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I hear that many Japanese people still wear
kimono as regular clothing. Is this true? |
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Until approximately 130 years ago, most Japanese
men and women wore kimono as their everyday
clothes. However, around that time, Western
clothes gradually became popular with Japanese
people. By 1925, Western clothes were commonly
worn by many Japanese citizens. Business suits
were the norm for male company employees and
female working women started to wear Western-style
clothes in the office. Some people even wore
Western clothes at home.
Nowadays, most Japanese people wear kimono for
ceremonies such as weddings or on other special
occasions. Business suits are generally worn
as business attire, but other than this, Japanese
wear typical Western casual wear -- such as
T-shirts, polo shirts, sweaters and jeans, which
are all popular. |
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Do Japanese people eat sushi every day? |
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It is true that sushi is a typical and popular
(particularly in the West) Japanese dish, and
many Japanese people like it. But Japanese people
don’t eat sushi every day. Sushi is not
even a common Japanese everyday food.
In their everyday life, many Japanese people
eat Japanese food that contains fish and vegetables
as essential ingredients, but Japanese also
eat Western food such as spaghetti, hamburger,
and beefsteak for their regular meals. You can
find many fast food restaurants, such as hamburger
establishments in Japan, and in big cities such
as Tokyo, there are restaurants serving a variety
of international cuisine. You can safely say
that the Japanese diet is as rich or even richer
in variety as that of other nations of the world. |
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Prices in Japan are prohibitively high, aren’t
they? |
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People seem to think that prices in Japan
are prohibitively high, but prices in Tokyo
and other big, Japanese cities are not particularly
higher than those of other major cities in the
world.
The 2002 survey of price differentials (the
purchasing power parity divided by the exchange
rate) between Tokyo and major cities of the
world shows that the average price in Tokyo
is 1.06 times that of London, 1.13 times that
of Paris and Frankfurt and 1.24 times that of
New York. So you can see that prices in Tokyo
are not conspicuously higher than those of other
major cities of the world.
Recently in Japan, 100-yen shops and other discount
stores, where you can buy reasonably-priced
daily necessities and unique gifts, are proliferating.
You can also find inexpensive restaurants serving
meals for 1,000 yen or less. So it’s easy
to enjoy staying in Japan without spending a
fortune.
As for accommodations in Japan, please visit
the following website where hotels and ryokan
are introduced to meet your budget requirements.
Please also note that there are more inexpensive
hotel chains, which cater not only to Japanese
travelers but also to international visitors.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/PS/
The following website is also useful.
Accommodations
Japan |
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Is all the Japanese land urbanized like Tokyo?
Is there no natural landscape left anywhere
in Japan? |
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Metropolitan Tokyo is a big city with a population
of over 12 million inhabitants. Here company
headquarters, commercial establishments and
government agencies are concentrated, impacting
the Japanese and world economies. Since there
are many office buildings and commercial facilities,
you may have the impression that there is no
natural beauty left in Tokyo, but the truth
is that there are many parks and green spaces,
such as Hibiya Park, the Imperial Palace Outer
Gardens, and the Meiji Shrine Outer Garden,
where greenery in Tokyo flourishes.
Since 1/7 of Japan’s landscape is mountainous,
abundant with rivers, ravines and lakes, you
can enjoy beautiful scenery within a short distance
of major cities. The Shirakami-Sanchi Mountains
in Aomori and Akita Prefectures and Yakushima
in Kagoshima Prefecture have even been designated
World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Also, there
are 28 national parks where the natural environment
is protected. Furthermore, since Japan is a
nation of islands, surrounded by seas on all
sides, you can enjoy the picturesque coastline
from many parts of the country. In fact, in
subtropical Okinawa, majestic ocean resorts
with coral reefs and spectacular beaches stand
their ground with first class marine resorts
worldwide.
We invite you to visit the following website
and enjoy natural scenes all over Japan.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/RTG/RI/index.html |
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Please tell me where Japan is located. Can
I go from Tokyo to Hong Kong by Shinkansen bullet
train? |
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Japan is an archipelago nation with Tokyo
as its capital, and is situated to the east
of the Chinese mainland. We are sometimes asked
if people can travel from Tokyo to Hong Kong
by Shinkansen bullet train. But Hong Kong, a
Chinese territory located in the south of the
mainland, and the islands of Japan are separated
by seas. The distance between Hong Kong and
Tokyo is 2,890 km (1,806 mi.). Therefore, you
cannot travel from Tokyo to Hong Kong by Shinkansen,
but you can fly there, which takes about 5 hours.
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Are all the trains in Japan “Shinkansen”
bullet trains or similar fast trains? |
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Various types of trains run in Japan, and
not all trains are Shinkansen.
Current Shinkansen lines include: Tokaido, Sanyo,
Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Joshinetsu, Nagano
and Kyushu lines. There are other railway lines
operated by Japan Railways (JR) and private
railway companies. In large cities, subways
and monorails are also operated.
In Japan railway networks are well developed
not only in large cities but also across the
nation. Therefore, you will not have difficulty
traveling by train in Japan.
Please also note that the Japan Rail Pass is
a very convenient and economical pass that will
allow unlimited travel on JR lines in Japan
including Shinkansen. For fares, valid periods,
restrictions and other details, please refer
to the following website.
Japan
Rail Pass |
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Are there samurai in today’s Japan? |
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A samurai is a member of a powerful class
of warriors who mastered martial arts and were
engaged in military affairs. The samurai class
ruled Japan until about 140 years ago, but in
today’s Japan there are no samurai.
The origin of the samurai dates back to the
middle of the Heian period (794-1192), when
powerful clans of farmers, and military officers,
who had guarded noblemen and their residences,
were interchanged to form the samurai class.
Soon after this time, the samurai class grew
powerful. In 1192, the first Samurai-run government
was established in Kamakura, and the samurai
class ruled the nation for over 680 years, until
the Meiji Restoration of 1867.
As the world has seen via the Hollywood production,
The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, samurai
warriors are popular subjects for movies, TV
dramas and shows. There are no real samurai,
however, in today’s Japan. |
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When I think of Japan, I am reminded of geisha,
but what are the geisha? |
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Geisha are women whose profession is to entertain
guests in a tatami-matted room at Japanese-style
restaurants and other similar establishments
by performing traditional Japanese arts (such
as dancing, playing the shamisen ? a three-stringed
Japanese musical instrument, and playing/singing
musical accompaniments). A geisha’s age
varies widely from 18 years to 80 years. An
apprentice geisha is called maiko in Kyoto and
hangyoku in Tokyo. It is believed that there
are a fewer than 10,000 geisha in Japan today.
So, certainly, not all Japanese women are geisha.
Some people may get a wrong impression of a
geisha’s occupation, because geisha are
women and guests are usually men, but it is
true that the geisha is a professional woman
who entertains guests by performing traditional
arts. |
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