In this paper, I will be talking about Japan. I will address the culture, the entertainment types, the cities, the history, the currency, and the food. Japan is a very interesting place. The name “Japan” means “land of the rising sun,” as it was once believed that Japan was the first country to see the morning sunrise in the east. Japan has more than three thousand McDonald’s restaurants, which is the largest number in any country outside of the United States of America. Japan’s population is twenty one percent elderly (over the age of sixty-five), there are more elderly people than children there. The Japanese eat more fish than anyone in the world, they eat about seventeen million tons per year. Japan is the largest importer of seafood too. Annually, over two billion Japanese comic books, also known as manga is sold. Japan has nearly 5.5 million vending machines, they sell not only snacks, but alcohol, comic books, toilet paper, fresh E G G S, hot dogs, and even light bulbs. Japan is home to the suicide forest at the base of Mt. Fuji, the second most popular place for suicides, first being the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. There are more adult diapers than baby diapers sold because the birth rate is so low.
Japan has a pretty amazing history. There are nine periods in Japan’s history. Early Japan, Nara and Heian Periods, Kamakura Period, Muromachi Period, Azuchi-Momoyama Period, Edo Period, Meiji Period, Taisho and Early Showa Period, and Postwar Period. In 1250, Kamakura was the fourth biggest city in the world. It served as the capital of Japan from 1185-1333. During its brief capital years, the city grew rapidly. However, modern time Kamakura has a slightly lower population at 174,000, it is considered an attractive little town. From 1635-1852, or 217 years, Japan was closed to the world. Due to this, trading was restricted, travel was banned completely, and it also banned Christianity. Japan had a lot of issues after contact with foreign countries, so the law was passed in 1635. Japan’s long period of isolation set them behind in technological aspects unlike the western countries, but it helped them create a unique culture. At one time, Japan had five-thousand castles. The country went through a lengthy time of civil war and other issues. The period was from 1467-1603 and there was a “building boom.” Today, only a handful of the castles remain sadly. Japan actually started producing colored print in 1765. It was on woodblocks and in the future the technology was to produce graphic novels. In 1787, several artists were punished for their work because it was seen as a threat to Japan’s aristocracy. Surprisingly enough, Japan built robots in the 1600s.
They were mentioned in the earliest records dating back to the eighth century. They were producing mechanical puppets for entertainment by the seventeenth century. They were known as “Karakuri.” By the nineteenth century, Karakuri were produced to serve tea or shoot arrows mostly. This is a really recent fact but, in 1988, Ginza property costed thirty million yen a Square Foot. Ginza is a district in Tokyo and due to the height of “Japan’s Economic Bubble,” the price was crazy high. Back to the past now for one more history aspect of Japan, on August 6th, 1945, the city of Hiroshima had an atomic bomb called “little boy” dropped upon them. The bomb claimed more than 80,000 lives. Three days later, Nagasaki hat the atomic bomb named “fat man” dropped onto them, which claimed 40,000 lives as well as affecting the nation. The attack was set by Harry Truman, the 33rd United States president. People were still losing their lives even after the bomb dropped due to the toxic radiation still being emitted.
Japan is still just as interesting today as it was in the past. Japan’s government is a constitutional monarchy. The power of the emperor is very limited in a constitutional monarchy. The current emperor is Emperor Akihito. There are many fun activities in Japan. All over Tokyo, there a karaoke bars with huge karaoke machines and they host karaoke nights often. The popular amusement park in Tokyo is, an implant from the United States, The Tokyo Disney Resort! A lot of students spend their free time at the park. The most popular type of music in Japan is called “J-pop.” It entered the musical mainstream in the 1990s. A few popular food types in Japan are Sushi/sashimi, ramen, tempura, kare raisu (rice with curry), okonomiyaki, shabu shabu, and miso soup. Miso soup is served as a side dish with nearly every meal in Japan. Sushi is the most popular dish in Japan. It is made with all sorts of fish, vegetables, and rice. Sushi types include: Nigiri Sushi, Maki sushi, Oshi sushi and Temaki sushi. The cartoons in Japan are called Anime. Some popular Anime include: Fairy tale, my hero academia, dragon ball z, Pokémon, Tokyo Ghoul, and Attack on Titan. As you can see, Japan is very interesting. There are a bunch of neat things about it.
