Japan is an arcuate island country located on the east side of Eurasia and northwest of Taiping. North latitude is about 20 -46 degrees (similar to the latitude from North Africa to Southern Europe). The area is 372,000 kilometers long from north to south, and 2,500 kilometers is made up of many large and small islands. The main islands of Japan are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Honshu is divided into five regions: Northeast, Kanto, Central, Feng Jingen and China. About three-quarters of Japan's land is mountainous and hilly, and the lack of flat land limits the use of agricultural land and urban land. There are 654.38+300 million people living in this long and narrow flat land. Because Japan is almost in the middle of the temperate zone, the climate is generally mild. The changes of the four seasons are very obvious. The climate in spring and autumn is very pleasant, and in summer (June, July and August), the weather is sultry because of the monsoon blowing from the Pacific Ocean. On the contrary, winter (12, 1, February) is quite cold due to continental monsoon. Because the Japanese archipelago is long and narrow from north to south, the terrain is also very complicated, so the climate is very different in different regions. On the side of Hokkaido and Honshu near the Sea of Japan, it snows in winter, sometimes paralyzing Shan Tong. Taking advantage of such climatic conditions, energetic young people like surfing in the sea in summer and skiing in the mountains in winter.
National flower and national bird
The Japanese have regarded cherry blossoms as national flowers since ancient times. There are many legends about cherry blossoms in ancient Japanese mythology. Cherry blossoms are crisp and tidy when they are rewarded, and people associate them with the samurai's outlook on life. Nbsp; There are cherry blossom viewing spots all over Japan. Every spring, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, family members and company colleagues will arrange a banquet under the cherry trees. Drinking, singing, dancing, enjoying flowers and communicating freely are a pleasure for the Japanese. In the flower viewing season, people's joyful scenes have also become a charming scenery in Japan. The pheasant often mentioned in myths and legends is the national bird of Japan. Pheasant is a unique bird in Japan. There are obvious differences between men and women in size and color. The male pheasant has a red face, a dark green neck, chest and abdomen, a purplish back, a long tail and many black ribbon feathers. The female pheasant is light brown with black stripes and a short tail. Pheasants live in grasslands and bushes near farmland. Their nests are built on the ground and feed on fruits and insects.
Mount Fuji
Futu Mountain is the highest peak in Japan, with an altitude of 3,776 meters. It is a typical conical dormant volcano, which is covered by heavy snow halfway up the mountain in winter. The snow scene adds a sense of beauty to Futu Mountain and becomes one of the symbols of Japan. Mount Fuji is like a huge perfect cone. When the weather is clear, you can watch the sunrise and the sea of clouds when you stand on Mount Fuji. It is also a tourist attraction, attracting tourists all year round, and all foreign tourists coming to Japan are also attracted to see the scenery of Mount Fuji. Affected by its mountainous terrain, most rivers in Japan are short and fast-flowing, and the longest Shinano River is only 367 kilometers. Although rivers in Japan can be used for hydropower generation due to the large drop, almost all of them can not be used for waterway transportation. There is a lake in the mountains, crystal clear and beautiful, but the area is not large. The largest lake is Lake Biwa, with an area of 674 square kilometers. The deepest lake is Tianze Lake with a water depth of 423 meters. In addition, Xiapu Lake is a saltwater lake separated from the open sea by sand dunes and sandbars, with an area of 1.68 square kilometers.
climate
The Japanese archipelago is 3000 kilometers long from north to south, spanning from subtropical zone to sub-frigid zone. Due to the huge influence of complex topography and ocean currents, the climate in different regions is significantly different. Affected by the conventional monsoon, the cold current moves south in winter and the tropical airflow moves north in summer. Under the influence of these two kinds of airflow, winter and summer each last for several months, while spring and autumn at the turn of monsoon each last for about two months. Affected by the Pacific warm current, most parts of the Japanese archipelago have abundant rainfall, with annual rainfall of 65,438+0,600-65,438+0,700 mm. It often rains from early spring to summer, especially in the rainy season from June to July, and the southwest is often hit by typhoons at 8-65,438+00 every year. In winter, the northwest cold monsoon strikes, and there is more snowfall along the coast of the Sea of Japan, making this area one of the few snowy areas in the world. Niigata Prefecture and other places have a snow depth of 4-5 meters every year, which is in stark contrast to the sunny and dry climate on the Pacific side. The southern part of Honshu is hot in summer, almost like Southeast Asia, and it is a typical sunshine forest climate. There are 3-4 months in summer, which is the same as that in Southeast Asia. Therefore, southern plants such as potatoes and rice have become the basis of Japanese farming culture, which in turn makes Japanese culture have typical southern characteristics.
culture
Japan is the fastest changing country in the world. Because the Japanese nation is very conservative, modern Japanese culture not only shows a long history and Japanese sumo tradition, but also has a rather Europeanized tendency. Japanese literary works, film and television art, and even calligraphy all show the characteristics of combining the old with the new and combining the east with the west. When you visit Japanese cities, you will see quaint temples and shrines adjacent to modern skyscrapers. Folk songs played with silk strings and disco with strong sense of rhythm are also deeply loved by the Japanese people. There are many symphony orchestras in Japan, and the music level is recognized as world-class. Tea ceremony and flower path are the arts that Japanese people are proud of. Tea ceremony expresses elegant art through a set of exquisite tea service etiquette. The flower path is to insert the cut flowers, branches and leaves into a vessel to show beauty and vitality. Tea ceremony and flower patterns are compulsory courses for Japanese women and become an aspect of culture and education.
Japanese people love sports. Playing golf in Japan is a regular sport, and many people like it. Almost every 65,438+00 people are golf lovers. Judo and kendo have been included in the compulsory items of Japanese primary schools. Baseball is very popular in Japan. It is the national game of Japan. "Sumo" is called Japan's "national quintessence" and has a history of more than 2,000 years. The level of Japanese Go is very high, and there are frequent exchanges between China and Japan. Go and Jiang Qi (Japanese chess) are deeply loved by the Japanese people.
prescribe a diet
When it comes to diet, it's not only Japanese food with rice as the staple food and vegetables, fish and meat as the non-staple food, but also China food in western Europe, where you can enjoy all kinds of meals. Japan is a country with abundant high-quality water resources and perfect sanitary facilities, so you can drink tap water anywhere in Japan. Modern Japanese culture is even more colorful. While studying the traditional Japanese culture since ancient times, such as tea ceremony and flower path, girls can also dance disco. It is not unusual to see cities, ancient temples and tall buildings built next to each other. Therefore, modern Japanese culture is a combination of ancient culture, emerging culture, western culture and eastern culture.
industry
The same is true of industry. Japan has been an agricultural country since ancient times, but it has rapidly industrialized in this century and become one of the few industrial countries in the world. In universities, there are various academic fields from electronic engineering to international management, and almost all academic fields can be studied in Japan. Japan is a country that combines traditional culture from ancient times with the most advanced high-tech technology.
traffic
International airports in Japan include New Tokyo International (Narita), Tokyo International (Haneda), Nagoya, Kansai International, Kamikaoka, Sapporo, Hakodate, Aomori, Sendai, Niigata, Toyama, Komatsu (Ishikawa Prefecture), Okayama, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Songshan, Nagasaki, Oita, Kagoshima and Okinawa. The representative airports for foreigners coming to Japan are Tokyo International (Narita) and Kansai International Airport. The means of transportation from the airport to the downtown area are trams, buses and taxis. As we all know, Japan is one of the countries with low crime rate and high arrest rate in the world.
yen
The currency of Japan is the yen. There are 1 0,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 1 in paper money and 6 kinds of coins: 500 yen, 1 yen, 50 yen, 10 yen, 5 yen and 1 yen. Major currencies can be exchanged in convertible banks. The exchange rate of each bank is the same. You can often get the highest exchange rate at the bank or the American consulate. The exchange rate at the airport exchange office is the lowest. The hotel cashier's office is in the middle. In Japan, payment is usually made in cash. Recently, the number of shops and individuals using credit cards has increased. Generally, cash checks are not used.
Entertainment and others
In Tokyo alone, there are tens of thousands of entertainment places, such as bars, beer houses and nightclubs. The places catering to business people are expensive. There are also many for the ordinary working class, and the prices are relatively low. Japanese working class, after a hard day's work, many people like to have a drink and have a rest in the attached bar of the hotel and the summer beer garden on the roof of the department store. Foreign tourists can also make use of these places.
In addition, it is also a good choice to watch Japanese classical dramas, songs and dances with a long history and experience the rich connotation of Japanese culture. Of course, movies, concerts and ballet are also the characteristics of modern Dubri.
Ballet and concert
This kind of activity is very active in every metropolis, and the facilities of theaters or concert halls are also very good. Famous song and dance troupes or symphony orchestras perform regularly. World-famous orchestras or soloists often come to Japan to sing.
Kabuki is a more popular theatrical art than Nengju. Its success is due to the audience's welcome and support, unlike the success of Nengju, which was sponsored by the shogunate and the imperial court. Kabuki is characterized by rhyming lines, wonderful dances, pleasant music, luxurious costumes, colorful makeup and other carefully designed ornaments. The heroine in the play is always played by a man. All the grand theaters have programs with English annotations.
Literature and musicals
This kind of puppet show is another kind of stage entertainment in Japan, which is not only loved by the Japanese public, but also famous internationally. Puppet shows are mostly operated by three people, and each puppet has three joysticks, so that the puppets can perform vivid actions. Accompanied by traditional music and folk songs, the costumes of puppets are gorgeous and moving.
Para Para
The cherry blossom dance in the cherry blossom season is very popular in Kyoto, and the dance of people wearing bright kimonos is particularly touching in the traditional Japanese music. The most famous ones are Du Yong (April 1 day to 30) and Ya Chuanyong (May 1 day to 24 and1October 15 to1month 7).
Japanese and foreign films
Like other metropolises in the world, there are many cinemas showing international films in Japanese metropolises. There are also many cinemas that specialize in showing Japanese movies. The content of the film is very new and there are also ancient versions full of historical significance. Japanese films are all in Japanese, while foreign films are original in foreign languages with short Japanese explanations.
musical
It is very prosperous in Japan, famous for its treasures, pine and bamboo song and dance troupes, etc. The actors are all young women who have undergone strict training.
Japanese puppet festival
Red, pink and white plum blossoms come to us with smiles and spring greetings. In this spring season, families with girls will be busy preparing for the Puppet Festival on March 3rd. Puppet Festival is a traditional Japanese festival, also known as Daughter's Day or Peach Blossom Festival, which originated in China. It is said that on the third day of April in ancient China, people would come to the river to wash their hands and feet, wash away evil, filth and bad luck, and seek peace. In the Han dynasty, it gradually evolved into singing poems and drinking by the river and enjoying the lakes and mountains. Long-term absorption and integration in Heian period (794- 1 192). Taoism is very strong. After absorbing advanced China culture, Japan gradually formed its own "gentle breeze culture". At that time, women, especially girls, were very popular among nobles to appreciate dolls. Later, it was combined with the custom of praying for good health, forming a doll to touch the body, then putting the doll and the offering on the weaving, and then letting them float away together in the water. This custom of "sending away my puppet" is said to take away diseases and disasters. This ancient tradition still exists in central Japan. At first, I was a simple standing human figure made of paper or straw. As the stars change, lovers become more and more exquisite, so people no longer want to float them in the river, but watch them carefully at home. Various dolls appeared in the Edo period (1600- 1868), and then they imitated the customs of ancient courts. A harmonious and loving royal couple sat at the top of the ladder display shelf covered with red carpet, with three daughters and five musicians arranged in front respectively, and then equipped with various props. Later, in the middle of the Edo period, March 3 of each year was officially designated as Puppet Festival. Since then, it has become popular among the people as a festival for girls. Through this ceremony, people pray for women's healthy growth, happiness and well-being, which also includes the feeling of being blessed and grateful.
Now it is exquisite and gorgeous, and the price is naturally high. These beautiful puppet dolls with different shapes have not only become a precious collection of every family, but also a rare national art treasure. Brocade covered with gold thread, paper wax lamps swaying on both sides, and exquisite peach blossoms, the timely feast in spring symbolizes beauty and abundance. It is the blessing of every parent that a daughter will be as happy as a princess. With the changes of the times, Puppet Festival has been given more significance. In Japan, families with girls buy a set of puppet dolls. Every year in mid-February, people release beautiful people early, hoping that their daughters can find the right man to marry as soon as possible. After Valentine's Day on March 3rd, I will clean up immediately, in case my daughter stays at home for too long and can't find her in-laws. When a girl becomes a bride, she will take these puppets, which carry the wishes of her parents for many years, to a small family, and then pass them on to her daughter, and so on. "Lantern, peach blossom, five-person band playing flute and drums. Today is Happy Puppet Day. " Melodious music is playing, and the cheerful and peaceful atmosphere is filled with people's love and yearning for a better life.
Red days in Japan
Holidays in Japan, reflected in the calendar, are all expressed in red, and people like to call them "red days".
Holidays can be roughly divided into three types. First of all, there are festivals stipulated by the government, such as New Year's Day, Adult's Day, Founding Day, Vernal Equinox, Emperor's Birthday, Constitution Day, Children's Day (May 5th), Respect for the Elderly Day, Autumn Equinox, Sports Festival, Cultural Festival, Labor Thanks Day, etc. The second kind of traditional festivals, such as beginning of spring, Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day and Mid-Autumn Festival. In the past, Japanese also celebrated festivals according to the customs of China. However, after the Meiji Restoration, it was not enough to learn from the West. For example, the Spring Festival has been changed to New Year's Day, and it is no longer celebrated. There are also some festivals influenced by the west, such as Christmas, May Day and Women's Day. In addition, there are Japan's own festivals, such as Daughter's Day, Bonihara Festival, July 53 and so on. The third is a routine Saturday and Sunday.
There are many holidays in Japan, so I didn't pay attention. When I called someone to contact me for work as usual, there was no one. Suddenly realized that it was another "red sun".
Speaking of holidays, the streets in Tokyo are very cold. Because most people who work in the city live in the suburbs or other cities far from the center of Tokyo, no one will stay in the city on holidays. Many shops simply closed for rest, and buses and trams also reduced their frequency. So the more holidays, the more deserted the city.
The advantages of fewer people and more people. A pedestrian street has been opened in Ginza, Tokyo, which is called "Walking in Paradise". It goes directly to Xinqiao in the south and extends to Ueno for several kilometers in the north. On the wide road, only pedestrians walk at will. Big shops are still open, and people come and go without losing their usual prosperity. Sometimes there are some tables and chairs in the street, and customers are served with tea, coffee or snacks. Walking in heaven is really a bit like "stepping into heaven".
Different festivals have different ways to celebrate. For example, during the Dragon Boat Festival, in rural areas and small and medium-sized towns, colorful carp flags are made of cloth and hung on high poles, which are really beautiful. Daughter's Day, on March 3 every year, let the little girl put on kimono, put on a small altar, decorate Japanese characters, and present red, white, green and diamond-shaped sticky cakes, white wine and peach blossoms. After the worship, I will take my daughter to play.
As soon as the festival is over, the community organizes young people to carry "jade" as a sedan chair. Dozens of big men wearing striped shirts, drapes and sandals carried sedan chairs. When the parade passed by, people went out of the city to watch, and the parade danced and the music of bamboo and silk was endless, which was spectacular. In fact, their dance is not complicated, just repeating several movements. Most of the dance movements originated from Japanese dance, which looks very harmonious and has Japanese national characteristics.
Japan's National Day is not the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but the birthday of the emperor. I can't remember the exact date. It was probably the emperor's birthday, when it was Emperor Hirohito. I just went to the palace to take photos that day and saw a long queue at the entrance of the palace. Out of curiosity, I asked before, only to know that it is the day when the emperor meets the citizens, and anyone can enter the palace to meet the emperor. Entering the palace is a rare thing for an ordinary foreigner, so I lined up. You can only enter the palace empty-handed, and the police are closely guarded. The team entered the palace from Shuangqiao. Zhong Er Bridge is a famous scenic spot, so you can only stand in the distance and look out. After crossing Shuangqiao, you enter Dashimen, which is made of massive granite in Edo era. There is a small house at the door, which may be used by guards. The courtyard is lush and the flowers and trees are neatly trimmed. Not far away, I came to a milky building, about two or three stories high. There was a sea of people in front of the building, and everyone was looking up. Emperor Hirohito didn't always stand there. He comes out every 15 minutes and stands in the big glass window on the second floor to meet the masses. It is said that there were no large glass windows before. Once an extreme man tried to assassinate the Emperor, and then bulletproof glass windows were installed to protect safety. The emperor appeared, walking slowly in the glass window with the queen, waving to people and saying "hello" and "thank you for your hard work" through the microphone. Then he waved and went back to the back room. People are waving there, too. I didn't hear anyone shout "Long live the emperor" or anything.