Introduction

Hello, it's nice to meet you! Japan is an amazing country that puts a lot of importance on culture and tradition. Japan is a country made up of over 3,000 islands! These islands are separated into eight major regions: Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, and Chugoku. Japan is located in the Pacific Ocean off the east coast of Asia.

Japan is known for it's beautiful architecture (buildings) and amazing food. This makes it a popular tourist spot for many people. They also have many festivals for different celebrated holidays. Japanese literature is very broad ranging from poetry to manga. Japan is known as the creator of anime such as Naruto, Pokemon, and many more. Enjoy the book and learn some more about Japan!

Letter

As I mentioned earlier Japan is a well-known tourist spot. Many people come to learn about the culture and try the amazing food. Japan has tourist spots such as Mount Fuji and Japanese Theaters. Japan is also known for its Sumo Wrestling and the elegant form of writing called calligraphy. However, Japanese calligraphy is different from our calligraphy because they write Japanese characters that can take several strokes apiece.

Kon'nichiwa! That's how they say hello here in Japan. I have seen and learned SO many new things! We visited Mount Fujiyama, but people call it Mount Fuji for short. Did you know it is the highest mountain in Japan, and it is a dormant volcano? One in Japanese is 一 and pronounced "ee-chee". After visiting Mount Fuji, we ate some sushi as a late lunch. Eating with chopsticks it really hard! I hope I get better at using them soon. Did you know the character for number two in Japanese is similar to the number one?

The character for two is 二 and it's pronounced "nee". I watched a traditional type of play while here in Japan. It is called the No play and it is the oldest form of theater. It have five different categories: god plays, battle plays, stories of beautiful women, present-day plays, and devil plays. Some of these plays had some really cool masks! The Japanese character for five is 五 and is pronounced "go":. Tomorrow I am going to watch some sumo wrestling matches.

Our guide told us that there are six major sumo tournaments each year. The matches themselves only last around ten seconds each. Our guide also told me the character for the number six is 六 and is pronounced "ro-koo". I tried some calligraphy today... it was hard. Every Japanese character has a certain number of strokes, as well as a particular order the strokes are drawn. The character for "how many" takes seven strokes. I'm going to go practice some more. Write you again soon! -Sally

Instruction Manual

Kimonos are an important traditional wrap style of dress in Japan. Women and men wear kimonos, but they are slightly different. Mens' kimonos have two pieces (shirt and pants). People wear kimonos to festivals, holiday celebrations, and other special occasions. Kimonos have several pieces and can be complicated to put on. This instruction manual will introduce the basic parts and how to put them on, as well as how to correctly wear a kimono.

Parts of a Kimono:

*Nagajuban - white kimono shaped robe worn underneath the kimono

*Datejime - an undersash that is used to tie excess fabric on the kimono

*Kimono - the outer layer silk robe

*Obi - a wide silk sash tie around the kimono at the waist

*Tabi - white, non-elastic socks

*Zori/Geta - different types of sandals

How to Put on a Kimono:

Step 1: Put on nagajuban.

Step 2: Put on tabi socks

Step 2: Put on kimono with back seam centered. Wrap right side of kimono over the body to the left side. The right side of the kimono should be overlapping the left.

Step 3: Pull the kimono up to where it stops at your ankle.

Step 4: Tie datejime around waist. It should hold up the excess fabric.

Step 5: Wrap obi around the datejime and tie the ends together.

Step 6: After tightening the center, slide the obi around to the back.

Step 7: Slide on Zori or Geta sandals.

Poetry

Tanka is a type of Japanese poetry that is similar to a Haiku. A typical Haiku has three lines, the first and third having five syllables and the second having seven syllables. Tanka follows this same pattern, except it adds two more lines, each seven syllables. The pattern is 5, 7, 5, 7, 7. The whole poem should have 31 total syllables. Japan is known for its beautiful cherry blossoms that bloom in Spring!

Cherry Blossoms

Pink cherry blossoms

They are small and delicate

The sweet smell they make

is carried throughout by wind

Enjoy their beauty and smile

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