A Trip To Japan

 

         Japan: where the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII, where their national sport is Sumo wrestling, where almost all they eat is various fish and crustaceans.  Japan, the land of Godzilla!  I would first visit the two cities that were bombed and learn as much as I could about the aftermath from the Japanese people. Then I would go watch a baseball game or two, as this is a very popular sport here.  I would also love to visit Tokyo and see everything I could.  A trip to Japan would be fantastic.  I know I would enjoy it. 

         I hope there will be no earthquakes while I’m visiting.  I have seen in the news much of what happened with the recent tsunami and flooding that wrecked havoc in Japan.  I learned about the nuclear reactors and how the tsunami caused them to overheat forcing the engineers to flood the cores with seawater in a desperate attempt to cool them down so it would not turn into a “mushroom cloud”.  Because of being surrounded by water and being on top of a fault line, earthquakes and tsunami’s are hazards for the Japanese people.  Typhoons are also somewhat common occurrences. That’s why it can be dangerous in Japan with all of the potential for natural disaster.  Japan is a leading country in the development of construction technologies built to withstand nature’s fury. 
 

                        


         Being a small land area, many people live in cramped spaces. They don’t seem to mind, however.  It’s the job of some Japanese citizens to make sure as many people as possible fit into the “bullet” trains.  Many people’s homes are roughly the size of an American family room.  In order to purchase a car they have to prove they have enough space in front of their home to park it.  It is also very mountainous.  Because of this fact, private property is at a premium. Space for farming is few and far between.
 

         In Japan, climate can vary between southern regions and northern regions in aspects of temperature and humidity. The southern area of Japan can be humid, warmer, and tropical.  The northern parts are cooler and not as humid as the south.  The northern region is closest to Mt. Fuji.  Mt. Fuji is very interesting because a certain species of monkey likes to spend significant amounts of time soaking in the mountain’s numerous hot springs and pools. Who would’ve known?

When you think of where things are made, do you normally think of Japan or do you think of China as the major importer of goods to the United States?  I personally think of China, but a lot of goods are actually made in Japan as well. After WWII, America oversaw the rebuilding of Japan and the re-establishment of the Japanese as a free democratic nation.  Japan is now one of the United States’ closest allies.  The Japanese have become particularly good at electronics and digital technology.  They also have a very strong presence in the automobile and construction equipment markets.  It is very likely that something you own has parts designed from Japanese companies such as: Yamaha, Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Mizuno, Sony, Roland, Motorola, etc.         

Fun in the European Sun

 It is the end of my freshman year and the beginning of summer.  Some friends and I are planning a trip to Europe. 

We will be visiting France, Ireland, Scotland, England, and Italy.  While we are there many of us are hoping to see a lot of monuments including the Leaning Tower of Pisa (which has eight stories about it) the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and of course Buckingham Palace.  

We also would not miss out on tasting one of every type of food we can find and afford.  France the first country we will be visiting first, they speak French, use the Euro and they have no political problems currently but they do have a beautiful city and flat plains.  

The next country we will visit is Ireland, where the Euro is also used and Irish is spoken.  Their land flows through cities and farms naturally and fluently. We wont be staying in Ireland long, but while there we have the great privilege to stay in a small cottage for the time while we are there.  We will be seeing a castle that my grandfathers great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather owned, but it is now a museum.  After that, a classic 1920's train will take us to Scotland.

They are the same as everyone else in using the Euro as their currency.  Also they speak Scottish and have no political problems, as for the landscape it is rolling moors like Ireland and England.  I am hoping to see someone playing bagpipes there.  For three days we are going to stay at a nice little inn until it is time. Next we will take a plane to England. 

England is not as much like Ireland and Scotland with all the cities but it still has some rolling moors that drop off to steep cliffs like Ireland and Scotland.   They also speak English except it is British English. There we will stay with my aunt at their humble abode.  England also does not have any political problems since we have been here, although there was some rioting in the streets for a week a month before.  Soon we will be arriving in Italy by a boat. 

They speak Italian and their currency is the Euro.  The county has a very characteristic lay of the land and has no political problems.  All of Europe is under one rule by the European Union.  Most of Europe was involved in World War I and World War II.  World War I was a problem because an Austrian leader was assassinated.  In World War II France was taken, in response England the French Resistance and many others joined the allied forces to take back what was theirs.  Many European lives were lost in that war.