Japan by Rachel Bladon

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  This week I read Japan by Rachel Bladon.

What do people know about Japan? Japan is in East Asia, in the Pacific Ocean Many people like sushi, and that comes from Japan. And everyone knows about Japanese sumo wrestling. But there are a lot more amazing things about this country. most people know that. - Japan is one of the most exciting countries in the world. It is also a country with many different faces. In Japan, east meets west, and old meets new. 

　 In Japan, sushi and sumo are common ideas.  But I don't like either of them. Japan is a really fascinating country with a variety of delicious food and attractions. I love Japan like that.

Many of the important things about life in Japan today were also important more than 1,500 years ago. Japan is near to Korea and China, and many ideas came to ancient Japan from people in these countries. Like Korean and Chinese people, the ancient Japanese learned to grow rice and to make cloth.

　China and South Korea are close to Japan and are very important trading partners. The other day, I learned about Japan-Korea relations in a lecture on East Asian culture. For historical and political reasons, the impression between countries was the worst last year. People from both countries have a good impression personally, but the impression between the countries is very bad, and I am worried about the future relationship. I know very little about the cause of this relationship, when Japan was in control of South Korea.  I thought I had to study.


Most people can learn a little Japanese, and Japanese people like it when visitors speak their language. But to speak Japanese well - that is not easy! There are three kinds of writing in Japanese. In kanji, pictures make words, but in hiragana and katakana there is a "letter' for every sound. You use hiragana for Japanese words, and katakana for words from other languages, like English.

　There are hiragana, katakana, and kanji in Japanese, and I think it is a very difficult language for foreigners to learn. I have online English conversation, and sometimes foreigners ask me for kanji.  Recently, I met a Filipino who thinks it is the same place because the sounds of Tokyo and Kyoto are similar. 

There is art in everything in Japan. Japanese food is not only very good to eat - it is also beautiful to look at. Japanese gardens, too, are works of art. They change a lot at different times of the year. What about modern culture in Japan? Karaoke is important, of course, and many people go out to sing karaoke with friends, or do karaoke at home. Manga and anime are also a very big part of modern Japanese culture. In manga, pictures tell a story in a book; in anime, pictures tell a story in a film. Young and old people read manga – there are manga for everything from baseball to love stories! You can buy manga at - many shops, and Japan now has manga cafes. In these places you can have a drink, read manga, and watch TV or anime. Millions of people like anime too.

　I love Japan's way of thinking about beauty.  I think that the beauty of a modest and ephemeral atmosphere is unique to Japan.  I think foreigners who come to Japan will definitely enjoy it.


Japan (Oxford Bookworms Library. Factfiles. Stage 1)
著者 : RachelBladon
Oxford University Press, USA
発売日 : 2013-11-01
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