Where in the World?

Instead of "Where's Waldo", today we will ask, "Where are the Gibsons?"! This slightly blurry picture shows the country of Japan (Nihon - which means "origin of the sun". Hence, it is called "The Land of the Rising Sun".)

Japan in an archipelago, a chain of several thousand islands. There are 5 main islands and 3,000 smaller islands stretching from subarctic Hokkaido to subtropical Okinawa. Russia is north , Korea is west and China and Taiwan are both to the southwest.

Imagine the size of Japan as about the same as California. The population is about half of that of the United States. But only 20% of the land is available for dwelling - the rest is mountainous.

No wonder it is so crowded!! We live in Tokyo, the capital city with a population of 12,557,819 (in 2005).

This also explains why there are such strict rules for disposing of garbage - there are no landfills. Garbage must be burned or recycled.

Japan has four distinct seasons starting with a cold and dry winter. Spring is mild and brings out the famous cherry blossoms. Summer starts with the rainy season in lat June or early July (we are in this season now!). Autumn is marked by typhoons and heavy rain in September. (Oh, can't wait!)
The Emperor reigns as the ceremonial head of state but has no governing power. There is an elected prime minister who is the chief of state along with ministers of state. They comprise the executive cabinet. The legislature is called the National Diet (I wondered what that meant when I would see it in the newspaper).
There are many interesting customs unique to Japan. Many involve paying respect to others and humbling yourself. Here are some of the major ones:
1. Take your shoes off when entering temples or someone's home. Take off your slippers before standing on Tatami (floor) mats. Use separate slippers in toilets, if provided.
2. Avoid blowing your nose and burping in public. Slurping noodles is okay.
3. Avoid too much physical contact, being noisy and pointing with your index finger.
4. Wash and rinse your body well before getting into a shared bath or Onsen, and do not let soap bubbles get into the bath. (Don't think I am going to try this!)
5. Whenever possible, avoid criticizing other people directly or being too direct on negative matters. "I am not sure" or "It's very difficult" is often the Japanese way of saying "No".
6. Tipping is not customary or necessary but many restaurants include a service charge of 10-15%.
7.Bowing is such a natural form of expression that you may find yourself bowing in return without realizing you are doing it. Don't be surprised if your ATM machine shows a character bowing to you after you complete your transaction. Bowing is part of a complicated social code that is based on the stature of the participants, measured by the degree and duration of the bow - the lower the rank, the deeper and longer the bow. The bottom line is, just a small nod of your head will suffice for foreigners like us. Shaking hands, while not customary, is done more frequently these days, but the question now is: do you bow before or after the handshake? Any greater body contact such as cheek-to-cheek greetings, kissing, and bear hugging is NOT in vogue.
The metric system is used in Japan. However sometimes a local system of measurement is used. The most common is Jo, the equivalent of a Tatami mat, which is used to express the size of a room (this room is 6 Jo or 6 mats long and 6 Jo wide).
The power outlets are identical to 2 pin North American outlets.
The writing system consists of three different sets of character systems used together. Kanji (complex Chinese characters), hiragana (a 46 character syllabury used for Japanese syllables) and katakana (another 46 character syllabury used for foreign words brought into the Japanese vocabulary).
There are a total of 15 national holidays in a year. Most are based on the Shinto practice of worshipping nature.
Japan is a very safe place to live and you do not need to be overly concerned about your safety in urban areas at any time of the day or night. But you should always keep doors and windows locked when you are not home to prevent burglary.
I am going to do a separate blog about money. Yen is the currency.
We are enjoying learning all about this wonderful land. We have been here just over 6 weeks!