Japan
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Japan - Land of the Rising Sun Mt. Fuji is a symbol of Japan. It is an inactive volcano that has a virtually symmetric cone shape. It is frequently shrouded with clouds, and you are fortunate to see Mt. Fuji in it's full glory. |
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Himeji
Castle is one of the most beautiful castles that remain from the
feudal days.
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Osaka
is the 3rd largest city of Japan and is located in a region, known as
Kansai. Osaka is very oriented to commerce. It is common for Osaka businessmen
to greet each other by saying, "Have you made money today?"
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A
traditional business establishment in Osaka
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The
Imperial Palace is the cloistered residence of the Emperor and Empress
of Japan. Bob once played frisbee on the palace grounds, which probably
is forbidden.
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Geisha
are ladies who are skilled in the entertainment arts, such as traditional
dancing, singing, koto (Japanese harp-like instrument), shamisen (Japanese
banjo), and pleasing conversation.
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Ginza
is the famous entertainment center of Tokyo with many theaters and bars.
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A Pachinko parlor in Kobe Pachinko is a uniquely Japanese game, that can be described as a hybrid of pinball and slot machines. You buy a number of steel balls that you insert into the machines. The objective is to shoot the balls to the top, let them fall through many embedded steel pins, and skillfully open up little levered mouths that swallow up the falling balls. Swallowed balls yield more steel balls that can be redeemed for prizes and sometimes cash. Many people spend their leisure hours playing pachinko. Some serious addicts make their living playing Pachinko. |
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Japan is a fascinating country with a long history. Although Japan is smaller in land mass than California, many provinces and regions distinguish themselves with different customs and dialects. October or May are the best months to travel. With cold winters and humid summers, Japan has a climate similar to the Eastern U.S., except for the monsoon rains in June and July. Japan, or as the Japanese say it, Nihon (pronounced nee-hone) or Nippon (pronounced neep-pone), literally means the "land of the rising sun" or "source of the sun". The country was so named by someone who standing in China looking East toward the rising sun. The Chinese characters used for writing Japan went through two oral transformations. First, they were "japanized" by the Japanese people who initially had no writing system and adopted the Chinese writing system. Japanese pronunciations were given to the Chinese characters, resulting in Nihon and Nippon. Nihon is the more common usage. Nippon is used in referring to Japan in a more formal and, perhaps, nationalistic sense. Second, a variant of the Chinese pronunciation of the same word for Japan, ja-pun, was picked up by the European travellers to China. This pronunciation was transformed into Spanish and Portugese word Japon (pronounced ha-pone). The English version was Japan. Although China has strongly influenced Japanese culture through its written language, architecture, religions, and medicine, the Japanese people are ethnically distinct. The extreme differences between the monosyllabic Chinese spoken language and polysyllabic Japanese spoken language are evidence that the Japanese are intrinsically different from the Chinese. Samurai Story |
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