TOKYO -OSAKA
JAPAN
東 京 -大 阪
日本
CONTENTS 01
Hi s t or yofTokyo,J apan
02
J apan’ scl i mat e& geogr aphy
03
J apanes ecul t ur e& r el i gi on
04
J apanes ecui s i ne
05
Tr ans por t at i on
06
I coni ci nt er s ect i on i n Shi buya
07
Thevendi ngmachi ne
08
J apanes er ul es& et i quet t eus i ng es cal at or
09
J apan s t r eetf as hi on
1 0
Summar y
Edi tor’ s note : To explore & gai n more knowledge.Iwould love to experi ence the ‘ ri si ng sun’country wi th my own eyes whi le engagi ng wi th new people. W anderlust gaves me freedom to as iwas able to get to know my true self.By Travelli ng,i t opens my heart,broadens my mi nd, and fills my li fe wi th stori es to tell. Ialso loves place th hat make me reali ze that no matter how much we know, there i s always more to learn. Si ncerely,itrust that you wi ll have as much pleasure readi ng thi s one - ti me edi ti on magazi ne as I enj oyed completi ng thi s for you,my dear readers. Happy Readi ng! Thank you,
W an Ahmad Fi rdaus
I ntroducti on J apan i s an i sland nati on i s east asi a.Located i n the Paci fic Ocean,border wi th Chi na,North Korea,South Korea,Russi a,Tai wan,the Sea of J apan,the Sea of Okhotsk,and the East Chi na Sea.J apan known as J apanese name Ni ppon, ʻ にっ ぽ ん ʼor the land of ri si ng sun.The ri si ng sun flag has been used as a tradi ti onal nati onal symbol of J apan for centuri es,and appears i t everywhere around the world. Tokyo ‘ 東 京 ʼi s the capi tal metropoli s ci ty of J apan. The metropoli tan area i s the largest i ndustri al, commerci al,and financi al center i nJ apan.The ci ty i s bui lt on low,alluvi al plai ns and adj acent upland hi lls.The ci ty i si mportant wholesale center,where goods from all parts of the country around the world are di stri buted.
The Hi story of J apan began J apan was settled about 35, 000 years ago by paleoli thi c people from the Asi an mai nland.The Kofun were headed by a class of ari stocrati c warlords,they adopted many Chi nese customs and i nnovati ons. Samurailords took over the goverment i n 1 1 85,ruled J apan i n the name of the emperor unti l1 868.After a new monarchy was establi shed,headed by the M ei j iEmperor, the power of Samuraishotgun came to end. After the M ei j iEmperor’ s death,the emperor’ s son became the Tai sho Empi re.Hi s chroni ci llnesses kept hi m away from duti es and allowed country’ s legi slature to i ntroduce new democrati c reforms.The showa Emperor,Hi rohi to oversaw J apan’ s aggresi ve expansi on duri ng W orld W ar I I , rth as a modern i ts surrender,rebi i ndustri ali zed nati on.
Tokyo
Osaka
J apan i s an archi pelago of some 6, 852 i slands located i n a volcani c zone on the Paci fic Ri ng of Fi re.A nearly conti nuous seri es of ocean trenches, volcani c arcs and shi fti ng tectoni c plates,the Paci fic Ri ng of Fi re accounts for more than 75 percent of the world’ s acti ve volcanoes and 90 percent of the world’ s earthquakes. J apan’ s four mai ni slands,Honshu,Hokkai do,Kyushu and Shi koku,make up 97 percent of the country’ s total land area.Honshu i s home to Tokyo and many of J apan’ s other largest ci ti es,i ncludi ng Yokahama,Osaka, Nagoya,Kobe,Kyoto,Kawasaki ,Sai tama,Hi roshi ma and Sendai . Hokkai do,the second largest J apanese i sland and northernmost prefecture,accounts for nearly a quarter of J apan’ s arable land. Hokkai do leads J apan’ s other 46 prefectures i n the producti on of seafood and a host of agri cultural products,i ncludi ng soybeans (the key i ngredi ent for tofu and all thi ngs mi so),wheat,corn,beef and raw mi lk. Sapporo,Hokkai do’ s capi tal and largest ci ty,hosts the annual Sapporo Snow Festi val,whi ch regularly draws more than 2 mi lli on vi si tors to the spectacular exhi bi ti on of some 400 snow and i ce sculptures. Kyushu,the thi rd largest and most southern of J apan’ s four mai ni slands, i s the si te of J apan’ s most acti ve volcano,M t.Aso,and several ci ti es wi th i mportant hi stori cal,poli ti cal and commerci al si gni ficance,i ncludi ng Nagasaki ,Kagoshi ma and Fukuoka.
J apan’ s cli mate weather I n Tokyo,the J apanese capi tal, the cli mate i s temperate,wi th fai rly mi ld,sunny wi nters and hot,humi d and rai ny summers. Li ke the rest of J apan,the ci ty i s affected by the monsoon ci rculati on:i n wi nter,the no thwest cold currents wi nor ll prevai l,whi le i n summer,they wi ll be replaced by hot and humi d currents of tropi cal ori gi n.The ci ty overlooks the sea,i n the bay of the same name. The summer months begi n wi th gentle temperatures but ascend i nto the scorchi ng heat.The rai ny season usually hi ts around M ay or J une.Autumn i s one of the most beauti ful ti mes of the year i nJ apan’ s capi tal ci ty. Typhoon season bri ngs lots of rai ni n September and October. Wi nter mi ght be Tokyo’ s best-kept secret.Typi cally,there are no (or few)crowds,and i t’ s the most i deal ti me to take advantage of J apan’ s many hot spri ng resorts.Near Tokyo i s the quai nt onsen town of Hakone, n a hot tub where you can soak i overlooki ng the maj esti c M t.Fuj i . A spri ng vi si t to Tokyo i sa total dream.Duri ng sakura season’ s peak bloom,locals camp out for hours i n Ueno Park (even sleepi ng there overni ght), i n order to reserve the best spots for cherry blossom lly vi ewi ng.Temperatures are chi to warm.The flowers plum blossoms,cherry blossoms, azaleas li ght up the whole ci ty.
The Culture and Reli gi on There are two mai n reli gi ons i nJ apan:Shi nto and Buddhi sm.Shi nto i sa J apanese reli gi on,whi le Buddhi sm was i mported i n the 6th century from Chi na.A recent poll found that 39% of J apanese people i denti fy as Buddhi st,3. 9% as Shi nto and 2. 3% as Chri sti an.Early J apanese culture was heavi ly i nfluenced by Chi na.Duri ng the Edo era,J apan exerci sed a stri ct i solati oni st poli cy,closi ng i ts doors to all relati onshi ps wi th the outsi de world.Thi s culti vated a di sti nct J apanese culture.After the h t era i fall of tha n1 868,J apan reversed thi s practi ce,adopti ng cultural practi ces from all over the world and mi xi ng them wi th what was establi shed duri ng the Edo era.Over the years,W estern culture has i nfluenced all aspects of J apanese culture i ncludi ng art,li festyle and food.
I nJ apan,cherry blossoms are called Sakura ‘ さくら ’a speci al flower for the a ti me of renewal,and the fleeti ng nature of li fe.Thei r li fe i s very short.
people and the country.Sakura ‘ さくら ’are a symboli c flower of the spri ng, After thei r beauty peaks around two weeks,the blossoms start to fall.
Tokyo Tower,東 京 タ ワ Standi ng 333 meters hi gh i n the center of Tokyo,Tokyo Tower 東 京 タ ワ i s the world' s tallest,self-supported steel tower and 1 3 meters taller than i ts model,the Ei ffel Tower.A symbol of J apan' s post-war rebi rth as a maj or economi c power,Tokyo Tower was the country' s tallest structure from i ts completi on i n1 958 unti l 201 2 when i t was surpassed by the Tokyo Skytree.I n addi ti on to bei ng a popular touri st spot,Tokyo Tower serves as a broadcast antenna.The tower' s mai n deck at 1 50 meters i s reached vi a elevator or a 600-step stai rcase (both pai d). Thanks to the tower' s central locati on,the observatory offers an i nteresti ng vi ew of the ci ty despi te bei ng only at a relati vely moderate hei ght.There are also some "lookdown wi ndows"i n the floor to stand on,a souveni r shop and a cafe where vi si tors can enj oy refreshments.
The typi cal J apanese meal consi sts of a bowl of ri ce (gohan),a bowl of mi so soup (mi so shi ru), pi ckled vegetables (tsukemono)and fish or meat.W hi le ri ce i s the staple food,several ki nds of noodles (udon,soba and ramen)are cheap and very popular for li ght meals.As an i sland nati on,the J apanese take great pri de i n thei r seafood.A wi de vari ety of fish,squi d, octopus,eel,and shellfish appear i n all ki nds of di shes from sushito tempura.J apanese di et, wi th yaki tori(gri lled chi cken),yaki ni ku (Korean barbeque),gyudon (beef bowl)and of course the standard fare of forei gn and local hamburger chai n restaurants ubi qui tous across the country.
Sti cky,short-grai ned ri ce i s the staple food i nJ apan.Uncooked ri ce i s called kome.The culti vati on of ri ce i n paddy fields tradi ti onally requi red great cooperati on between vi llagers and thi s i s sai d to have been central to the evoluti on of J apanese culture.Thei r are several thousand vari eti es grown i nJ apan,wi th Koshi hi kariand Aki ta Komachibei ng among the most popular.Ri ce i s also used to make mochi(ri ce cakes),senbei(ri ce crackers)and sake (ri ce wi ne).Ri ce can also be cooked wi th red beans (seki han),seafood and vegetables (Taki komigohan)or as a ki nd of watery porri dge seasoned wi th salt (kayu)whi ch i s very popular as a cold remedy.Oni gi riare ri ce balls wi th seafood or vegetables i n the mi ddle, usually wrapped i n a pi ece of dri ed seaweed (nori ).W hi le udon and soba are also beli eved to have come from Chi na,only ramen retai ns i ts i mage as Chi nese food.Ramen i s thi n egg noodles whi ch are almost always served i n a hot broth flavored wi th shoyu or mi so.Thi si s topped wi th a vari ety of i ngredi ents such as sli ces of roast pork (chashu),bean sprouts (moyashi ),sweetcorn and butter.Ramen i s popular throughout J apan and di fferent regi ons are known for thei r vari ati ons on the theme.Examples are Corn-butter Ramen i n Sapporo and Tonkotsu Ramen i n Kyushu.
The Tokyo subway 東 京 の 地 下 鉄 ,Tōkyō no chi katetsu)i sa part of the extensi ve rapi d transi t system that consi sts of Tokyo M etro and the ToeiSubway i n the Greater Tokyo area of J apan.W hi le the subway system i tself i s largely wi thi n the ci ty center,the li nes extend far out vi a extensi ve through servi ces onto suburban rai lway li nes. All maj or J apanese ci ti es have thei r own urban nes. subway li Punctual,safe,and never on stri ke,the J apanese subway i s the preferred mode of transportati on for resi dents of large ci ti es such as Tokyo.Knowi ng how to use the Tokyo M etro i s essenti al when stayi ng i n the J apanese capi tal.
Shi nkansen,the famous bullet trai n provi des comfort and speed, for a very attracti ve pri ce i f you have the J apan Rai l Pass.The Shi nkansen allows - among others - the Kyoto-Tokyo routes, Tokyo-Hi roshi ma route.J R trai ns: the former na onal rai lway n ti company i s now di vi ded i nto regi onal enti ti es,whi ch each manage thei r own networks.I f you' re traveli ng i n a si ngle regi on,a J R Regi onal Pass i s often the most economi cal way to get around.
Shi buya crossi ng, 渋 谷 ス クラ ン ブ ル 交 差 点
Shi buya i coni c i ntersecti on M any ci ti es have i coni c landmarks such as New York Ci ty' s Statue of Li berty,Pari s' s Ei ffel Tower,Bei j i ng' s Great W all.Tokyo has some uni que features,of course,such as Tokyo Tower and the Skytree,but to me the most i denti fiable landmark to the ci ty wi ll always be Shi buya Crossi ng. M any of the cafes and restaurants faci ng the i ntersecti on all take advantage of thei r pri me posi ti on, provi di ng wi ndow-si de seati ng from whi ch to gaze at the hordes of pedestri ans crossi ng,or people watch those taki ng selfies. One of the most popular vi ews i s from the gi ant Starbucks located across from Shi buya Stati on.I n addi ti on to bei ng a constant contender for the busi est branch i n the world,i ts second floor seati ng area has a counter across i ts floor-to-cei li ng wi ndows, Perfect for overlooki ng the i ntersecti on.One of the busi est pedestri an crossi ngs i n the world, Shi buya crossi ng i s perhaps the most i coni c symbol of the ci ty of Tokyo around the world. Shi buya Crossi ng’ s large adverti si ng screens and heavy o foot traffic means i ti s often compared to the Ti mes Square i ntersecti on i n New York and Pi ccadi lly Ci rcus i n London,and i ti s often seen as representati ve of the ultra-modern i mage of Tokyo proj ected worldwi de.
Shi buya Crossi ng,or Shi buya Scramble Crossi ng,i s a popular scramble crossi ng i n Shi buya, Tokyo,J apan. [1 ]I ti s located i n front of the Shi buya Stati on Hachi kō exi t and stops vehi cles i n all di recti ons to allow pedestri ans to i nundate the enti re i ntersecti on.The statue of Hachi kō,between the stati on and the i ntersecti on,i s a common meeti ng place and almost always crowded. Three large TV screens mounted on nearby bui ldi ngs overlook the crossi ng,as well as many adverti si ng si gns.The Starbucks store overlooki ng the crossi ng i s also one of the busi est i n the world.I ts heavy traffic and i nundati on of adverti si ng have led to i t bei ng compared to the Ti mes Square i ntersecti on i n New York Ci ty and Pi ccadi lly Ci rcus i ntersecti on i n London.Shi buya Crossi ng i s the world’ s busi est pedestri an crossi ng,wi th as many ng at a as 3, 000 people crossi ti me. Thi si ntersecti on i s frequently called "the busi est pedestri an i ntersecti on i n the world"and there i s almost no loss of foot traffic at mi dni ght or early morni ng.Road traffic j ams rarely occur here even duri ng rush hours.Accordi ng to the Shi buya Center Street i n 201 6, the number of pedestri ans crossi ng the i ntersecti on was as much as 3, 000 per green li ght every 2 mi nutes.
J apan vendi ng machi ne
One thi ng that basi cally every touri st i mmedi ately noti ces i s the large number of vendi ng machi nes i nJ apan.They’ re at every stati on, i n every bui ldi ng,and you’ ll practi cally stumble upon a vendi ng machi ne no matter where you’ re goi ng,even i n the countrysi de. W alki ng the streets of Tokyo you' ll find one at every corner.Colorful and spotless,ready to quench your thi rst wi th a wi de vari ety of beverages.Vendi ng machi nes are an ever-present comfort i n the dai ly tes.Ihave countless li fe of Tokyoi memori es of grabbi ng a canned coffee on a busy morni ng,or reveli ng i n an i ce-cold Pocari Sweat on a hot summer day. Ever si nce Icame to J apan Iwas always fasci nated by the vari ety of dri nks avai lable (hot and cold dri nks i n the same machi ne! )and the effici ency wi th whi ch every si ngle machi ne gets constantly restocked. A maj ori ty of machi nes sell non non-alcoholi c beverages such as soft dri nks,j ui ce,energy dri nks, tea and coffee for a reasonable 1 00 to 200 yen.These dri nk machi nes usually offer both hot and cold beverages.Vendi ng machi nes that sell alcoholi c beverages and ci garettes are less common.M any other vari eti es of vendi ng machi nes can be found i n even smaller numbers,selli ng goods such as i ce cream,ri ce,di sposable cameras,i nstant noodles and even omi kuj i ,the small fortune telli ng sli ps of paper sold at shri nes and temples.
Rules and eti quette usi ng escalator J apan has vari ous local rules to follow when usi ng publi c faci li ti es, i ncludi ng escalator.Known as one of the most common publi c faci li ti es i nJ apan,escalator i s essenti al i nJ apan,and followi ng the escalator eti quette i s ortant.I ti s a customary to i mpo leave one si de of the escalator open so that those i n a hurry can pass.I n Tokyo,people stand on the left si de,and leave the ri ght si de open,whereas i n the Kansairegi on, people stand on the ri ght si de,and leave the left si de open. Thi si s the most common escalator eti quette followed by most regi ons of J apan:leave one si de of the escalator empty so those i n a hurry can cli mb up or walk down.Those who cli mb up or walk down must walk carefully i n order to not ng on the di sturb who are standi other si de.I f you’ re bri ngi ng your sui tcase wi th you,make sure to put i t on the step ri ght above or below you.I f you’ re carryi ng a backpack or bi g shoppi ng bags,hold them i n front of you when walki ng on the escalator.
Arguably Tokyo' s most famous di stri ct,Haraj uku was everythi ng expected i t to be.I ti s a place you could spend hours people watchi ng as the young fashi oni stas and punks of the ci ty come and go.
Ueno Ameyokocho Street, 上 野 雨 子 町 通り
Tokyo i s famous wi th shop ti ll drop street.From cutti ng edge electroni cs to colorful ani me goods,tradi ti onal crafts,trendy fashi on and branded goods,Tokyo has a shop for practi cally anythi ng one could ever want to buy although not necessari ly i n your desi red pri ce range.Tokyo' s vari ed si ghtseei ng di stri cts double as shoppi ng di stri cts, Haraj uku has a spli t personali ty wi th two parallel shoppi ng streets that cater to very di fferent shoppers.Omotesando, known as Tokyo' s Champs-Elysees,i s a tree li ned avenue wi th upscale bouti ques,cafes and several leadi ng desi gner brand shops.Takeshi ta Dori ,on the other hand,i s a center of youth fashi on and counter culture found along a narrow street crammed wi th shops and cafes targeti ng the younger, teenage crowd.
Omotesando Hi lls,表 参 道 ヒ ル ズ .Fashi on Streetwear
Few areas of Tokyo are as famous as Omotesando,the 1 1 00m long street leadi ng up to the huge M ei j iGrand Shri ne.Offici ally Omotesando street i s known as Route 41 3 but i n common use the name refers to the street and the i mmedi ate surroundi ngs.The Omotesando Boulevad begi ns i n Mi nato W ard but ends i n Shi buya W ard.Si nce Omotesando i s qui te possi bly the most fashi onable address i nJ apan shops wi ll use the name even i f they are not on the street i tself.The street i s home to several hi gh brand flagshi p stores and to have a shop on Omotesando i s generally regarded as the ulti mate i n the Asi an fashi on world.Naturally,the rents here are astronomi cal.
The streets of Omotesando are li ned up wi th famous brand name shops. Styles of the people who gather here are parti cularly refined.Thi s di stri ct features smart and styli sh fashi ons based on monotone colors.Omotesando has become J apan' s home of modern hi gh-end fashi on,wi th many desi gner labels setti ng up stores along the lavi sh and spaci ous boulevards that li ne the area.The second bi ggest upscale shoppi ng nei ghborhood after Gi nza, Omotesando di ffers from Gi nza by focusi ng on more contemporary names li ke M ai son M argi ela,H&M over classi cs li ke Loui s Vui tton,Di or and Prada although both have locati ons i n the area.Head to the i coni c Omotesando Hi lls mall for seven floors of hi gh-end fashi on.
Aki habara i s a buzzi ng area i n the north east of central Tokyo known as the electroni c town because of the many shops selli ng vi deo games,ani me and manga and electroni c goods.The area has become more popular among forei gn touri sts as a tri p desti nati on.M ostly because J apanese Pop culture i s gai ni ng populari ty i n other countri es where a group of J apanese i dols consi sti ng of teenage gi rls that are very popular i nJ apan and abroad. However,there i s much more than j ust a pop culture i n Aki habara,and even those who are n not i nterested i ni t can have fun experi ences there.
Aki habara Street,秋 葉 原 通り .Electroni c Town
Aki ba,Aki habara,Electri c Ci ty,the holy land of ani me goes by several names.Thi s nei ghborhood of Tokyo i s arguably most famous for i ts connecti ons to ani me,manga,and cosplay,although the ci ty’ s hi story as an electroni cs ki ngdom goes far back.These days,domesti c and I nternati onal touri sts ali ke come from around the world to find goods and servi ces related to thei r favori te manga,ani me,and game characters, and they often find more than they ever thought possi ble.The streets of Aki habara are li ned wi th shops stacked to the bri m wi th everythi ng from ani me figuri nes to comi c-based lunch boxes to pocket change pouches shaped li ke beloved vi deo game characters.
Summary
Thank you / ありが とうご ざ い まし た Ihope tha ps and i nformati ons that ihave wri tten h t some of the ti about the travelli ng to J apan whi ch (Tokyo and Osaka )were helpful to you readers.Thi s tri p really gi ves me the opportuni ty to be genui nely i nvolved i n an acti vi ty,to develop new ski lls and di scover new culture.Duri ng the travelli ng,you may experi ence the crazi est,most exci ti ng thi ngs,that wi ll eventually become great stori es that you can tell others.W hen you grow old and lock back at your li fe and all your travel experi ences,you wi ll reali ze how much you have done i n your li fe and your li fe i s not i n vai n.I t wi ll provi de you wi th hapi ness and sati sfacti on for the rest of your li fe.
TOKYO
. OSAKA
W an Ahmad Fi rdaus bi n W an M ohd Zaki copyri ght
2021
1 93021 644
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