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Rabu, 01 Agustus 2012

Capital City of Japan

Tokyo is the capital city of Japan with a latitude of 35° 41' north and 140° degrees east. Located in the middle of Honshu Island's east coast, Tokyo is home to the Imperial Residence (with the Emperor's Palace). Japan's seat of Government and Parliament are located in Tokyo as well.

The climate in Tokyo varies according to the weather in Asia to its east, and the Pacific Ocean to its west. The average temperature is about 22.4° C with the temperatures milder than what would be expected at its latitude.

The majority of people living in Tokyo are Japanese with a few Asian minorities and even fewer foreigners. Of those Japanese, only a few are native to Tokyo, that is those whose families have lived in Tokyo for more than three generations. The influx of people from the country has created a shortage in available space, which makes living in Tokyo very expensive.

Sabtu, 03 Maret 2012

Learn To Speak Japanese

Learning Japanese Language can be easy and fun. Today in our time and technology, there are several methods to learn Japanese. You can enroll in any language centers in your local area or you can have it at a formal school. In the US, learning a foreign language is part of the General Education period of the students.

Japanese culture is unique, just like every nation. Learning Japanese language is also learning their rich history and tradition. Generally, tradition outlines ethics and manners. It is helpful when you also know which gestures are proper and which expressions are not.

However, if you have finished education and did not learned Japanese at that time then the Japanese language school is the best option. They have teachers who shall guide the students in every step of learning.

Part of their Japanese lessons is understanding the Japanese Alphabet, which includes Hiragana and Katakana as well as learning Kanji, the Japanese grammar, Japanese phrases, Japanese characters and sentence structure. You can also select conversational Japanese. You can also learn Japanese if you have a Japanese friend or someone who speaks Japanese fluently.

If your friend is Japanese who is not fluent in English, it is the best time to make a deal with her or him to teach each other of your native languages. You can teach your friend the English language while she or he can teach you the Japanese. Together you can practice Japanese and English. You can also learn Japanese if you have Japanese language software that you can download on your laptop or computer. There are also comprehensive Japanese lessons from Japanese Language software. Often, this language software also has other feature such as Japanese translation. It also offers other language courses such as learning German, learning French and learning Italian. The final way to learn Japanese is to have online Japanese courses.

Some websites offer free Japanese lessons including Japanese translation, Japanese writing and Japanese words. If you will avail these Japanese language online courses, you shall also get comprehensive Japanese lessons like those given on Japanese language schools. Like other language courses the first Japanese lessons are the Introductory. This is the basic lesson to speak Japanese.

Frequently, the introductory part is divided into several lessons, which can go as far as 12 lessons. To this phase belong the Basic Japanese pronunciation, the characteristics of Japanese grammar, the three Japanese writing systems, Japanese vocabulary and relevant Japanese education system. Included in the pronunciation is learning the Japanese vowels. In their language system, there are five vowels.

These are a, which is pronounced as Ah. i, which is pronounces as We. u, which is pronounced as soon. e, which is pronounced as Get and o, which is pronounced as old. Greetings and daily expressions are part of Learning Japanese language. Expressions such as “I am sorry”, “excuse me”, “thank you”, “you are welcome” and “pardon me” are common, and so are “Good morning”, “Good evening”, “Good afternoon”. To learn Japanese also includes learning the proper way to address someone particularly when it is their first time of meeting.

This is especially important when you go on a trip to Japan or when you plan to attend a Japanese event, eat at Japanese restaurant or simply being fluent to speak Japanese.

Kamis, 01 Maret 2012

Japanese Cuisine

Once known in the west either in the form of "sukiyaki" or the more exotic "sushi," Japanese cuisine has in recent years become much more familiar and appreciated around the world.

Many visitors to Japan will have already sampled the pleasures of raw fish or batter-fried shrimp. But few first time visitors to Japan are prepared for the variety and sumptuousness of the food as it is traditionally prepared.

Eating in Japan is an experience to be enjoyed and remembered fondly for the rest of your life. Among the types of cooking found in Japan are:
Sukiyaki
prepared right at the table by cooking thinly sliced beef together with various vegetables, tofu and vermicelli.
Tempura
Deep-fried food in vegetable oil, after being coated with a mixture of egg, water and wheat flour. Among the ingredients used are prawns, fish in season and vegetables.
Sushi
A small piece of raw seafood placed on a ball of vinegared rice. the most common ingredients are tuna, squid and prawn. Cucumber, pickled radish and sweet egg omelette are also served.
Sashimi
Sliced raw fish eaten with soy sauce.
Kaiseki Ryori
Regarded as the most exquisite culinary refinement in Japan. The dishes are mainly composed of vegetables and fish with seaweed and mushrooms as the seasoning base and are characterized by their refined savor.
Yakitori
Made up of small pieces of chicken meat, liver and vegetables skewered on a bamboo stick and grilled over hot coals.
Tonkatsu
A deep-fried pork cutlet rolled in bread crumbs. Shabu-shabu - tender, thin slices of beef held by chop-sticks and swished in a pot of boiling water, then dipped in a sauce before being eaten.
Soba and Udon
Two kinds of Japanese noodles. Soba is made from buckwheat flour and Udon from dipped in a sauce, and are available in hundreds of delicious variations.

Japanese "
sake" or rice wine, goes extremely well with a variety of Japanese dishes. Brewed with rice and water, sake has been a Japanese alcoholic beverage since ancient times. Because it can be drunk warmed up, the "feelings" come on more quickly and in winter it warms the body. When drunk chilled, good sake has a taste similar to fine-quality wine.

There are local sake breweries in every region across the country, which make their respective characteristic tastes based on the quality of rice and water as well as differences in brewing processes.

Sabtu, 04 Februari 2012

Japan Maps

Maps are essential for travel planning. Here are some Japan country maps and regional maps. Japan prefecture maps show some cities of main tourist interest in each prefecture.


Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Temple Area

Nara Horyuji TemplePhoto by (c) Tomo.Yun ( http://www.yunphoto.net )
Year of Inscription: 1993 / Culture Heritage
Location: Ikaruga-cho, Nara Prefecture

Horyuji Temple was built in the 7th century. The main hall and the five-story pagoda located in Sai-in (west temple) of Horyuji are known as the oldest wooden buildings in the world.
  • Horyuji Temple
  • Houkiji 100 Hundred Aspects of the Moon.
    100 Hundred Aspects of the Moon.