h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A12590462 - Japan - for ease of locating Japan

That's very interesting, Anoldgreymoonraker!
Thanks for that! There's nothing like first-hand information from the horse's mouth, as it were

The_Jon_m said:
>> but us girls do lots of things in the ladies

is that why girls always go to the toilet in pairs ?

Yes, girls go to the toilet in pairs so they can talk about their boyfriends!

updated technology

Sorry drunk again but Im a bit sad you didn't mention Mingae or craft because remember the stage of production at the turn of 1900s england, or europe was into the industrial revolution , then every thing was mass produced in the factory . ,Japan was still into craft .England could not fire a pot above 1100 c n japan was going to 1300 c, who brought those kilns to england? now hint , very important people I were think are Berneard Leach n hamada Shogie plus Tomimotoe Kenkichi n for me Kawaie Kenchiroe .
Their were a few other craftsmen who kept craft alive at that time poets etc by creating an alliance between all the crafts here but I no longer have my books dates etc n Im no good using a computer but check where those first 3 names were at that time .
They are the ones that put your high fired pots in your hand today. So For me they are more important than most of the names in your important peoples list .

The problem is this entry could go on forever but the thing is its an overview of Japan so I dont think I need to mention everything do I?

No don't mention it n I agree this could go on forever but what kind of cup are you drinking from tonight?
Sorry its just that your helpers here seem to pick on the wrong bits
I know taamyu likes to go to watch stage shows old fashioned stuff etc me I have an interest in craft n theirs a lot of it here.
Forget me most do but if you want a picture of my j toilet I could send it next week

The picture from toto doesn't actually show whats in the houses here its more of a hotel toilet .
If you want a pic of what's been fitted in the japanese houses with a camara then I can do next week
me I don't bother with telephone camaras cause I don't bother with a personal phone my home tel will get me then I can supply a pic of my toilet next week cause thats when my friend will be back from new zealand with his camera

Sorry should read What's been fitted in the J home toilet for the last 20 yrs cause thats the way it is

Yeh drunk again but I have seen inside a japanese cystern? their is a plasticbag? same rough outside shape same as the cystern but the water coming in is not like in an english cystern ,it comes in via the top th eir is a n opan spigot? about 15 cms above the top of the cystern which allows people to wash their hands befors the water refills the cystern

so is this entry ready for the guide yet?

In my house we don'thave anything on the wall < we have an arm on the right of the seat with about 7 diffgerent controll buttons first orange is stop n2 is a blue umbrella under a big smallcase
. w ? umbrella n3 is a pink fountain under a lady< 5 6 7 are buttons to set temps don't ask I use toilet paper.
If you want a picture I may be able to give you one or two next week

Yeh me don't give a---- just go for it but next week I ll give you pics . Plus Taammyu said we have 2 types of toilet she didn't explain the other which lookes like a dead urinal laying on its back in the floor
My mother in law aged 99 fayfoures that one

Hey opti yes go post it I don't give a dam anyway

The sections are pretty long - can't you break them up with subheaders, Opti?

can't the subed do that?
Nother

You mention suicide in two places: under 'Education' you say,

'Since the 1970s bullying has been a major concern and many young students have comitted suicide because of it.'

Under 'Health' you say,
'... suicide, especially among ther elderly'

Well, I wasn't aware of this, but was aware of convern about suicide amongst students - because of pressures, expectations etc etc.

Perhaps you could put all the 'suicide' info in one place, and I would suggest it goes under 'Health'



'When Blue Peter presenters visited Japan they were surprised to see people wearing white masks over their nose and mouth. This blocks out germs and colds and carries an antiseptic'.

Well, it's particularly cyclists who wear masks, and it is to filter ouit pollution from motor vehicles - particularly particles known as PM10s.

Hmm... except that I just came across this reference:

http://www.jrtr.net/jrtr21/AP42_Hancock.html

We use the masks when colds or the flu is about.
Children also use them when serving school meals to each other.

Right. Here we go.

Kimigayo wa, Chiyo ni yachiyo ni, Sazareishi no, Iwao to narite, Koke no musu made
- Japanese National Anthem (kokka)

An English translation would be nice.

'The Land of the Rising Sun', more commonly known as Japan (Nippon or Nihon), dates back to 8000 BC.

I know what you're saying, but the Earth itself is a few billion years old. Do you see? Some way of saying the modern islands of Japan date back to 8000BC perhaps?

Its long narrow shape in a north/south orientation and its mountainous terrain1 (caused by Japan's location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, at the juncture of three tectonic plates), enables Japan to experience different climates (Kiko).

The second 'its' is superfluous.

3,000 islands make up Japan, which covers an area of 377 815km, the biggest islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, which form most of the country.

Some punctuation in the area, plus it is a somewhat clumsy sentence. Perhaps the addition of a 'with' after the area would help.

Visitors to Japan are likely to arrive in the country by plane, but on landing there are many ways to get around the country. The train is a firm favourite among foreigners and the locals. The Shinkansen (or 'bullet train') is the second fastest train3 on the planet and unlike many places in Europe the trains in Japan are unlikely to be late and are never cancelled.

Lots of 'likelys' and 'unlikelys' in that paragraph that confuse matters a little. Try something else perhaps.

The Japanese people are primarily the descendants of various people who migrated from Asia in prehistoric times; the dominant strain is North Asian or Mongoloid, with some Malay and Indonesian admixture. One of the earliest groups, the Ainu, who still persist to some extent in Hokkaido, are physically somewhat similar to Caucasians.

The first 'people' is unnecessary, and just say 'physically somewhat similar' to yourself. Does that make sense?

Legend however suggests that Japonic history begins with the sun goddess and all Japanese emperors4 were her descendants. The mythical Jomon period (10,000 - 300 B.C.) represents the earliest known Japanese culture.

BC not B.C.

By the time of the Heian Period (794 - 1192), when the capital was moved to Kyoto, Japan's first feudal system was developing, with local authorities, owing loyalty to the Emperor (tenno), controlling their own domains, instead of direct control of the land from the centre.

Check your punctuation, particulalry the commas. You can remove many of them. I will not tell you which one's as I believe you should be able to edit your own work by now.

The feudal system developed over time, with land given in recognition for military service. The diamyo, (landowning nobles, literally translated 'great name') possessed the political power and recruited private armies made up of an elite warrior class (the samurai). The diamyo held the power and without a unified central government the country was repeatedly in a state of civil war in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Again, there's some unnecessary commas, like after diamyo. And try during the 15th and 16th Centuries.

The original samurai were the palace guards, though the term is now synonymous with the ruling class of warriors who dominated Japan from when the Kamakura Bakufu (1192 - 1333) was in charge to when the Tokugawa Shogunate lost all power during the during the Meiji Restoration (1867 - 1868).

No need for the 'the' before palace guards

Japan has also seen in other periods, such as the Taisho [1912-1926] period, the Showa period [1926 -1989] and Heisei period, which laid the foundations for its future.

Not sure of the 'seen in'. Perhaps there is a better way of wording that.

Just before and during WWII Japan attempted to take over China and joined the Tripartite Pact in 19405.

What year?

This caused America to stop exporting aviation fuel to Japan and help China instead. At the beginning of 1941 Japan signed a neutrality pact with Russia and increased pressure on Britain, France and the Dutch colonies regarding economic matters. Come summer Japan invaded French Indochina and occupied its naval and air bases.

Japan then attacked Pearl Harbour, prompting America to join World War II.

'Join' World War II? I'd think of some other way of saying this. Perhpas 'become further involved in the Second World War'?

During August in 1945 America dropped two atomic bombs6.

Where? You need to say Japan otherwise there is no frame of reference.

After the war the Emperor lost all his powers and became just a symbol of Japan. The Allied Powers, especially the USA occupied Japan between 1945 and 1952, when the 'Treaty of Peace with Japan' was signed, and Japan regained full sovereignty.

Check your punctuation again here. A missing comma after USA.

The post-war constitution of Japan prohibits it from maintaining military forces, and going to war as an aggressor.

Prohibited I think. You need to be careful of your tenses.

The country made a remarkable economic recovery to the point it is no the world's second biggest economy (keizai),

no should be now, and there's a space before a fullstop later on in the paragraph.

However, Japan suffered an economic downturn during the early 1990’s,

1990s, no apostrophe.

Recently there has been tension with both China and Korea over Japan's view of it's past; and the involvement of Self Defence Force troops in the 2003 invasion of Iraq was criticised for possibly violating the constitution.

Think about contemporary refercing. If I read this Entry in 2022 does recently make sense? Give it a time frame. And its, not it's.

In some areas of Japan foreigners are still a novelty. Therefore, don't expect all Japanese people to understand English and make sure to pack a handy phrase book with Japanese sayings.

Just English? I wouldn't expect them to understand French or German either in the low countires. Make it international.

Although basic Japanese is simple, lacking such complications as distinctions between singular and plural, it has a complicated system of 'honorifics', where words change depending on the relative status in society of the speaker and the listener. This is difficult for westerners to grasp.

I would prefer, this 'can' be difficult for Westerners to grasp, as I know many people who can speak adn write Japanese fluently.


At least four different craftsmen will work on the sword: the smith, the polisher, a hilt maker 15 maker and a scabbard (or saya) maker.

I think you can see the problem there.

In Japan the search for spirituality continues every hour, every day, every month.Dennis Banks

Who's Dennis Banks?

Japan kicks starts its year celebrating New Year’s Day.

kick-starts

Other typical Japanese dishes revolve around the sea and contain things like fish and Seaweed.

seaweed

Today Japanese people usually can be found wearing the same clothes as western people and perhaps imitating their fashion trend in extreme ways.

trends

Gardening

In the gardening section nothing on japanese rock gardens?

Though illegal in many countries Japan also takes part in whale culling.

There's a recommended Entry on Whale Hunting you could link to here.

Japan also sends many of its athletes to the summer and winter Olympic Games and has held them three times.

Again, what happens in the future when its held more? Just take out or actually name the years it has been host nation up until now.

When Japanese children aren't playing computer games or sport, they may be seen taking part in origami (the art of paper folding), listening to folk legends or partaking in a game that dates back to the middle ages such as Fuku Warai (Fuku Warai is the Japanese version of pin the tail on the donkey), Kendama (Kendama is a popular pastime for many children and has become a recognisable sport too). and menko (Menko involves pictured discs and the aim of the game is to turn the opponents disc over). Onsen, sento, budo, spinning tops (koma), kites (tako), card games(karuta)30, chess (shogi) and an alternative version of badminton (hanetsuki) are popular too, as are graphic novels (manga) and animated films (anime).

Look for punctuation errors in this paragraph, like commas and fullstops.

Since the 1970s bullying has been a major concern and many young students have comitted suicide because of it.

Check your spelling, plus where is your factual evidence. If unsure add, 'it has been widely reported that'

Apart from smoking, cancer, heart disease, strokes, suicide (especially amongst the elderly) and what used to be seen to the Japanese as a foreign illness Aids, the Japanese live particularly healthy lives mainly due to their low fat fish-based diets and high levels of healthcare and public hygiene.

For starters it's AIDS, as it is an acronym, but also there is punctuation in this paragraph that needs correcting. Look where your commas are for breathing when reading.

Japan has the highest concentration of centenarians in the world; there being 25,000 in a population of 127 million.

Again you need a year here, as this will change over time.

The oldest recorded Japanese person was 120-year-old Shigechiyo31 Izumi who died in 1986.

Year of reporting. Again could change.

Japan has a 'Respect the Aged Day, 19 September when the latest legion of 100 year-olds are presented with a silver cup and a letter from the Prime Minister.

You need to restructure this sentence, it's clumsy.

When Blue Peter presenters visited Japan they were surprised to see people wearing white masks over their nose and mouth. This blocks out germs and colds and carries an antiseptic.

Okay, again, when did they visit? And was it in relation to SARS or Avian flu?

Chinese medicine has been practised since 6AD and is related to Shinto.

I thought the Entry was about Japan, not China? Clarify this statement.

Famous Japanese.

There's a few instances when you have no spaces at hyphens and the like. Reread this section for punctuation too.

There are some other bands wotrth a mention, such as Shonen Knife, who broke into the western music scene. You also make very little mention of J-Rock.

Hence the billions of pounds that it would have spent on rocket launchers and hand grenades and suchlike was pumped into regenerating the Japanese economy.

Do the Japanese use pounds? This is a section that needs inclusion. Money.

Japan has a population of 122 264 000.

Give a census date, this will change.

There are also other things about Japan you have failed to mention, one of note being Mount Fuji.

Matt

Still got a way to go with your help but have made a start.

Your last comment on there not being anything on mount fuji is wrong though please see footnote 27.

Mount Fuji deserves more than a footnote, Opti.

If I get this entry to sub I would work into the text as many of your 32 footnotes as I possibly could.