Italy and France not Japan :)

Okay okay, I know my blog is to be about Japan but as you all know due to the earthquake in Japan my school has changed our trip destination from Japan to ITALY and FRANCE. Yes, I will be travelling to Paris, Florence and Venice. Even though my blog is about Japan I will let you all know of my trip to Europe. In 2013 I will visit Japan for a week and will explain and give my experience right on this blog. We will go to Tokyo, Kamakura, Hakone, Kyoto then lastly Osaka. I am already excited even though it is a year away. So stay tuned to experience my trip to Europe then later to Japan!!

NEW Layout!!!

Tell me how you like the new layout of the blog by commenting below! I want you to enjoy the blog so am up for any feedback.

El Paso Winter Con!

On Saturday December 10, 2011, El Paso Texas my home city had there very own Winter Con for the third year. I bought my ticket in advence for about $15 and awaited the day. The Winter Con began at 10 am which was a little tiring seeing as I wanted to sleep in but none the less I got up. I have a dear friend, Carina who like me is in love with Japan come with me. I wore my Yukata that I bought on the Link to the left Yukata Kimono Sakura Market (They have awesome Yukatas and Kimonos). The Winter Con was hosted in the Camino Real which seemed like a worthy place for all the action we would take part in. Instead of waitin in line (We picked up our badges early), we ran up stairs to the artists alley. There were tons of plushies and cool anime art. I saw this one picture I wanted that had a sketch of Sora and Roxas side by side which was so coll but sadly I couldnt buy it. This one table had a knitted stuffed Totoro which I really wanted but it was $40. Maybe next time.:( We decided to go to the Got Bento! Panel first which explained the basics of how to make Bentos which was neat. Next we went to see if my brother, Luis and I registered for the Street Fighter IV and Mortal Combat 9 tournament correctly which we did the night before. We hoped from room to room looking at panels and then back to the alley to see potential stuff we could by. My brother saw this Hearless hat that was so cool but was $20. We had the money but it was either the hat or dinner, we decided dinner at first. We walked around and bought some cool stuff while we waited for the tournament. WHen it began I watched my brother who lost in the first round, I did to but almost beat my opponent. Next we fought in Mortal Combat 9 which we epic failed at because the controls seemed hard. After that we decided to get the hat which was a heartless for my brother. To end our fabulous day we ate out at mine and my friend Carina's favorite Japanese restraurant, Matsuharu. This time instead of Ramen I ate Chicken Katsu which was superb. Ah, I cannot wait till the Las Cruces, New Mexico Anime Days which is two days long. I hope you El Pasoans went because it was a blast.

Japan Facts Everyone should know!

Facts About Japan

Japan Quick Facts

Flag:
Government: Parliamentary with constitutional monarchy
Prime Minister: Yoshihiko Noda (elected Aug 2011)
Capital: Tokyo
Population: 127,078,679 (July 2009 est.)
Population Growth Rate: -0.191% (2009 est.), World Rank: 219th
GDP: 4.34 Trillion (2008)
Electric Power Generation: Conventional thermal (coal, oil, natural gas) 60%, Nuclear 29%, Hydroelectric 9%, Renewables 2%
Industries: Consumer electronics, motor vehicles, machine tools, steel, and nonferrous metals
Exports: Motor vehicles, semiconductors, and office machinery
Agriculture: Rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, fish
Currency: Yen
Life Expectancy: Average: 82, Male: 78.8, Female: 85.6
GDP per Capita: $33,800
Literacy Rate: 99%
Unemployment Rate: 4%
Oil imports: 5.425 million bbl/day
Internet Users: 87.5 million
Environmental Issues: Acid rain; Japan is the largest consumer of Amazon rainforest timber

Geography

Japan is located in the North Pacific off the coast of Russia and the Korean peninsula. The area of Japan is 377,873km², which makes it slightly smaller in land mass than California. Japan consists of four main larger islands and more than 4000 smaller islands. The main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Honshu is the largest with an area of 231,000km². A modern railroad system connects the major islands with Japan's high-speed Shinkansen connecting major urban areas.

Japan is over 70% mountainous terrain with approximately 18% of the land mass suitable for settlement. Japanese cities are typically sprawling and densely populated. Tokyo, a megalopolis and capital of Japan, is located on Honshu island. Central Tokyo has a population of 12 million people, with the population of the Greater Tokyo Area estimated at over 35 million people.

The islands of Japan are located in an area known as The Ring of Fire in the Pacific. This is an area with many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Japan is very seismically active with over 1,500 earthquakes per year. In 1923 the Great Kanto Earthquake killed more than 143,000 people in the Tokyo area. Tsunamis and volcanic eruptions are other natural destructive forces in Japan. In 1896 in Sanriku, Japan, 27,000 people were killed by a Tsunami caused by an earthquake.

Population

There are over 127,078,679 (July 2009 est.) people living in Japan. For most of Japan's history its borders were closed to foreigners. As a result, Japan's society is very homogeneous, composed of 98.5% ethnic Japanese. The remaining 1.5 percent are mostly Korean, who number around 1 million. There are also considerable numbers of Brazilians, Chinese, and Filipinos residing in Japan. There is also an ethnic minority of indigenous people, called Ainu, who live mostly in northern Hokkaido.

Language

Japanese is the official language of Japan. Many Japanese also have some ability in writing and speaking English as it is a mandatory part of the curriculum in the Japanese educational system. Japanese uses four different writing systems; Kanji (Chinese characters), Hiragana (phonetic alphabet for native words), Katakana (phonetic alphabet for foreign words), and Romaji (western alphabet used to write Japanese). Japanese vocabulary has been strongly influenced by loanwords from other languages, with most loanwords coming from Chinese and English.

Climate

The climate of Japan varies considerably depending on the region and season. Summer is usually very hot and humid, known to the Japanese as "mushiatsui". From mid July there is a rainy season which lasts around one month. Winters are usually mild, with the northern areas of Japan receiving more snow. Spring and autumn are usually sunny with mild temperatures.

Religion

The two major religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism. Religion does not play a major role in the life of the average Japanese, but people usually have religious ceremonies at births, weddings, and funerals. On New Year's Day visiting a temple or shrine is also a common custom. About 1% of the population follow Christianity, which was heavily persecuted in Japan prior to the Meiji Restoration in 1873.