Monthly Archives: January 2014

Ten things I know about Japan

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I want to see how my knowledge of Japan changes in time, so here’s a list of things off the top of my head I think I know (in no order and not exhaustive!):

  1. Japan is where sushi, origama, sumu wrestling, samurai and geisha originates from. Despite its prevalence in “Japanese” cuisine, it is not where tempura comes from (that’s Portugal, right?).
  2. Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and is held in extremely high regard by Japanese, who call it “Fuji-san” to indicate their respect.
  3. Hello =  konnichiwa. Goodbye = sayonara. Thank you = arigato. I hope my language improves! They use many “Chinese” characters (I can recognise a few of these!) but also have 2 other alphabets for writing (uh-oh!).
  4. The land area is similar to the UK, but the climate is generally warmer (especially in the south, where I sadly won’t be based).
  5. Earthquakes and tsunamis have happened and will continue to happen. I didn’t really want to think about that just before leaving!
  6. Famous for cherry blossom in spring and maple leaves in autumn, yay!
  7. Wartime atrocities (committed both by and on Japan): Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Nanjing, Pearl Harbour, Hong Kong… Not so nice; I don’t want to make any judgements here.
  8. Technology! Sony, Canon, JVC, Panasonic, Honda, Kawasaki, Mitsubishi…
  9. Religion: Mainly Shinto or Buddhist. Lots of beautiful temples and shrines, for example in the old capitals Nara and Kyoto.
  10. People tend to be very formal and customs can be strange and complex, but they will try to help and make a guest comfortable as far as they possibly can.