..Japanese Presentation...

....Samantha Day

.. - Tokyo..

..The City..Tokyo Metropolis is Japans capital city, and it is also one of Japans 47 prefectures.

The metropolis of Tokyo consists of 23 city wards, 26 cities, 5 towns and 8 villages.

The population of Tokyo is around 12 million people alone, but if you include the surrounding prefectures, there is a staggering 33 million people. This makes Tokyo the most populous metropolis in the world.

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..The Symbols...Tokyo Metropolis has 2 official emblems, the first one being the crest, which was adopted on November 2nd 1943.

It was believed to be designed by Hiromoto Watanabe, an alderman of the city.

The crest shows the Sun with six rays, which is representing Tokyo as the centre of Japan.

The other emblem is the symbol of Tokyo Metropolis, which was adopted on June 1st 1989.

The design was selected by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symbol Selection Committee, from 20 candidates. The winning design was created by Rei Yoshimura, a professional graphic designer.

The symbol has three arcs, forming the letter T for Tokyo, in the shape of a vivid green ginkgo leaf. It symbolizes Tokyo's future growth, prosperity, charm and tranquility.

..Tokyo Tower...Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower, which is located in Shiba Park.

The tower, standing at 333metres, is the tallest self-supporting steel structure in the world, and the tallest artificial structure in Japan.

It is very similar to the Eiffel Tower!

The Shops..The Ginza is Tokyos most famous upmarket shopping, dining and entertainment district, featuring numerous department stores, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and so forth.

One square metre of land in the district's centre, is worth more than 100,000 US dollars, which makes it one of the most expensive real estate in Japan!

A visit to the Ginza is best on a weekend afternoon, when the central Chuo Dori gets closed to traffic, and becomes a large pedestrian zone. Therefore, you can shop even better!

.. Kyoto..

..The History..Hundreds of years ago, when Tokyo was a quiet village, Kyoto was actually the capital of Japan.

However, even after Tokyo (then known as Edo), became the capital in 1868, Kyoto remained the cultural and historical focal point of the country.

Kyoto is the home of many sacred temples, famous gardens and so forth, which are visited throughout the year, both by Japanese people and tourists.

..The Golden Pavilion..The Golden Pavilion known as Kinkaku-ji, or the informal name of Rokuon-ji, was originally built in 1397, to serve as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu as part of his estate then known as Kitayama.

The Golden Pavilion is a three-story building on the grounds of the Rokuon-ji temple complex, and the top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold leaf!

The present structure dates from 1955. In 1984, the coating of Japanese lacquer was found a little decayed, and a new coating, as well as gilding with gold-leaf, much thicker than the original coatings, was completed in 1987. Additionally, the interior of the building, including the paintings, was also restored. Then, finally, the roof was restored in 2003.

The Golden Pavilion is located in a Japanese strolling garden (kaiy-shiki), and the pond in front of it is called Kyko-chi (Mirror Pond).

Furthermore, the pavilion has also been burned down twice! In 1950, the pavilion was burned down by a monk named Hayashi Yoken, who then attempted suicide on the Daimon-ji hill behind the building, but he survived. Therefore, there are many interesting stories behind this temple!

Rokuon-JiGolden PavilionKaiyuu-ShikiStroll Gardens

Kyouko-ChiMirror Pond

..The Pure Water Temple..The pure water temple, known as Kiyomizu-dera, is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto.

It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills, with the phrase Kiyomizu, meaning clear or pure water.

The popular expression, to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu, is the Japanese equivalent of the English expression, to take the plunge. This refers to an Edo period tradition that held that, if one were to survive a 13 metre jump from the stage, one's wish would be granted. Two hundred and thirty-four jumps were recorded in the Edo period and, of those, just over 85% survived. The practice is now prohibited.

However, there are some happier stories connected with Kiyomizu-dera! For instance, the complex is home to several shrines, including the Jishu Shrine, which is dedicated to kuninushi, a god of love and "good matches". The Jishu Shrine possesses a pair of "love stones" placed 18 metres apart, which lonely visitors attempt to walk between with their eyes closed. Success in reaching the other stone with their eyes closed, implies that the pilgrim will find love, or true love.

This is the Torii of Jishu-jinja, the match-making shrine.This is one of the two love stones.

..The Big Buddha..The great temple, known as Tdai-ji, is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, near Kyoto.

Its Great Buddha Hall, known as Daibutsuden, is the largest wooden building in the world, and it also houses the world's largest statue of the Buddha!

Furthermore, in front of the Tdai-ji, there are two huge Nio gate guardians, which were created in 1203. These are some of the finest wooden sculptures in Japan from the 13th century, carved by Unkei.

DaibutsudenThe Great Buddha HallDaibutsuThe Big Buddha

.. Transport..

..The Bullet Train..The bullet train, known as the Shinkansen, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan, which are operated by four Japan Railways Group companies.

This all started with the 210km/h (130mph) Tkaid Shinkansen in 1964, and now, the 2,459km (1,528miles) long network has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honsh and Kysh, at speeds up to 300km/h (186mph).

Test runs have reached 443km/h (275mph) for conventional rail in 1996, and up to a world-record 581km/h (361mph) for maglev trains, set in 2003.

400km

JR

This is a lineup of JR East 200, E2, E4, and E1 series Shinkansen trains at Niigata Depot, in November 2007

..The Maglev Trains..In Japan, there are two independently developed Maglev trains. The one which is more well-known, is JR-Maglev, by Japan Railways Group.

The development started in 1969, and Miyazaki test track had regularly hit 517km/h by 1979, but after an accident that destroyed the train, a new design was decided upon.

Tests through the 1980s continued in Miyazaki, before transferring a far larger and elaborate test track (20km long) in Yamanashi in 1997.

In that year, they achieved 550km/h (unmanned)! The maximum speed so far is 581km/h (2003). Furthermore, in April 2007, Central Japan Railway Company announced the plan to start a commercial maglev service between Tokyo and Nagoya, in the year 2025.

1997552km/h

JR

Yamanashi Test Line

..Robots..We all think of robots as toys, instead of a mode of transport, but Japan have designed a four-legged machine that clearly blows that notion out of the water!

Also, inside the robot, there is actually a real-life human being controlling the thing!

The robot has been reported to be powerful and mobile enough to walk along curbs and walkways with, but drawing a bunch of curious looks wherever it went!

..The Velo Taxis..Recently, Velo Taxis are becoming popular in major tourist areas in Japan, especially in Tokyo.

The Velo Taxi is a 3-wheeled vehicle, which is almost like a big bike, because it is pedalled by a taxi driver!

As they are pedalled, these taxis are very good for the environment! And, furthermore, when you have finished your ride on the Velo Taxi, you receive a receipt showing how much CO2 you have saved.