More from Japan

Ohayo again First Graders!

Japan is such an interesting place. I have been getting around in Tokyo and I found out about a lot of things that you wanted to know.

Mia asked what the money looks like. It is called yen, and here are two different bills.

 

The top one is a 1000 yen note. It has a picture of the Emperor. The bottom one is a 2000 yen note, and it has a picture of a torii gate.

 

Ziggy and Christian both asked about what kind of special buildings that I saw in Japan. A torii gate is one kind. It is not exactly a building, it's more of an entry way.

 



This one is in the water. Boats come through it on the way to shore.  Other ones are on land. People  walk through them to enter some buildings.

Another type of building is a pagoda. It is a religious building (like our churches) where people go to  worship and pray. They are tall towers with many layers of roofs.

 

You can see guard lion statues, called Shishi, outside many buildings. They are always in pairs. One has an open mouth, and one has a closed mouth. They are supposed to keep evil away.

 

 



Xaria asked what kind of clothes people wear. Mostly, they dress just like us. They like jeans and hoodies. Girls wear a lot of Hello Kitty clothes. Boys like tee shirts with Pokémon and Picachu on them. Did you know that all 3 of those characters started in Japan?

 

There are some traditional clothes that people wear on special occasions. This woman is dancing onstage, and wearing a kimono. She has traditional make-up on her face to make it very white.

 

 

Another type of special clothes that children wear all the time is school uniforms. Elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools all have uniforms. I saw these boys and girls in the subway station one morning on their way to school. There are no school buses. Kids walk to school, ride bikes, come in cars with their moms, or take the subway.

 

The uniforms always have hats. Their backpacks are bigger than ours, and made of leather.

 

 

It is time for my to say good-bye to you. I know that your school year is almost over. Soon you will start summer break, so this will be my last post. I hope that you have enjoyed learning a little bit about some far away places in our world. Always stay curious and keep learning.

 

Sayonara!

Your friend,

Flat Stanley



 

 

 



 



 



 

Ohayo from Japan!

I just said, "Hi" to you in Japanese. The word sounds like the English word, "Ohio" which is the name of a state in our country.

I have been here for one week now, and I have been learning a lot. I am staying in Tokyo, which is the biggest city in Japan. Much bigger than New York City even! It is very busy. The people are very nice, though. They are so polite. They bow from the waist when they meet. Girls and ladies bow with their hands clasped in front of them. Boys and men bow with their hands straight down at their sides. Would you like to try that?

We have been tasting many different foods. Japan is an island nation, so most people live close to the sea, and they catch and eat a lot of fish. Rice is another favorite food. Rice and fish are part of almost every meal - even breakfast!

This is a picture of a restaurant window. 

 

Lots of visitors to Japan aren't familiar with the foods, so they put plastic models in the window for people to look at to help them choose what they would like to eat.

 

This man is selling food in the street. He is cooking squid muffins. They are steaming hot when you buy them. They're round spheres, crispy on the outside, with pieces of squid in the middle. We liked them a lot!

 

 

 

Not all food is different, though. If you want American food, you can go to Subway, or McDonalds.

The signs look different, but the food is just the same.

 

 

 

Because I am in a city, the animals that I have seen are birds and squirrels. These small animals can live alongside people in crowded conditions. They can find enough food, and places to live. People here like to feed the birds. This man was scattering pieces of bread, and soon a whole flock of pigeons came to eat.

 

 

 

Another animal to see in the city is fish. These are called koi. They look like goldfish, only bigger. These fish are not for eating. They are for decoration. Many families have a pond in their yard full of these pretty fish.

 

I bet you know where I am in this picture!

 

 

That's right - the fire station. The big front doors were open, and the fire fighters let us come in to take a picture. Except for the writing on the side, the truck looks like one in the USA.

 

That's all for today. I will write more another time.  For now, I will say goodbye.  "Sayonara!"

 

Your friend,

Flat Stanley.