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.