Japan Projects

[hopes 237]

So... I didn't know where to put this. I guess I'll just post this here. Anyway, at our school, we did this project called Adopt a Country. Of course, I picked Japan. Well, I'm going to share some of the project work I did. They can be kinda boring... Sorry.

Information about Japan:

Japan “The Land of the Rising Sun”

Japan is known as the “Land of the Rising Sun”. It is called the “Land of the Rising Sun” because of Japan’s flag. The red sphere in the middle represents the sun. Japan has one of world’s biggest economies along with the United States, Europe, and China. Japan has four main islands called Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku and around those, there are more than four thousand smaller ones. Japan is just barely smaller than Montana.

Japan’s capital is Tokyo, which is one of the world’s largest cities. The population of Japan is 126,804,433 and ranked 10th for the most population on the planet. The population density is 336 people per a square mile, which is ranked 32nd on Earth. Japan is also the leading supplier of fish and the United States biggest trading partner.

In a family, a man is the head of the family. The woman works and raises the children, like us. However, usually the male and female are equal. Women didn’t have jobs originally, but now 50 percent work. There are almost always fewer than three kids. Teenagers date around fifteen and do the same things as us, such as going out to eat, seeing a movie, etc. The usual marrying age is twenty-seven for males and twenty-six for females. Weddings are important and also expensive. They are most commonly held in hotels. Divorce and single parenthood is very rare, unlike us.

Schoolwork is very important. Even in kindergarten, kids are expected to do their very best and nothing less. It’s very serious and rigorous. Getting into the right school can guarantee success for their whole life. School is free ages six to fifteen. After, that you have to pay, while school is usually free ages five to eighteen in America. Also, there are often school uniforms students are required to wear. This distinguishes schools from each other. Students also sign yearbooks just like us. English is taught in all secondary schools (which is around highschool age) because it is often used in business deals and etc. School is everyday except Sunday and is held twice a month on Saturday.

There are two Japanese alphabets: Hiragana and Katakana which are simplified letters. There is also Kanji and Romaji, which are based off of Chinese and Roman letters. Japanese can be written vertically right to left or horizontally left to right.

Being polite is also an important quality. There are many things Japanese consider polite and impolite. When greeting someone, a proper bow is the most polite way when first meeting someone. A handshake is fine when meeting a foreigner. Yawning, chewing gum, putting your ankle over your knee, and blowing your nose in public are all considered impolite. A person should sit up straight with their feet flat on the floor. When guests come over to other people’s houses, they usually give a gift. Also, guests are treated the best. When eating soup, slurping is not considered impolite. It shows that person’s gratitude of how much they are enjoying the meal. If a kid is walking and eating, it is considered ok, however if an adult was walking and eating, it is considered very impolite. There are shops on the sides of the street where you can get something, stand there and eat it. Also, laughing can be a sign of embarrassment.

The Japanese currency is yen(¥). One million dollars would equal about 83,906,010 yen. One million yen would equal about 11,918.1 dollars. There’s a big difference.

Japanese names have many suffixes. If you just met someone, such as Mr. Ogushi, you would call them Ogushi-san. There’s “chan” for girls. It means cute or small. There is also “kun” for someone you’ve known for a long time. There are also others such as “nee-chan” and “nii-chan” or “one-sama” and “onii-sama”, which means older sister and older brother. There are many others for uncle, grandpa, etc.

Japanese people also have fun as well, though. Many, even adults, like to read manga and anime, which are graphic novels and cartoons, but they’re meant for many different ages. Some popular ones are Inuyasha, Ranma ½, Case Closed, and many others. People also enjoy karaoke. There are karaoke boxes, where you can rent a room and sing with friends. Most people have cell phones, and many also enjoy reading newspapers and magazines.

They also play sports including soccer, volleyball, tennis, skiing, jogging, wrestling, judo, kendo, karate, golf, and Japan’s most popular sport, baseball.

There are Japanese-style houses, apartments, and now Western-style houses. When people enter houses, they take off their shoes is the genkan which is a small place between the door and the living room. After, they put on slippers to wear around the house. There are sliding doors, called fusuma. If you open them, you can make two rooms into one. Also, people have beds, but sometimes they sleep on futons, which are beds you lay on the ground. When you’re done, you can roll them up and put them in the closet. To eat, they use chopsticks or hashi, to eat meals. The main meal is dinner.

The Japanese also have many traditions. When the cherry blossoms bloom, people like to go and have a picnic and enjoy themselves. There are temples, too. People go there to pray for many things, such as a good grade on a test. You can also buy good luck charms. When people go to a temple, they pull a rope and a bell rings. They pray and clap their hands once. Then they can get a piece of paper with a fortune on it. If the fortune is bad, they tie it to a tree to get rid of the bad luck.

Random facts: Sushi is expensive; it is usually only bought on rare occasions. Adults like to drink a type of alcohol called sake, which is rice wine. Medical teams wear helmets and blue scrubs. The life expectancy rate for males are 79 and 86 for female. Business people wear ties and suits, just like America and Europe. People dress in harmony with other people, but comfortably. A major holiday is New Years Eve. The prime minister is the head of government. The voting age is twenty. People travel in cars, planes, subways, and trains. For a funeral, bodies are burned instead of buried, like us. They have cigarette vending machines as well as regular ones. They even have indoor beaches. This is Japan, a land that lives in harmony with each other.

Here's one about places to go if you visit Japan:

Konichiwa (koh NEECH ee wah) (Hello)! Welcome to Japan! This Asian country is made up of over 4,000 islands with four main ones in the Pacific Ocean. There are many cities, temples, shrines, parks, and attractions in Japan. The cities we are going to be visiting these next eight days include Tokyo, Osaka, Tokyo Dome City, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, and Hiroshima. Let’s go!

Japan’s largest city and capital is Tokyo. Tokyo is also one of the biggest cities in the world! There are many shops and tourist attractions. Let’s start here!

Day 1: Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower is in Tokyo, if you hadn’t guessed. It is the world’s tallest self-supporting tower. It was based of France’s Eiffel Tower. It is 333 meters tall, which is 13 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower. It was built in 1958 as a symbol of Japan’s birth economically. On the top of the tower, there’s a TV and radio broadcast antenna. On the ground floor there is an aquarium, wax museum, etc. The main observatory is at 150 meters. If you want a bird’s eye view, you can continue going up to 250 meters. Mt. Fuji can be seen from here if the weather is good and clear. Tokyo Tower is open everyday 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The entrance fee is 820 yen (About 10 dollars). To get to the top floor, the fee is 1420 yen (About 17.50 dollars). And now, onto our next location!

Day 2: Akihabara (AKA Akiba)

Akihabara is also in Tokyo. It’s a cluster of hundreds of shops and stores. Looking for anything related to electronics? This is your place! There are computers, cameras, TVs, cell phones, and more! Akiba is famous for electronic shops. However, gaming, anime, and manga are becoming very popular as well. Here are three major stores with branches in Akiba: Ishimaru (10 stores), Softmap (16 stores), and Laox (8 stores). Akihabara is also famous for it’s cosplay cafes. It’s like a regular café, except waitresses dress up like anime characters.

Day 3: Yoyogi Koen (Yoyogi Park)

And now, our last location in Tokyo: Yoyogi Park! Yoyogi Park is one of Tokyo’s largest parks. There are wide lawns, ponds, and a forest. This park is great is you want to go for a morning run, have a nice family picnic, etc. There is a fewer number of cherry trees than other parks, but it’s a beautiful spot in spring. Yoyogi Park is known for its Ginko forest. It is a nice place to view in autumn because a couple of trees turn a wonderful shade of gold. Yoyogi Park was first used as US military personnel. Later, it was turned into an Olympic Village for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Finally, it became a city park in 1967. I would recommend visiting Yoyogi Park in spring or fall. Now, let’s go visit Osaka!

Day 4: Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle is in, well Osaka! Osaka Castle is a famous landmark and tourist attraction. Totomi Hideyoshi built Osaka Castle in 1583. It was built on a highstone to be a safeguard from enemies. It covers about 15 acres of land. There are more than 8,000 artifacts inside the castle. It was damaged heavily and rebuilt by Tokugawa. In 1660, it was bombed and rebuilt in 1925. Once again, Osaka Castle was bombed in 1945 and (once again) rebuilt in 1995. Let’s continue, shall we?

Day 5: Tokyo Dome

Tokyo Dome is located in Tokyo Dome City. It was opened on March 17th, 1988. There are many sports and concerts held here. 60 NFL and baseball games are held yearly. Madonna, Michael Jackson, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, etc. have performed in Tokyo Dome. There are also some exhibitions, such as the International Quilt Festivals, etc. The actual dome can fit 55,000 people. The total area is 112,456 sq. miles. Next location: Hiroshima!

Day 6: Peace Memorial Park

The Peace Memorial Park is in Hiroshima. This park was built after the US dropped the atomic bomb. It’s over 120,000 sq. meters. Even if you’re not looking for it, you’ll likely stumble upon this titanic sized park.

Before the bomb was dropped, this was the most political and commercial heart of the city. This is why the pilot of the plane chose this location. Every year, there’s a ceremony held for the anniversary of the day the bomb was dropped. There are speeches for loved ones, etc. The park’s main facility is the Peace Memorial Museum. Now on to something a little happier…

Day 7: Mt. Fuji (AKA Fuji-san)

Mt. Fuji is a dormant volcano near the Yamanashi and Karagawa prefectures. Mt. Fuji’s last eruption was in November 1707 and has been dormant since February 1708. Its 3,776 meters or 12,388.45 feet tall. The air becomes thinner as elevation rises. Mt. Fuji is a very famous landmark. By the way, the suffix san is usually formal, for someone you just met, or Mr. and Mrs./Ms. So, when called Fuji-san, people are showing respect to the mountain. Mt. Fuji is a very popular choice to draw and paint among artists. And, finally, our last day…

Day 8: Fuji-Q Highland

Who doesn’t love fun and games? Our last stop is Fuji-Q highland, an amusement park! Fuji-Q highland is in Fujiyoshida and Yamanashi. It’s been open since 1961. Right now, there are six existing roller coasters. There are two theme parks for kids as well: Hamtaro Kingdom and Thomas Land. There are over 30 rides and attractions. There is a pay entrance fee, but unlike US amusement parks, rides cost money to go on. An entrance ticket for adults is 1200 yen (About 15 dollars) and the same for students ages 1-12. For one whole day (all rides included), it’s 4800 yen (About 59.50 dollars) for adults and 4300 yen (About 53 dollars) for students ages 1-12. Seniors (Over age 65) and infants are 2300 yen (About 28.50 dollars).

Well, we’re already at the end of our trip. These past days have been a blast. I would recommend learning Japanese if you ever visit Japan. And maybe, you’ll actually visit these places. I hope you enjoyed this whirlwind vacation! Arigato gozaimasu (Thank you very much)! Sayonara (Good-bye)!

A biography on Aoyama Gosho:

Gosho Aoyama is one of the world’s most famous manga artists. He has written many mangas, including Chotto Mattete(Wait a Minute), Magic Kaito, Yaiba, 3rd Base 4th, Gosho Aoyama Short Story Collection, and his most famous creation, Detective Conan. He is renowned in over 80 countries for his work by selling over 100 million manga copies.

Gosho Aoyama was born on June 21st, 1963 in Daiei (now known as Hokuei), Tottori Prefecture as Yoshimasu Aoyama. I found the fact that no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find any information about Aoyama’s family interesting. When he was a child, he originally dreamed of being a detective. Aoyama ended up living his dream by drawing Detective Conan. Even when he was young, he was talented. In first grade, his painting “Yukiaki War” won a contest and was displayed in the Tottori Daimaru Department Store.

Aoyama graduated from Yuraikuei High School. He went to the Nihon University College of Art in Tokyo. In 1986, his freshman year, there was a comic contest and he won. This was a great start off for his career as being a manga artist (AKA mangaka).

Gosho’s first work Chotto Mattete was in 1986. Chotto Mattete was about a boy genius’s time machine that sends his girlfriend two years into the future. In 1987, it appeared in the magazine Shonen Sunday. This manga won Aoyama’s first award: The Newcomer’s Award for Comics.

Later in 1987, he came out with Magic Kaito, which ended in 2007 with four volumes. Magic Kaito is about a teenage magician named Kaito Kuroba. His father was the original Kaitou Kid and a famous magician, but was murdered. Kaito becomes the infamous gentleman thief Kaitou Kid who uses magic and tricks to search for the legendary Pandora. There is one episode of the anime (Japanese cartoons). This series is on hold for the moment.

Aoyama drew and wrote Yaiba in 1988, which ended in 1993. Yaiba is a 24 volume manga, which was turned into a 52 episode anime. Yaiba is about a short and childish teenager named Yaiba Kurogane, who is training to be a samurai. He goes through many strange fights and makes supernatural enemies. This series won Gosho the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1992.

3rd Base 4th was created in 1993. This series is about an average baseball player named Shigeo Nagashima. He buys a magical baseball bat that allows him to hit every single pitch. For every hit though, he has to pay the mysterious store.

Gosho Aoyama Short Story Collection has been written over the years. This contains many small stories from some of his creations, or they were just little plot bunnies. The Gosho Aoyama Short Story Collection includes Play it Again, Excalibur, Santa Claus in the Summer, The Detective George’s Job, Wait a Minute, and The Wandering Red Butterfly. Aoyama also wrote Tell Me a Lie in 2007, which was a one-shot published in Shonen Sunday on March 22nd 2007. It’s about a girl who can read people’s minds when she looks them in the eyes.

Finally, Aoyama Gosho’s most famous creation is Detective Conan. Detective Conan is known as Case Closed in America and the United Kingdom. This popular series is about a famous high school detective, named Shinichi Kudo. He follows two suspicious men in black, and witnesses a blackmailing case. Shinichi is discovered and forced to take a poison that should’ve killed him. Instead, it shrinks him ten years back, and now appears to be a seven year old. He decides to hide his identity, and becomes Conan Edogawa (A combination of Edogawa Rampo and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) and moves in with his childhood friend (and love interest) with her father, a lazy and not so great detective. Now, he has to find the Black Organization with plenty of mysteries and complicated cases.

Also, Aoyama’s characters from Magic Kaito appear, as Conan tries to capture Kaitou Kid. There was also an OVA (Original Video Animation) made that featured characters from Magic Kaito and Yaiba in the episode. This series is still ongoing, and started in 1994. Every week, a new anime and manga chapter is released. This is one of the most popular and best selling manga series in Japan. Detective Conan also won Aoyama his second Shogakukan Manga Award in 2001. There are many statues of Conan and Shinichi in Gosho’s hometown, and there’s even a bridge called the Conan Bridge across Yura River. The Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory is a museum in the Tottori district that was opened on March 18th 2007 to celebrate his career.

Aoyama likes Sherlock Holmes and mysteries. That was one reason he started Detective Conan. When asked why he did start this manga, he said he “wanted to draw a romantic comedy when a detective became small again”. He also said that he wanted to send the message “that whatever happens, it’s not allowed to kill humans” and “don’t give up”. This series has just passed 600 episodes, but when they had passed 500, Aoyama said “they were just passing the halfway point”. Many people speculate what the ending of Detective Conan will be. Gosho says that he has an ending planned, but he doesn’t know when he’ll be able to draw it.

Gosho’s editor helps him come up with the complex cases. He also has five assistants to help. Aoyama said that he had been anxious at other people taking control of his characters at first, but now he’s comfortable with it. He often jokes why he didn’t come up with that idea.

Gosho accepted Minami Takayama’s proposal in March 2005. They married on May 5th 2005, Takayama’s birthday. Minami is a singer, and also the voice actress of Gosho’s main characters, Conan Edogawa and Yaiba Kurogane. However, they divorced on December 10th, 2007 for personal reasons.

Recently, Aoyama went to visit the movie set of the Japanese mystery drama Aibou. The director, Seiji Izumi himself invited Gosho to be a forensic in the New Year’s episode. Aoyama accepted, and that was his acting debut. He was in the show for slightly less than a minute. He had a clipboard with paper and a ballpoint pen, and looked like he was taking notes. When he was finished, many of the cast were amazed at what he drew on the paper. In that short span of time, he had managed to draw Conan, and it looked like it was right from the manga!

Gosho Aoyama is an amazing manga artist, and has sold over 100 million manga copies. He has created many unique and loveable characters, and will always be a respected and admired mangaka by the whole world.

Mai Kuraki(this is just about her sales and nominating her into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and why):

Dear Nomination Committee,

I would like to nominate Mai Kuraki as an artist for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I believe she deserves the honor, as she has quite a few achievements. Mai Kuraki (Mai K) started singing in 1999. She is a singer and songwriter and plays the piano as well.

Mai Kuraki decided to become a singer when she heard Whitney Houston’s music and saw Michael Jackson’s dance moves in high school. When she released her debut album, “Delicious Way”, she sold over 2,210,000 copies in the first week. She has six number-one albums and two number-one singles out of thirty six.

Mai Kuraki is one of the few females in Japan to have their first few beginning albums at the top of the Oricon charts. Oricon is a music industry in Japan and supplies info on music. The Recording Industry of Japan (RIAJ) has certified a few of Mai Kuraki’s songs, with the title ‘Million’, which is the highest. ‘Million’ is when a million copies have been sold.

The album “Perfect Crime” and her debut album both won “Rock Album of the Year”. Mai Kuraki also has the record of being the only female artist in Japan who has had all of her singles make it into the Top Ten. One of her songs has also won a Japan Gold Disc Award for Song of the Year.

Mai Kuraki is Number 38 of the 50 Best Selling Artists in Japan of all time, according to the RIAJ. She has made over $15,530,000. She’s releasing a new single on May 25th, 2011.

Recently, Mai Kuraki appeared at a charity soccer match in Osaka. She sang the national anthem before the game. She is also working on a charity song to help make money for the earthquake and tsunami victims from the recent natural disaster.

Mai Kuraki is a wonderful and uplifting artist, and her songs are amazing. She works hard, she sings well, and she is kind. All of the reasons I’ve given you above are the reasons I think Mai Kuraki should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Well, that was all of them... So? Any comments? I hope you learned something new from reading all of this!!

FUN FACT: Did you know the BZ's are the top selling artists in Japan?

[Aeyra 260]

*claps* I learned something. XD Was your class entertained? (did any of them start reading DC?)

[hopes 237]

*claps* I learned something. XD Was your class entertained? (did any of them start reading DC?)

No... D: They didn't. It sucks... D: Actually, only my teacher read it... OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!

[Arima 58]

was very nice what you did, I liked the effort that you got to do all this * applause * Congratulations!

[hopes 237]

Thank you very much. My Social Studies teacher gave me really good grades... But he's pretty easy going. And insane.

[phantomlady1101 59]

A rep for u, Akako-san... It's so amazing!!!

[Rum 6]

Amazing! ^^

you really know japan more than I (who really is in japan)T.T(poor me) hahaha amazing!

*gives ice cream*

............................

Let's go to Akihabara guys!

[Metantei Kiddo 147]

^ Cuz your not going out well

[hopes 237]

A rep for u, Akako-san... It's so amazing!!!

Thank you!! Yay!! I figured out one of the mystery reps...

[conankoibito 21]

Cool!!

Learning about most of Japan's treasure is AWESOME!!~~I cannot wait 'til next week because were gonna learn it too!!

[hopes 237]

Thank you very much!!

[angelranchan 56]

very inspiring!!! makes me wanna remember all the researches i do that i don't remember now!!

[Kaitou Kid Legendary Thief 197]

Awesome! XDDDDDD

[Lovestruck 70]

Koooooll!

Even though I'm late..

But +3 for you!~

[hopes 237]

WHOA!! :blink: PLUS 3?! THANK YOU~!! <333333333333333333333333333333

[Tsukiko 73]

Impressive work. +1 rep

[hopes 237]

Thanks~!!