts. 

Modern-day Japan features many festivals, including everything from snow festivals to fire festivals to fertility festivals. When it comes to food, the Japanese are constantly creating new delicacies and the many options offer visitors the excuse to travel the length of the country just to sample local dishes. 

Spring brings the cherry blossoms – considered symbols of life's all-too-brief span. The beauty of summer fireworks and autumn's spectacular changing leaves can also take the breath away. 

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