Sea of Japan

The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, bordered by Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Russia. It is referred to in North Korea as the Korea East Sea and in South Korea as the East Sea.[1][2] Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure.

Akita

Akita-city and sea port in Japan in the north-eastern part of the island Honsiu over the Japanese Sea. The capital of the prefecture of Akita.

Niigata prefecture

Niigata prefecture prefecture, located on the island of Honshu in Japan. Its capital is the city of Niigata.

Culture and art

On the culture of Japan belonging to the most stunning and exciting in the world has had a significant Chinese big civilization, as well as located closer to Korea. The Member Middle births is characteristic of the Japanese arts, such as origami, Suiseki, or nurture bonsai. Thence to the XIII century, also came to the Land Kwitnącej Wiśni Zen Buddhism, who is the inspiration for the development of new trends and concepts in painting, calligraphy and poetry. Nevertheless, much earlier Japanese masters went from a faithful imitation of Chinese designs, with their commitment to symmetry. Thus, in the fine arts master plan is beyond the means of work, and in speech, written word and art in general supposition often prevails over jednoznacznością.Wraz from zen to the Land of the Rising Sun has reached the ritual of drinking tea, which is then transformed in a big ceremony the qualities of aesthetic and philosophical. This is for the births it is characteristic of new areas and forms of art, such as ikebana – way to lay flowers, or haiku poetry. Cooking tea ceremony has had a significant impact on the appearance of the interior of the house and Japanese style gardens, most of which are karesansui – full severity and simplicity of stone zen gardens, showing the water and mountains, reflecting the same philosophical ideas. At the end of the chanoyu, and therefore “the way of tea” and complementary to each other various forms of art represent so characteristic of the Japanese aesthetic concept, as enticement (the beauty of poverty) and Sabi (patina of time), which together with the criteria shibui, so “quiet wytworności “Make up the most important principle of the Japanese taste, according to which less is more.

Background

In the “Land of the Rising Sun” takes the past to the future. The Japanese culture goes back a millennia, absorbed and created but also the latest trends.

Japan is a prime example of contrasts and contradictions. Many Japanese companies are pioneers in their fields, but Japan seems stable before ruin to stand. Cities are modern and technically advanced, but ancient wooden cabins still survive here alongside designer homes. On a normal day can be found in the subway to meet adults who deal with children’s toys or pornography distribute the time, sometimes with both simultaneously. Japan has a wonderful collection of temples, surrounded by gaudy ads and ugly buildings. In a modern skyscrapers can suddenly take a wooden sliding doors, behind which a traditional Teekammer with Tatamifußboden and calligraphy on the walls lies. These contradictions will ensure that your vacation Japan will hardly be boring.

Government and politics

Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the constitution as “the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people”.

Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected members of the Diet, while sovereignty is vested in the Japanese people.The Emperor effectively acts as the head of state on diplomatic occasions. Akihito is the current Emperor of Japan. Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan, stands as next in line to the throne.

Tokyo National Museum

The Tokyo National Museum is the one museum in Tokyo that is worth going out of your way to visit. Not only is it Japan’s largest museum, housing some 87,000 items, it also has the world’s largest collection of Japanese art. Only a portion of the museum’s huge collection is displayed at any one time.

The museum has four galleries, the most important of which is the Main Hall (Hon-kan). It houses a very impressive collection of Japanese art, from sculpture and swords to lacquerware and calligraphy. The Gallery of Eastern Antiquities has a collection of art and archaeological finds from all of Asia east of Egypt. The Hyōkei-kan has a collection of Japanese archaeological finds.

There is a room devoted to artefacts once used by the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaidū. And perhaps best of all, there is the Gallery of Hōryūji Treasures, which houses some of Japan’s most important Buddhist artworks, all from Hōryū-ji in Nara.

When to Go

Spring (March to May), with its clear skies and cherry blossoms, is probably the most celebrated Japanese season, but the Golden Week period, which is 29 April to 7 May, is a holiday period for the Japanese and many of the more popular travel destinations tend to be flooded with domestic tourists. Autumn (September to November) is a great time to travel: the temperatures are pleasant, and the autumn colours in the countryside are fantastic. Mid-winter (December to February) can be very cold, while the sticky summer months (June to August) can turn even the briefest excursion out of the air conditioning into a soup bath; on the plus side, major tourist attractions will generally be quieter at these times of the year. It’s also worth considering peak holiday seasons when you plan your trip. Moving around and finding accommodation during New Year, Golden Week and the midsummer O-Bon festival can be a real headache.

Tokyo

Tokyo formally Tokyo Metropolis , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and, unique among the prefectures, provides certain municipal services characteristic of a city, as defined by Japanese law.

Because it is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family, Tokyo is the de facto capital of Japan. The name Tokyo literally means eastern capital.

The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, although each administratively a city in its own right, constitute the area informally considered as the “city of Tokyo” and are collectively one of the largest cities in the world with a total population of over 8 million people.The total population of the prefecture exceeds 12 million.

The Greater Tokyo Area, centered on Tokyo but also including Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama, is the most populous metropolitan area in the world with a population of over 35 million people.It has been the world’s most populous urban area since between 1965 and 1970, and despite Japan’s overall declining population, is still growing.

Tokyo has the largest metropolitan gross domestic product in the world for a city.

Tokyo is a major global city and megacity. The name “Tokyo” refers variously to Tokyo Metropolis (the prefecture) as a whole, or only to the main urban mass under its jurisdiction (thus excluding west Tama and Izu and Ogasawara Islands), or even the whole of Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and parts of Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, and Yamanashi prefectures, depending on context.

This article uses the name to refer to Tokyo Metropolis unless otherwise stated.

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The characters that make up Japan’s name mean “sun-origin”, which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the “Land of the Rising Sun”. Japan comprises over 3,000 islands,^[5] the largest of which are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for 97% of its land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano. Japan has the world’s tenth largest population, with about 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents. Archaeological research indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan begins with brief appearances in Chinese history texts from the first century AD. Influence from the outside world followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan’s history. Since adopting its constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament, the Diet. A major economic power,^[6] Japan has the world’s second largest economy by nominal GDP. It is a member of the United Nations, G8, G4, OECD and APEC, with the world’s fifth largest defense budget. It is also the world’s fourth largest exporter and sixth largest importer and a world leader in technology and machinery.