JAPAN

 

 

Konnichi wa!  My name is Moto, and I live in the city

of Tokyo.  I'd like to take you on a trip through my

native land.  There are lots of sights to see and

plenty to learn about Japan.  But before we

go, there are a few things we need to

know.  With the blink of my eye

you will be on your way!

 

Week # 1 JAPAN BASICS

After you have finished this section you should be able to...

   1. Find Japan on a map of the world.

   2. Name the regions that make up Japan.

   3. Identify and locate the capital of Japan.

   4. Locate and describe Mt. Fuji.

   5. Identify and make a Japanese flag.

   6. Know some Japanese phrases and numbers.

   7. Use several Japanese terms correctly.

 

 

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS JAPAN?

           

            Japan is an island country located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan,

east of the Korean Peninsula.  Four large islands and thousands of small ones make up Japan. Roughly the size of California, it is inhabited by about half the number of people that live in the entire United States!

 

To see a map of Japan log onto http://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/japan/map/j_regi.html

and answer the following questions.

 

List the 8 regions that make up Japan:

1.________

2.________

3.________

4.________

5.________

6.________

7.________

8.________

 

What is the capital of Japan?

_________

Mt. Fuji

 

            Mountains and hills cover most of Japan making it a country of great beauty.  These mountains take up so much land, however, that the great majority of people live on narrow plains across the coast.

            The highest most famous mountain in Japan is Mt. Fuji. It stands 3,776 meters

(12,388 feet)  high.  The Japanese refer to this majestic mountain as Fuji-san.

 

To view Mt. Fuji log onto http://www.sunplus.com/fuji/nowe.html  

 

            Now that you have viewed the famous Mt. Fuji, write one paragraph explaining why you would like to visit this famous sight in person.

 

            I would like to visit Mt. Fuji because...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE JAPANESE FLAG

 

            The Japanese call their country Nippon or Nihon, which means "source of the sun."  It is easy, then, to understand where the design for the Japanese flag came from!  Adopted in 1854, the flag shows a red sun on a white background..

 

To view a picture of the Japanese flag log onto http://www.flags.net/JAPA.html

 

PROJECT:

Make a Japanese flag to use as a classroom decoration.

 

MATERIALS:

1.  White construction paper

2.  Pencil

3.  Small paper plate or drawing compass

4.  Red crayons or markers

 

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Draw a circle in the center of the white construction paper.  You may use a drawing compass or a small paper plate to help you draw a perfect circle.

2.  Color the circle red.

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE

 

 

            Japanese is the official language of Japan.  There are many different dialects that differ greatly in pronunciation.  Fortunately, most people understand the Tokyo dialect because it is the dialect that is spoken on radio and television.

            Spoken Japanese has many styles according to the situation.  There is one style for

everyday use and one for company.  There is another style for speech making and yet another for speaking to elders!

 

Now let's try some common Japanese phrases:

 

English                                    Japanese                            Pronunciation

 

Hello                                         Konnichi Wa                       Cone Knee che wah

Thank You                               Arigatoh Gozaimasu            Arigahtaw gozighmass

Yes, Please                               O-negai shimasu                  Oh-nehguy shemass

Good bye                                 Sayonara                                Sah yoh nah rah

See you tomorrow                    Mata ashista                           Mahtah ahshtah

For what I'm about                   Itada Kimasu                        Eetah dah Keymass

to receive...(what to

say before you eat)

 

To see additional Japanese phrases log onto http://www.wordbook.html

 

Once you have looked through this site write down 2 different ways to say "Hello, good morning."

1.______

2.______

 

 

 

 

 

 

NUMBERS

 

zero                                           zero                                     (ze-ro)

one                                            ichi                                      (e-che)

two                                            ni                                         (ne)

three                                          san                                       (san)

four                                           shi                                        (she)

five                                            go                                         (go)

six                                              roku                                     (ro-koo)

seven                                         shichi                                   (she-che)

eight                                          hachi                                    (ha-che)

nine                                           ku                                         (koo)

ten                                             ju                                          (joo)

eleven equals ten plus one (ju-ichi)

twelve ten plus two (ju-ni)

twenty equals two tens (niju)

Twenty-one equals two tens plus one (niju-ichi)

 

To view additional Japanese numbers and higher numbers log onto http://www.smallnumber.html

 

After viewing this site write down another way to say the numbers:

#0______

#4______

#7______

 

 

Now that we have learned some commonly used Japanese words, try to solve the

following problems:

 

1.   san + shichi =

2.   ni + go =

3.   roku + ju =

4.   ichi + ku =

5.   hachi + ni =

6.   ju + ju =

7.   zero + niju-ichi =

8.   ju + ku +

9.   san + niju =

10. ichi + ju-ichi =

 

 

 

JAPANESE TERMS

 

          Once we arrive in the country of Japan we will be hearing different words that  we may not be familiar with, so to eliminate this problem here is a list of Japanese terms and their meanings.

 

Bunrako- a form of Japanese puppet theater.

 

chanoyu-a Japanese tea ceremony.

 

fusama-movable paper partitions that are used to define and rearrange spaces inside a

           Japanese home.

 

futon-a thin mattress used by the Japanese for sleeping.  It is usually rolled up and put               

      away during the day and unrolled at night.  

 

hago asobi- a game played by the Japanese children that is similar to badminton.

 

haiku-a poem that consists of three nonrhyming lines.  A true haiku contains only 17                   

      syllables -five in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the third.  

 

haniwa-clay sculptures made by the early Japanese. The sculptures are usually figures of

          animals, servants, and warriors.

 

hibachi- a small grill used by the Japanese for cooking.

 

ikebana- the Japanese art of flower arranging, in which the careful placement of flowers,

      stems, and leaves is meant to look like a flower growing in nature.

 

judo- a form of unarmed combat that involves throwing an opponent to pin him down.

 

kakemono- a decorative painted scroll made of silk of paper.  It is usually decorated with

      a  painted scene from nature.

 

kana- system of writing that evolved in Japan from kanji.

 

kanji- Chinese style of writing that was adopted by the Japanese.

 

karate- a form of unarmed combat that involves striking an opponent with feet or hands.

 

kendo- a form of martial arts that involves fencing with bamboo swords.

 

kimono- robe-like garment worn by men and women in Japan.

 

mon- family crest used by the Japanese on clothing and decorative objects.

 

Nippon- the word that the Japanese use to name their country.  It means "source of the

      Sun.”

 

Noh-a form of theater that is performed by dancers wearing elaborate masks and

      Costumes.

 

origami-the Japanese art of paper folding, in which paper is folded to make animals,

      people, and other objects.

 

otedama-a game played by Japanese children in which three bean bag-like balls are

      juggled.

 

shoji-sliding screens made of wood and paper that are the inner walls of a Japanese

      house.

 

soroban-an abacus, or counting frame.

 

ukiyo-e hanga-Japanese woodblock prints depicting scenes from daily life.

 

taiko-a Japanese drum. it can vary in size from very small to very large, and is used to

      create many interesting sounds.

 

tatami-woven reed mat that is used for a floor covering in a Japanese home.

 

sumo-a ritualized form of wrestling in which opponents charge each other in an attempt

      to  push each other out of a ring.

 

 

Now that you are familiar with several Japanese terms, try to find all of them in the

following Word Search.  Look up, down, across, backwards, and diagonal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A    R    T    Y     S     I     J     N    A    K   Y     X   A    I    H 

B    U    Q    E     T    C    F    M    L    G    A    W   H    Z   A

X    V    C    K    D    M   R    O    I     X     J     N   B    M   G

E     F    U    J     O    P     N    J    M   K    P     B    A    F    Z

O    S    D    N    N    O    K   W   A    V    P     S    C    E    K

W   M    I     L     O   N    Q    R    G    S    U    D    J     D   A

L    F     U    E    M    O    Q    D    I     F    C    O    N    B    L

A    N    M   S     I     M    O    P    R    Q   U     R    Y    S    A 

M   G    U    N    K    E     N    D   O    C   H     T     I     B   M

A    F    H    T     G    K    X    W    V   U    T     Z    O    O   A

D    O   C    V     M   A    P     L     U    B   X     Y    C    N   P

E    R    H    A     I     K    U     A    M   E    A     O   V    F    I

T    I     A    E     K    Y    T     Z     Z    S    N     X    Z    J    M

O   J     N    I      P     P    O    N    A    F    W   W   Q   U    A

Q   D    O   O     E     B    P    B     G    Y    L    H    E    D    T

K   F    Y    Y     H    D    H    B    U     N    R    A   K   O    A

M   L    A    E     D    V    I      I     M    D    J     G    N   P    T

I     G    X    G    C    Z     C    H     J     G    K    O   L   O    K

F    L    S     R    C    Q    H    A     N    I     W    A   L    Z    S

H    J    L     I      S     I    W    O     R    N   W    S    U   Q    N

S    O   R    O     B    A    N    P     I      B    E     O   M   S    L

H   H    T    A     U    V    W   X    U     T     J     B    M   H   S

O   K    C   W    L     V    M   G     A    Y    A    I     O    R   U

J    H    O    T     F     V    U    R     U    N    H    I     K    O   F

I    K    E     B    A     N    A    K    A    O    T     N   K    Z    P

A  M    X    B     I      K    S    M    R    O    D    Q    S    O   E

Y  C    T     A    G     N    A    H     E    O    Y     I     K   U   G

 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!  WE ARE NOW READY FOR AN

EXCITING AND UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY TO JAPAN!

 

 

WELCOME!!!!!!!

 

“Welcome to Japan, my native land.  You have learned many new terms and information about Japan.  This will make it a little easier to understand this country.  I hope you had an enjoyable trip to my country.  Now that you are here, follow me on  journey through my native land and learn some of the ways of my people.

 

(click onto http://sarah.fredart.com/index.php3 )

 

“What in the world did we just look at?. . . . .  It’s an origami!”

ORIGAMI

 

            Origami is the art of folding paper.  Origami is commonly referred to as being Japanese in origin; oru means “to fold,” and kami means “paper.”  But the Chinese were the first to develop these simple forms of paper folding, around the first century A.D.  The secret of paper folding was integrated into the Japanese culture around the 6th century A.D.

 

“Let’s take a look at some more origami’s.”

http://sarah.fredart.com/index.php3

 

“Now that we have seen some origami’s, let’s try to make one.”

www.pro.or.jp/~fuji/origami/index-eng.html

 

What did you think?  How did your origami turn out?  Now that you have seen some Japanese art, let’s look at another form of art that also is important to society, Okane.”

 

Japanese Currency

 

            Japanese money is known as Okane.  It comes in different denominations.  These different denominations include: 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10000 Yen in paper money.  It also comes in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 500 Yen in coin.  Go to www.k111.k12.il.us/king/japan18b.htm

 

1.     What is Japanese Money called?

2.     What is the name of the basic coin in Japan?

3.     Which coins have a hole in them and what is the reason?

 

4.     How much is 1000 yen worth in American dollars?

How about 2000 yen?

Let’s look at some of the features of Japanese money.

www.boj.or.jp/en/about/gizo2s.htm

 

Here’s a look at the Japanese Currency in use.

www.boj.or.jp/en/about/okane.htm

 

Now let’s look at the value of Yen compared to the value of the U.S. dollar.

www.xe.com/ucc

 

Compare the following denominations to the U.S. dollar:

1.                 1000 Yen

2.                 2000 Yen

3.                 5000 Yen

4.                  10000 Yen

 

“Did you notice how different Japanese money was in relation to your money?  The value of our money changes daily, compared to yours.  While we are looking at things that are a part of my people’s culture, I want you to visit the world of Japanese religion.”

 

Religion

           

            Religion is very important to my people.  They believe that by living life good-natured they will be given admission to the ultimate after life. For most of us, all of our actions and daily rituals are done because of our religious beliefs.  In my country most religious people follow the beliefs of Buddhism.  Buddhism was founded by a man named Siddhartha Gotma many moons before this one.  Followers believe this religion presents benefits to personal, social and righteous growth.  According to Buddhist ethics not only should followers not break the Ten Principles of Obedience but they are not to allow another to break the rules either.  Therefore followers try to accumulate the most good karma possible.  Bad karma such as thinking ill about another person or to lie are frowned upon and avoided by followers at all times.  Buddhist believe there are ten worlds that describe the human behavior and you experience them based on how much good karma you have acquired.  Those with little good karma can be sent to Hell, Hunger, Animality, or Anger to suffer for their sins.  In Hell one would suffer and experience rage.  Hunger is where unsatisfied desires would be experienced.  Animality is a place of discriminating behavior.  In the world Anger the person’s ego is the most important factor.  Those followers with average karma would live in neutral life conditions in Humanity or Rapture.  Humanity is a world of reason and self-control.  Rapture is a world of desire and satisfaction.  Those with above average karma would live in positive life conditions in Learning, Self-realization, or Bodhisattva.  Learning is a world of gaining knowledge and trying to acquire wisdom.  Self-realization is a world of self-expression and creativity.  Bodhisattva is where generous actions take place.  If someone has excellent Karma they would live a life of supreme life conditions in Buddhahood.  That person would also be known as the Enlightened One.  The mind is the only tool for the Buddhist.”

“ I have tried to explain to you some general information of my religion, but I am not sure if I did my job successfully.  If you would like to view for yourself some of the guidelines to Buddhism check out the following site.”  www.Japan-guide.com/e/e2055.html

Activity:

 

1.  After reading the above paragraph tell which one of the seven after world’s you would want to visit and why?

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Give three examples of bad karma.

 a.

 b.

 c.

 

3.  Give one example of which world someone with little good karma; average good karma and excellent good karma would go.

a.  Those with little good karma could go to the.................

b. 

c.   

 

“What you say we look at a little history.  WWII was a war that began in Europe, led by the world power, Germany.  As the war progressed, my people joined forces with Germany and helped form the ‘Axis Power.’  What began after this would affect my country in a serious way; which continues today.”

 

DECEMBER 7, 1941

 

            December 7, 1941 was the date that Japan bombed the naval port, Pearl Harbor, on the southern coast of Oahu Island, Hawaii.  This marked the beginning of the ‘War in the Pacific.’ 

           

            Once WWII began, Japan was recognized as a country that was expanding and becoming more powerful.  They became known as the Rising Sun.  Japan began to invade and conquer neighboring lands.  In order to continue this aggression and expansion, they saw that it would be necessary to attack the U.S. navy base in the Pacific Ocean.  This incident began the war between the U.S. and Japan.  http://www.ibiscom.com/pearl.htm and http://encarta.msn.com/find/concise.asp?ti=046F8000 .

 

1)                  How many waves did Japanese attacking planes come in?

 

2)                  How many servicemen died, and how many planes were destroyed in the attack?

 

3)                  What island is Pearl Harbor an inlet of?

 

4)                  When did the U.S. government first obtain use of the inlet?

 

5)                  How many battleships were destroyed or badly damaged?  In all, how many ships were sunk or damaged in the attack?

 

 

After a few years, the U.S. was winning the war.  However, in order to end the war, the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs – one on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and the second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945.  As a result, thousands of Japanese civilians died and the nuclear scare began.  See the effects of an atomic bomb.  http://web.uccs.edu/~history/index/worldwar2.html (Click on the web site.  Scroll down to The Atomic Bomb.  Click on A-Bomb WWW Museum and scroll down to Welcome to A-Bomb WWW Museum.

 

1)                  What name was given to the A-Bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima?

 

2)                  When was this first bomb dropped?

 

3)                  About how many people perished from the bomb?

 

4)                  What name was given to the second bomb?

 

5)                  Why was the damage not as intense at Nagasaki as that of the first bombing?

 

6)                  How many perished at Nagasaki? 

 

Now, scroll down to Table of Contents.  Go into Record of A-Bomb disaster, and view the effects.

Afterwards, scroll down to From the exhibits of the Peace Memorial Museum and view some of the exhibits.  Go into Things that tell the story.  Go into The Atomic Bomb Dome.

 

1)                  What is significant about the Atomic Bomb Dome?

 

 

“This war not only ended the lives of thousands of servicemen, but thousands of civilians as well.  As a result of this war, both Japan and the U.S. can learn from their past.  This changed the lives of many people, not only in Japan but in America as well. 

 

I hope you all enjoyed this little visit to my country.  It was a great learning experience for me, and for you.  On your way back, stop and take a look at the Pearl Harbor Memorial.”

Go to http://krunch.med.yale.edu/~og/hawaii/arizona.html

 

Bye!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1