Dallas-Sendai Friendship Tree
We are raising funds to purchase a sakura tree for our friends at the Mori no Sato nursing home in Sendai, Japan. The tree and commemorative plaque will mark the grand opening of a new building - replacing facilities damaged beyond repair by the 2011 tsunami. The cherry tree will symbolize enduring friendship between the people of Dallas and Sendai.
Donate to a cause you believe in this holiday season! Give now to reach our $2,500 goal.
Mori no Sato's reconstruction has been supported in part by the Sendai Relief Fund -- $185,000 raised through generous donations from the people of North Texas in 2011.
For more information on Mori no Sato and instructions on how to donate, go to our Indiegogo site.
Special thanks to Lisa Berry for directing the video.
Japanese Nightlife Etiquette | Beginner's Guide
Japanese nightlife etiquette can be a bit intimidating when visiting Japan for the first time. We go over some useful tips for first time visitors.
► Hachinohe is 3 hours from Tokyo station by Shinkansen.
►►
► NEW Merchandise Store!
► PATREON:
Japanese Shrine on top of a building in Kitakyushu
After leaving Nara, I headed to Hakata where I spent the night. On the way to Hakata, I stopped at Osaka Station to transfer to Shin-Osaka Station so I could ride the Shinkansen. Caught a quick glimpse of Pichon-kun. Got a short clip of the illumination in front of Hakata Station.
In the morning I left Hakata and rode the Shinkansen to Kokura. Even with a Japan Rail Pass, I rode the Nozomi train to Kokura as the schedule for the Hikari train was going to get me in Kokura way too late. At Kokura Station I thought I was going to get stopped by the station staff for riding the Nozomi but they didn't bother me. Don't do what I did though. If you get caught, you will have to pay the full fare of whatever portion you rode and they may confiscate your rail pass.
Obligatory stop to see Maetel and Captain Harlock.
Walked in front of the Crown Milan bakery in Kyomachi to look at a bunch of tasty bread that I wanted to eat but didn't end up buying. I will revisit Crown in a later video though.
Found out that I could reserve the pre-sale tickets for the Kitakyushu Ramen Festival online so I didn't have to go all the way to Mojiko in order to get them. Looked up and I saw the shrine on top of the Colet building. Figured I had some time to kill so I went exploring up to the top.
Turns out the shrine on top of the building is Kasamori Inari Jinja. It is supposed to be up there protecting the surrounding area and bringing prosperity to Kitakyushu. I would have to say it's working. It is one of the strangest places to find a shrine though.
Info on Kasamori Inari (in Japanese)
瘡守稲荷神社
Crown Kyomachi クラウンパン京町
Beats
Music by Retnik Beats:
Instrumental produced by Chuki.
I love Kitakyushu.
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48 hours in Hokkaido | Road Trip Across Japan
Let's discover Hokkaido by hopping in a car and going on a road trip across its stunning landscape.
► WATCH our Sapporo trip:
► GET inspiration for your trip:
► VISIT the Japan National Tourism site:
► DISCOVER daily ideas for your trip:
► SEE Japan:
Chris Okano's Channel
►
Business Enquiries: talent@tokyocreative.jp
父ありき - Chichi ariki - There Was a Father (1942) Yasujirô Ozu
Chichi ariki 1942 720p x264
1h 34min | Drama | 1 April 1942 (Japan)
Shuhei Horikawa, a poor schoolteacher, struggles to raise his son Ryohei by himself, despite neither money nor prospects.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu
Writers: Tadao Ikeda, Yasujirô Ozu | 1 more credit »
Stars: Chishû Ryû, Shûji Sano, Shin Saburi | See full cast & crew »
Guidance of Odawara Castle｜小田原城ガイドの使い方｜【小田原市観光課公認】
【How to Apps Guidance of Odawara Castle】
Please come to Odawara Castle.
App Guidance of Odawara Castle will guide you through the Odawara Castle.
【小田原市観光課公認】アプリ
『小田原城ガイド』の使い方説明動画です。
本アプリは、日本語･英語･中国語（簡体字/繁体字）の4言語に対応しています。
《ご説明》
小田原城の必見スポットを掲載！小田原城を楽しむための無料観光ガイドアプリ！
iOS7以上を搭載したiPhoneでお楽しみいただけます。
■アプリの紹介
・江戸時代の小田原城正規登城ルートにある門や天守閣の情報をシンプルに掲載
・施設情報には写真や見どころを掲載
・イベントやおすすめ情報も随時掲載
■使い方
１．アプリを起動します。
２．小田原城址公園内の見どころなど、情報を検知すると、一覧表示画面にスポットが表示されます。
３．ご覧になりたい情報を選んでタップすると、現地でしかわからないお楽しみ情報などが表示されます。
■注意事項
このアプリは小田原城址公園内に設置されたビーコンとの通信を行います。位置情報サービス・Bluetoothをオン状態にし、通信環境の良い場所でご使用ください。
■免責事項
夢現舎及び小田原市は、本アプリケーションを利用する一切の行為について、何ら責任を負うものではありません。
The DidiFiles: Patience is a Virtue
Slow internet connection bogging you down and making you blue? Let Didi show you the ways of getting over the legendary IT/WiFi Kiosk connection, and keeping your cool when your patience runs out faster than the free 20 hours access.
Copyright © 2011 Himati.
PS: Please give our money back.
Ganbare Goemon Ebisumaru Kiki Ippatsu (LCD Handheld) - Import Gaming FTW! Ep. 29
I go on a mini-adventure, braving the veldt of civilization, in order to seek help from the old gods of the Yamato in order to find a good Ganbare Goemon game to talk about in an episode of Import Gaming FTW. Or something like that.
One part game review, one part collection video, and one part...uh, Japanese culture tutorial (?), this was a fun video to work on.
Japanese title: がんばれゴエモン えびす丸危機一髪
Release date: ?-?-1990
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Platform: LCD handheld
The shrine featured in this video is Tsutsujigaoka Tenmanguu in Sendai, Japan.
Import Gaming FTW's Ganbare Goemon Series Playlist:
Like what you just watched? Or do you want the precious minutes of your life back that you just wasted? Let me know! And please check out my other videos and subscribe. Thanks!
Gameplay was captured using the Elgato Game Capture HD, and video/audio was edited using Sony Movie Studio Platinum Suite, Version 12.
Other games featured in this video are Ganbare Goemon Sarawareta Ebisumaru (Konami, Game Boy)...and that's it!
The music used for this video consists of tracks from Konami's Ganbare Goemon Sarawareta Ebisumaru (Game Boy), Goemon's Great Adventure (N64), and Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (N64).
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for -fair use- for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
WGS17 Sessions: The Japanese Model in Diplomacy
Tomoko Kitagawa, Specialist in Japanese History, presents the Japanese model in diplomacy during the 2017 World Government Summit.
「見えないチカラ」 視覚障害のフリークライマーが見つけた明日への希望
2012年、クライミングの聖地、イタリアのアルコで開催された世界選手権に出場した視覚障害のフリークライマーたちのドキュメンタリーです。
This is a documentary of visually impaired climbers competed in the World Championships held in Arco - regarded as a climbing holy place, Italy in 2012.
Kimono Photo Shoot Nagoya Japan
via YouTube Capture
WF-001 Loop&Cork Screw Rollercoaster
Economy of Japan
The economy of Japan is the third largest in the world by nominal GDP, the fourth largest by purchasing power parity and is the world's second largest developed economy. According to the International Monetary Fund, the country's per capita GDP (PPP) was at $35,855 or the 22nd highest in 2012. Japan is a member of Group of Eight. The Japanese economy is forecasted by the Quarterly Tankan survey of business sentiment conducted by the Bank of Japan.
Japan is the world's third largest automobile manufacturing country, has the largest electronics goods industry, and is often ranked among the world's most innovative countries leading several measures of global patent filings. Facing increasing competition from China and South Korea, manufacturing in Japan today now focuses primarily on high-tech and precision goods, such as optical instruments, Hybrid vehicles, and robotics. Beside the Kantō region, the Kansai region is one the leading industrial clusters and the manufacturing center for the Japanese economy.
This video is targeted to blind users.
Attribution:
Article text available under CC-BY-SA
Creative Commons image source in video
National Treasures of Japan | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:02:33 1 History
00:02:41 1.1 Background and early protection efforts
00:05:21 1.2 Ancient Temples and Shrines Preservation Law
00:08:16 1.3 Extension of the protection
00:12:29 1.4 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties
00:15:22 1.5 Recent developments in cultural properties protection
00:18:33 2 Designation procedure
00:20:16 3 Categories
00:21:01 3.1 Castles
00:22:11 3.2 Modern and historical residences
00:22:59 3.3 Structures related to industry, transportation and public works
00:23:46 3.4 Shrines
00:24:55 3.5 Temples
00:25:59 3.6 Miscellaneous structures
00:27:50 3.7 Ancient documents
00:28:39 3.8 Archaeological materials
00:29:43 3.9 Crafts
00:31:19 3.10 Historical materials
00:33:26 3.11 Paintings
00:34:31 3.12 Sculptures
00:36:02 3.13 Writings
00:36:40 4 Preservation and utilization measures
00:40:37 5 Statistics
00:41:52 5.1 Geographical distribution
00:43:27 5.2 Age
00:45:56 6 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:
Other Wikipedia audio articles at:
Upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
A National Treasure (国宝, kokuhō) is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). A Tangible Cultural Property is considered to be of historic or artistic value, classified either as buildings and structures or as fine arts and crafts. Each National Treasure must show outstanding workmanship, a high value for world cultural history, or exceptional value for scholarship.
Approximately 20% of the National Treasures are structures such as castles, Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, or residences. The other 80% are paintings; scrolls; sutras; works of calligraphy; sculptures of wood, bronze, lacquer or stone; crafts such as pottery and lacquerware carvings; metalworks; swords and textiles; and archaeological and historical artifacts. The items span the period of ancient to early modern Japan before the Meiji period, including pieces of the world's oldest pottery from the Jōmon period and 19th-century documents and writings. The designation of the Akasaka Palace in 2009 and of the Tomioka Silk Mill in 2014 added two modern, post-Meiji Restoration, National Treasures.
Japan has a comprehensive network of legislation for protecting, preserving, and classifying its cultural patrimony. The regard for physical and intangible properties and their protection is typical of Japanese preservation and restoration practices. Methods of protecting designated National Treasures include restrictions on alterations, transfer, and export, as well as financial support in the form of grants and tax reduction. The Agency for Cultural Affairs provides owners with advice on restoration, administration, and public display of the properties. These efforts are supplemented by laws that protect the built environment of designated structures and the necessary techniques for restoration of works.
Kansai, the region of Japan's capitals from ancient times to the 19th century, has the most National Treasures; Kyoto alone has about one in five National Treasures. Fine arts and crafts properties are generally owned privately or are in museums, including national museums such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara, public prefectural and city museums, and private museums. Religious items are often housed in temples and Shinto shrines or in an adjacent museum or treasure house.
When disasters are beyond natural | Jason von Meding
HDR director & senior lecturer in disaster risk reduction (construction management discipline) School of Architecture and built environment
University of Newcastle, Australia
“We’re trying to change the terminology around [so-called] natural disasters, as well as reducing their risk. The rule is that disasters effect the most vulnerable in society, because of certain structural conditions that aren’t an accident, but are by design.
“The way our societies are structured benefits a few people at the expense of others, and these are the things you don’t get to talk about if you use words like ‘natural disaster’”.
– Dr Jason von Meding, Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture and Built Environment
As long ago as the 1970s, scholars were already of the opinion that there’s no such thing as a truly natural “disaster”. Instead, there are simply conditions that allow for certain areas of society to be disproportionately harmed by natural events.
So, just how can we reduce the risk to human life during these occurrences? To answer this question, researchers like Dr Jason Von Meding at the University of Newcastle, Australia, are applying scientific method to social, political, and environmental issues, and asking how humanity will be able to support itself in an era of increased consumption, and finite Earthly resources.
Traces.Dreams is a place on the web for people interested in the past, passionate about the present and curious about the future. Traces.Dreams is where you can find inspiration through a multidisciplinary and multi-regional perspective. Our vision is to make the big questions and dreams of today’s researchers visible. We interview researchers from different disciplines and countries to get their perspective on their work, their views on life, their “whys”, their motivation and their wishes.
Follow Jason on Twitter @vonmeding on Linkdin
Find out more about him
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List of Japanese government and military commanders of World War II | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:00:01 1 Central government
00:00:10 1.1 Supreme head of state
00:00:35 1.2 President of the Imperial Council
00:00:54 1.3 Chairman of the Imperial Advisory Council
00:01:10 1.4 Imperial family members
00:02:14 1.5 Vice Chairman of the Councilors of Court
00:02:29 1.6 Prime Ministers
00:04:45 1.7 Chief Cabinet Secretary
00:05:00 1.8 Military Secretary to Prime Minister
00:05:14 1.9 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
00:05:59 1.10 Imperial Privy Council
00:06:43 1.11 Imperial State Council
00:06:55 1.12 Imperial Aide to the Crown Prince
00:07:10 1.13 Military Aide-de-Camp
00:08:12 1.14 Grand Chamberlain
00:08:36 1.15 House of Representatives
00:08:58 1.16 House of Peers
00:09:37 2 Imperial Supreme War Command (1937-1945)
00:10:17 2.1 Imperial General Headquarters (Dai Honei)
00:17:26 2.2 Imperial Supreme War Council (Senso-shi-do)
00:20:55 3 Home Defence
00:21:05 3.1 Home Defense Headquarters
00:22:10 3.2 Tokyo metropolitan area
00:22:40 3.3 Tokyo Divisional District
00:22:57 3.4 Tokyo Defense Command
00:23:11 3.5 Tokyo Garrison Headquarters
00:23:30 3.6 Tokyo Bay Fortress Detachment Officers
00:23:54 3.7 Maizuru Fortified Zone
00:24:08 3.8 Tsushima Fortress Detachment
00:24:27 3.9 Officer assigned to General Defense Command
00:24:42 3.10 Shinbu Group (Fourteenth Area Army command)
00:24:59 3.11 Northeastern Army District Headquarters (Japan Proper)
00:25:16 3.12 Northern District Army Command
00:25:31 3.13 Western Army District HQ
00:25:46 3.14 Western District Army Command
00:26:00 3.15 Central District Army Headquarters
00:26:14 3.16 Central District Army Command
00:26:30 3.17 Chosen Army District
00:26:45 4 War Ministries
00:26:54 4.1 Munitions Minister
00:27:45 4.2 Material Section, War Ministry
00:27:59 4.3 Sagami Army Arsenal
00:28:13 4.4 Tokyo Army Arsenal
00:28:30 4.5 Army Remount Department
00:28:44 4.6 Inspector General of Chemical Warfare
00:29:03 4.7 Officer in Inspectorate General
00:29:17 4.8 Army Section, Imperial General Headquarters
00:29:33 4.9 Ōita PW Internment Camp Staff
00:29:49 4.10 Army Allied Prisoner of War Information Bureau
00:30:25 4.11 War Minister
00:31:21 4.12 Deputy Minister of War
00:31:33 4.13 Vice-Minister of War
00:32:26 4.14 Secretary to the War Minister
00:33:22 4.15 Military Affairs Bureau, War Ministry
00:36:11 4.16 Economic Mobilization Bureau in War Ministry and related sections
00:37:44 4.17 Personal Bureau of War Ministry
00:38:21 4.18 Press Relations Branch, Ministry of War
00:38:37 4.19 Army Field Marshal
00:39:09 4.20 Provost Marshal General
00:39:46 4.21 General Affairs Bureau, Provost Marshal Headquarters
00:40:03 4.22 Inspectorate General of Military Training
00:41:56 4.23 Imperial Army-Navy military teaching and training services units
00:42:12 4.24 Army Officers in Reserve list
00:44:12 5 Army
00:44:21 5.1 Deputy Chief of Army General Staff
00:44:50 5.2 Chief of Army General Staff
00:45:17 5.3 Bureau Chief of Army General Staff
00:45:32 5.4 1st Bureau Chief of Army General Staff
00:45:51 5.5 2nd Bureau Chief of Army General Staff
00:46:10 5.6 Vice Chief of Army General Staff
00:46:29 5.7 Army General Staff
00:48:54 5.8 20th Group - War Coordination, Army General Staff
00:49:12 5.9 Operations Section, Army General Staff
00:49:27 5.10 Third Section-Organization and Mobilization, Army General Staff
00:49:53 5.11 Chief of General Intelligence Bureau in Army General Staff
00:50:11 5.12 Second Bureau (Intelligence Division), Army General Staff
00:50:53 5.13 Russian unit of Second Bureau (Intelligence Division) Army General Staff
00:52:44 5.14 Army Technical Research Institute
00:53:05 5.15 Third Bureau (Logistics), Army General Staff
00:53:27 5.16 Railways and Shipping section, Army General Staff
00:53:44 5.17 Army Ordnance and Army Shipping Department
00:54:18 5.18 Chairman of the Military Affairs Bureau
00:55:34 5.19 Commanders Officer Army Home Stations
00:56:34 5.20 Army Aeronautical Department
01:04:16 5.21 Kwantung Army Commanders (until 1945)
01:05:28 5.22 Kwantung Government-General Administration
01:06:08 5.23 Structures in other Japanese armies
01:07:01 6 Police
01:07:10 6.1 Commander in Chief of Kempeitai units
01:08:27 6.2 Tokeitai police service units
01:08:46 6.3 Imperial Guards unit
01:11:35 6.4 Commander of Keishicho Civil Police forces
01:12:19 6.5 Operative Chief of Keishicho Civil Police units
01:12:40 6.6 Tokko police service unit
01:13:07 7 Marine Ministries
01:13:16 7.1 War Relief Association
01:13:30 7.2 Marine Ministers
01:14:23 7.3 Vice-Marine Ministers
01:14:40 7.4 Private Secretary to the Minister of the Navy
01:14:55 7.5 Navy Admirals of the Fleet
01:15:14 7.6 Navy Admirals
01:15:47 7.7 Navy Staff College's Research Department
01:16:02 7.8 Third Department in Marine Ministry
01:16:17 7.9 Bureau of Naval Affairs
01:16:31 7.10 Bureau of Naval Supply
01:16:45 7.11 Bureau of Naval Ac ...
Japan | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Japan
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Japan (Japanese: 日本; Nippon [ɲippoɴ] or Nihon [ɲihoɴ]; formally 日本国 Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, lit. State of Japan) is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.
The kanji that make up Japan's name mean sun origin, and it is often called the Land of the Rising Sun. Japan is a stratovolcanic archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, which make up about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area and often are referred to as home islands. The country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions, with Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one. The population of 127 million is the world's tenth largest. Japanese make up 98.5% of Japan's total population. About 13.8 million people live in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world with over 38 million people.Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed by periods of isolation, particularly from Western Europe, has characterized Japan's history.
From the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shōguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a long period of isolation in the early 17th century, which was ended in 1853 when a United States fleet pressured Japan to open to the West. After nearly two decades of internal conflict and insurrection, the Imperial Court regained its political power in 1868 through the help of several clans from Chōshū and Satsuma – and the Empire of Japan was established. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victories in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrender. Since adopting its revised constitution on May 3, 1947, during the occupation by the SCAP, the sovereign state of Japan has maintained a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with an Emperor and an elected legislature called the National Diet.
Japan is a member of the ASEAN Plus mechanism, UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8 and the G20 – and is considered a great power. The country has the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the world's fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer.
The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most highly educated countries in the world, with one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree. Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the world's eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. It ranked as the world's fourth most-powerful military in 2015. Japan is a highly developed country with a very high standard of living and Human Development Index. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, but is experiencing issues due to an aging population and low birthrate. Japan is renowned for its historical and extensive cinema, influential music industry, anime, video gaming, rich cuisine and its major contributions to science and modern-day technology.
Japan | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Japan
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Japan (Japanese: 日本; Nippon [ɲippoɴ] or Nihon [ɲihoɴ]; formally 日本国 Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, lit. State of Japan) is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.
The kanji that make up Japan's name mean sun origin, and it is often called the Land of the Rising Sun. Japan is a stratovolcanic archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, which make up about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area and often are referred to as home islands. The country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions, with Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one. The population of 127 million is the world's tenth largest. Japanese make up 98.5% of Japan's total population. About 13.8 million people live in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world with over 38 million people.Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed by periods of isolation, particularly from Western Europe, has characterized Japan's history.
From the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shōguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a long period of isolation in the early 17th century, which was ended in 1853 when a United States fleet pressured Japan to open to the West. After nearly two decades of internal conflict and insurrection, the Imperial Court regained its political power in 1868 through the help of several clans from Chōshū and Satsuma – and the Empire of Japan was established. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victories in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrender. Since adopting its revised constitution on May 3, 1947, during the occupation by the SCAP, the sovereign state of Japan has maintained a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with an Emperor and an elected legislature called the National Diet.
Japan is a member of the ASEAN Plus mechanism, UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8 and the G20 – and is considered a great power. The country has the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the world's fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer.
The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most highly educated countries in the world, with one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree. Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the world's eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. It ranked as the world's fourth most-powerful military in 2015. Japan is a highly developed country with a very high standard of living and Human Development Index. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, but is experiencing issues due to an aging population and low birthrate. Japan is renowned for its historical and extensive cinema, influential music industry, anime, video gaming, rich cuisine and its major contributions to science and modern-day technology.
Japan | Wikipedia audio article | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Japan | Wikipedia audio article
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
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SUMMARY
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Japan (Japanese: 日本; Nippon [ɲippoɴ] or Nihon [ɲihoɴ]; formally 日本国 Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, lit. State of Japan) is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.
The kanji that make up Japan's name mean sun origin, and it is often called the Land of the Rising Sun. Japan is a stratovolcanic archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, which make up about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area and often are referred to as home islands. The country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions, with Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one. The population of 127 million is the world's tenth largest. Japanese make up 98.5% of Japan's total population. About 13.8 million people live in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world with over 38 million people.Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed by periods of isolation, particularly from Western Europe, has characterized Japan's history.
From the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shōguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a long period of isolation in the early 17th century, which was ended in 1853 when a United States fleet pressured Japan to open to the West. After nearly two decades of internal conflict and insurrection, the Imperial Court regained its political power in 1868 through the help of several clans from Chōshū and Satsuma – and the Empire of Japan was established. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victories in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrender. Since adopting its revised constitution on May 3, 1947, during the occupation by the SCAP, the sovereign state of Japan has maintained a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with an Emperor and an elected legislature called the National Diet.
Japan is a member of the ASEAN Plus mechanism, UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8 and the G20 – and is considered a great power. The country has the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the world's fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer.
The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most highly educated countries in the world, with one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree. Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the world's eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. It ranked as the world's fourth most-powerful military in 2015. Japan is a highly developed country with a very high standard of living and Human Development Index. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, but is experiencing issues due to an aging population and low birthrate. Japan is renowned for its historical and extensive cinema, influential music industry, anime, video gaming, rich cuisine and its major contributions to science and modern-day technology.