Saturday, January 31, 2009

A walk of a life time!




We have just arrived home from Mount Fuji. It was spectacular. Karli and
 I climbed all the way to the top. It took around 6 hours to climb. Once we reached the top we were exhausted. Although it was definitely worth it! The view from on top of Mount Fuji was amazing. You could see all of Japan from the top. I literall
y felt like I was on top of the world. It was like a view of a life time. We stayed on top of Mount Fuji for at least an hour, then we headed back down to the bottom again. the rest of the day Karli and I just explored the Island.

Friday, January 30, 2009

A Cruise around the Island





Today we had an amazing adventure. Karli and I walked, took a bus, taxi, and train. Until we finally 
got to the very tip of Hiroshima. That's where Karli and I saw a huge boat as big as the Titanic. We heard that this boat took us around the island of Japan pointing out the Oceans, mountains, islands, forests, and lakes. We thought this would be a great opportunity to discover Japan, so we jumped on the boat. First, we came to the tip of the Pacific Ocean. Where the Captain of the boat named Jonathon Charo, told us that there were four main oceans surrounding Japan. The names of the Oceans are the north pacific ocean, the sea of japan, the Philippine sea, and the East China sea. We learnt that Japan's land includes: high mountains, narrow valleys, rivers. Next, we discovered the islands of Japan. This Country has four main islands . The four islands include: Hokkaido`, Honshu`, Kyushu, and Shikoku. There are also hundreds of little islands in Japan, but those four are the main ones. As we past another island we noticed a very large forest on our right. Jon explained that Japan was made up from 61.7 % of forests. Jonathon also described how 53% of our forests are natural. That didn't surprise me at all! Next, on our left we passed Mount Fuji, one of the most poplar mountains in the world. The captain said that mountains cover 70% of Japan land. Mount Fuji once was a volcano, but it has not erupted for 300 years. Jon told us that there are thousands of mountains in Japan, and he told us a few names of some. I think they were Mount Ra usu, Mount Tokachi, Mount Gassan, Mount Hiragatake, and Mount Zao. Jon also explained that there are many lakes in each island of Japan. A few were lake Shinji, lake To'ya, lake Inawashiro, and lake Akkeshi. We circled backwards a few times around Hiroshima, and then we headed back for shore. It was a very exciting day!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Earthquake!




This Morning when I woke up and the ground was shaking. At first I didn't know what it was, but s
oon enough I realised it was an earthquake. So, Karli and I did what you are supposed to do in any earthquake, take cover under a desk, table, or bed. We waited for about five minutes, until we knew for 
sure it was over, and then we headed outside. As soon as we got out side we noticed that there was millions of dollars of damage towards the city. It was amazing how much a little earthquake can do. Karli and I got talking with a bellhop for our hotel. His name was Hironori Takamoto. He told us that Earthquakes were common in Japan more than in any other nation. I learnt that Japanese people feel 1500 earthquakes a year, although some of them are not as big. Also earthquakes usually do not cause too much damage. We learnt that usually once every two years earthquakes cause serious damage, which leads to death. When earthquakes are on land, Buildings, farmland, and villages can be destroyed. Hironori explained that offshore earthquakes usually lead to tsunamis. Mr. Takamoto also said if there was ever a severe earthquake in Tokyo, it would be devastating if anything ever happened to the land. After our bellhop explained earthquakes in Japan, he continued to tell us about volcanoes in Japan. He said that Mount Fuji was once a volcano, and that it h
as not erupted for close to 300 years. Hironori explained that around 75 volcanoes in Japan are still active, but none have erupted lately. The bellhop informed us that there are several islands in Japan that have volcanoes. Smoke puffs out of the volcanoes some of the time, and sometimes springs bubble, but rarely are there big eruptions. Mr. Takamoto also informed us that Japan is part of the ring of fire that goes around the Pacific Ocean. The ring of fire continues to reshape the land everyday. Japan has about 170 volcanoes in the ring of fire, 75 which are still active. Sometimes earthquakes can even be caused by volcanoes erupting, but not very often. Once we were sure it was safe to go back in to the hotel, we headed back, and said goodbye to Hironori!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Tokyo!!

 
I woke up at around 5:30 this morning, we had planned a very busy day! Karli and I were planning on moving out of our hotel, and taking a long train ride to Tokyo so we could meet the Prime Minister. We were still riding on the train, but almost there. The the right we saw lots of amazing lights! Then Karli spotted an amazing landmark in Tokyo, The Tokyo Towers. Luckily, I got a snap shot of the Tokyo Towers shown above. Once we got off the train, We headed straight for Taro Aso's residents. After we got there Karli and I read some information about the current national government. I found the book right inside the front doors. We learnt that they have a constitutional government with a parliamentary government. We also learnt a few other interesting facts about Japan's government. Like: How the Cabinet is always appointed by the Prime Minister, and how in elections work. Elections in Japan is where everyone in Japan does research on different Parties and they vote who they want to have as the next Prime Minister. Another rule for elections is how majority rules, and how the leader of the majority party usually becomes Prime Minister for about 6 years. From reading I found out that there were three branches to the Japanese government. The Judaical Branch, the legislative, and the executive branch. The Judaical branch is the Supreme Court, The chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet. The legislative branch is where members of Parliament become part of the government for six year terms, and there are 146 spots for members. Last, but not least the Executive branch! That is basically the head of the government Also known as Prime Minister, Taro Aso. One interesting fact I found about Japan's government, is how their political parties have different names. For example: The Democratic Party of Japan or the DPJ, The Japan Communist Party or the JCP, The Liberal Democratic Party or the LDP, and the Social Democratic Party or SDP. Once I got bored of the book, Karli and I walked upstairs to Taro Aso's room, to have tea and cake with him, I can't believe he invited us! I mean why us? It turned out he wanted to find out information about different countries, Like Canada and how their governments work. So we told him about ours, and he told us about his. It turned out our governments are very similar in a lot of ways, but also very different.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Leaving Japan!





Today Karli and I are heading back to Canada! We have had an amazing trip, and I hope next time our class does a big project like this one, we can explore the place, instead of doing a bunch of boring research. Cause both Karli and I had a blast! A few things I didn't mention 
while I was on my trip were: How we went to a Japanese Zoo. Where we saw lots of really cool different Animals, that you would never see in Canada or the U.S. We also saw a few Buddha's throughout our travels. Supposedly, Buddha's came from India, spread from china to Korea, and then ended up in Japan. Buddha's were built in 1252, and they over 14 meters high. Buddhists also believe that you can be born over and over again. Karli and I did a few other interesting things in Japan like: the tea ceremony, origami making, and a tour through the jungle. But nothing as exciting as the walk up mt. Fuji! Like I said before, I had an amazing time, and i can't wait until we do another project!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Bibliography

Bibliography

WebSites


- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/ja.html
- http://web-japan.org/atlas/index.html
- http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/as.html
- http://dictionary.reference.com/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Japan
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands_of_Japan
- http://www.saveamericasforests.org/JapansForests/Japansforests.html
- http://www.factmonster.com/atlas/country/japan.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ring_of_Fire
- http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c01cont.htm
- http://gojapan.about.com/cs/weather/a/climateinjapan.htm
- http://www.mrdowling.com/616-ringoffire.html
- http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/japan/japan_government.html





Books:

- JAPAN by: Gwynneth Ashby.
- Japan the people by: Bobbie Kalman
- world Library Japan by: Edward Seidensticker
- Japan the culture by: Bobbie Kalman
- Japan Country File by: Michael March







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