Touristic Places to Visit in Japan.

        Japan is maybe one of the countries with a lot of places to visit so that here, visitors could find which places they should go if they are planning to visit this country. However, Japan has too many that it is impossible to fit them all in one trip. So, before traveling to Japan, read this post in order to know the must-see places in Japan.

Kinkaju Ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

        First of all, the ancient Kyoto. For years, people have visited Kyoto to stay in its old ryokans and eat traditional, multi-course kaiseki meals. However, entrepreneurs are gutting old tea houses and geisha houses and giving them new lives. While being there, you could visit Niti which is a sleek bar cafe that seemlessly blends contemporary touches with japanese tradition.

                                 







        Secondly, Kumano Kodo which is another UNESCO World Heritage since 2004. It is a network of well-marked and well-maintained trails winding through the forest and fields, villages and towns. While staying there, people can find isolated hot springs, delicious cuisine, and authentic accommodations. What is more, visitors can also take a private dip in the cloudy waters of the Tsuboyu bath in Yunomine Onsen, at 1800 years old, considered as One of the oldest in Japan.

           






        Finally, Karuizawa which is one of the most beautiful places to be in Japan, in Autumn. Either because its several degrees cooler than Tokyo or because the thrill of being close to one of this countries volcanoes, visitors could have a trip that added edge. But its natural beauty and charm make visitors forget the risks. After having read a little about it, do not you want to visit it?

        As a conclusion, Japan is one of my favorite countries, and I really appreciate their culture, their nature, so if you want to visit it one day, there are too many options where you can go. Nevertheless, the money is the biggest obstacle that visitors can find in order to go there, or so as not to leave the country.

Japanese School System.

        Educational system varies  according to the country, and Japan is well-known for the high level of educaction that they have. However, japanese system is not as different from other countries as people can think. The next two paragraphs summarize the japanese school system so that you could know how the system works.

        As shown in the chart above, japanese education system is divided according to age, grade, and available educational facilities. Therefore, the system, talking about years of study, is similar to other countries. People believe that study in Asian countries is difficult, and that is true. For the japanese nationals six years at elementary school and three years at junior highschool are compulsory. After graduating from junior high school, children may choose to continue their education to high school, or to find employment.

        Most Japanese people describes their higher education as competitive and prestigious. However, they are under a lot of stress and pression because of their parents. In Japan, universities and high colleges are considered post-secondary education providers. Nevertheless, Someone asked to Japaneses about their school system, and that person expected an obvious answer related to memorization. On the contrary, they pointed out how great their system is, how it is one of the best in the world.

        In conclusion, the idea about the hard work and the high level of japanese education is real. Many people suggest to study in Japan. The development of technology and the profesionalism of Japanese people demonstrate that the education in their country is for real, one of the best.

The First Novel.

        Nowaday, one of the most popular genders that people use to read are the novels. Therefore, many people take the decission to becoming into a writer. Nevertheless, it is not easy and the talent or a lot of imagination is neccessary. However, the history talks about one specific novel which many people have considered as the first written novel and the first modern novel. Written by the japanese author Murasaki Skikibu, The Tale of Genji.

        The Tale of Genji ( Genji no Monogatari) was written in an archaic court language that was already unreadable a century after it was written. Thus, the Japaneses have been reading annotated and illustrated versions of the work since as early as the 12th century. Unfortunaly, the original manuscript no longer exists. Akiko Yosano, a poet, have translated the novel into modern Japanese in the early 20th century. Someone have attempted the first english translation, but it was of poor quality and incomplete.

        The story is about one man, Hikaru Genji, the definition of this name is "Shining" Genji of the Minamoto clan. He is the illegitimate son of an unnamed Emperor of Japan, and considered too handsome for his own good. The tale of Genji concentrates on Genji's romantic life and describes the costums of the aristocratic society of the time. Shikibu, the author, have written the story in 54 volumes. Since the birth of Genji until the life of his sons.

        To conclude, many people have been trying to translate the whole story, or almost the parts that still exist. This is considered the master piece of the author. Furthermore, a number of readers and translators have considered the importance of the story because the relevance of the time when it was written and what represents in the modern times.

The Sea of Trees (Aokigahara)

        Aokigahara is a forest at the northwest base of Mount Fuji in Japan.This is known as "the perfect place to die." Unfortunaly, it has the distinction of being the world's second most popular place to take one's life. However, this place, in some parts, show an absence of wildlife and the wind-blocking density of the trees that are in it, making it a popular tourist destination.

        Aokigahara's forest ranks as the second suicide spot in the world after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. This undisputed fact constitutes the visit of many tourist waiting to find a body inside it. As a result of the high suicide rate, there are signs in the forest in both japanese and english. Those trying to persuade people not to commit suicide. The police have mounted this sign reading "your life is a precious gift from your parents," on trees throughout. This does not deter determinated people from commiting suicide.

        In January 2018, the forest gained international attention after a youtuber filmed and broadcast a suicide victim's body on his popular channel. This undisputable fact terrorized many people. On the contrary, the forest is not the reason why people choose the suicide, so it has some possitive aspects too. Designated trails lead to several tourist attractions such as the Narusawa Ice Cave, Fugaku Wind Cave, and the Lake Sai Bat Cave. It is also posssible to find animals such as asian black bears, small japanese moles, foxes, japanese grosbeak, japanese white-eye etc.

        As a conclusion, the sea of trees is a wonderfull place, maybe beacause of that, many people choose to die inside it. The sense of solitude could be one of the main attractions. This happen in some parts due to the extensive land where some exotic fauna and flora species could be found.

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine.

        People use to say a lot of proverbs and sayings. These sometimes can occur in our lives. Let's go back to one specific moment in the past. A moment when I learned that " a stitch in time saves nine," is true. That happened when I was a teenager and I wanted to go out with my friends because they used to do it.

        One of my problems was that I am an only child, and my mother had always been overprotecting me, so she refused the idea of letting me to go out late at night. One day, one of the friends of mine had an idea. On those days, the sea used to have high tide, and they wanted to pass the night at the beach. Nonetheless, I was not sure about it, but my friends had already made their decision.

        I asked my mother for permission, but she denied it. She told me, " the high tide is not a joke, many things could happen." So, I could not go with my friends because of the piece of advice that she gave me at the end, "it is for your own good, a stitch in time saves nine," she said. That night, I stayed at home, but I could not sleep. Suddenly, a storm appeared, and it was then when I realized that my friends could have some problems where they were at that moment. " it was high tide when the storm hit," one of my friends said, "we just barely moved off before something worse happened, we were very lucky," he added.

        In conclusion, I thought that I was safe because of the piece of advice that my mother gave me. I was the kind of person that did not believe in sayings and proverbs. However, since then I prefer to avoid decissions that can lead me to an unexpected situation.

Different Cultures between El Salvador and Japan.

  Culture is one of the most important aspects that people can find in order to know more about the way of the population of a determined country lives. However, that doesn't mean that the culture is the same in all the countries, that's the reason why, the purpose here is to compare and contrast the culture of El Salvador and Japan.

        First, a well-known aspect of a culture,the greeting. It's normal to know that the people in our country has a lot of ways to greet people, that depends on the situation in which people are. Althought the idea that people around the world may have about Japan, they share that aspect with our country. Nevertheless, in Japan people join their own hands and bow the head, while in El Salvador the most common greet is to give five or shake the hands. However, Japan has taken some aspects of occidental culture, so they use to shake the hands,too.

        Secondly, both countries have different feeding habits. Not only for what they eat but also for what they do at the moment of having dinner. In El Salvador when we eat, we use to do it anyway, by ourselves. Nonetheless, some families use to eat on the table. In contrast, at dinner time, in Japan they have to eat together on the table unless someone has another compromise. Moreover, in Japan, before eating and after eating they have some expressions in order to thank for the food, whereas in El Salvador some families pray before eating.

        As a conclusion, both cultures differ in a lot of aspects, here some of them were given, in spite of the differences between the two countries, there are some aspects that they have in common. That means that cultures can go beyond the frontiers and join people in any possible way.

Difference between Kimono and Yukata.

          Japan is marked by a lot of things such as the culture, the folklore, the responsability etc. Furthermore, it is distinguished by their traditional clothing. Both the yukata and the kimono are part of the traditional clothing in Japan. However, although many people have heard about them, there are few who know the differences between these.

Yukatas

     
The most significant difference can be seen in the weave. The yukata is made of cotton, while the kimono is made of silk fabric. Another important detail is that the yukata is used during summer season, as well as in warm and cool places. They are also used for thermal baths, making them lighter than normal ones. Unlike the yukata, the kimono has at least two broad bands called "Obi," of which one is placed diagonally almost touching the neck, and the other goes around the the waist. The kimono is reserved for special ocassions, and it is a more sumptuous dress than the yukata.

Kimonos

        The kimonos are accompanied by "getas," or " zori" which are low sandals made of cotton and leather, these are used with a special sock. When using kimono these accessories are mandatory, but in the case of a yukata, the use is less dispensable than kimono's. The kimono use to be more expensive than the yukata. The kimono is worn by both men and women; however, the yukata is more used by women than men.

        As a conclusion, there are many differences that people from other cultures can not appreciate at the first time. However, the two dressess are really different, not only for the moment that can be used but also the material of what they are made. Furthermore, the yukata is more common in women than men. And the kimono is more glamurous than the yukata which are ideals for hot times or for go to walk.

The Difficulties about Learning Japanese instead of other Languages.

        There are too many languages in the world, and depending in which place people are born, they are going to learn their natural language. Nevertheless, what happen if you want to learn another language with an origin and structure completely different of yours?. Japanese for example, people who are born in America that speak English, Spanish, or French may have problems at the moment of learning an Asian language.

        In our country, El Salvador, for example, starting with an alphabet, people begin the process of writing our language. In contrast, Japan does not have an alphabet, that is why people consider the Japanese language as difficult, hard, and impossible to learn. Japanese language works with three syllabaries: the hiragana, the katakana, and the kanji. Furthermore, it is possible to add the Romaji that is the way in which foreign people adapt the Japanese phonemes to the latin letters.

        Using different syllabaries, Japanese people distinguish words that come from his country, or another one. Therefore, foreigns should have a phonological knowledge so that understand the way that Japanese people speak. The hiragana and the katakana are the most easiest to learn, while the kanji implies great devotion, grammatical understanding, and phonological knowledge.

         In conclusion, the learning of the japanese language is harder than others. People devoted to the study of languages are more able to learn this language than others. Nevertheless, the japanese  phonemes are similar to ours, providing a better way to learn it.

The Rising of the Shield Hero.

            The Rising of the Shield Hero is a popular light novel written by Akeno Yusagi. The main character is Naofumi Iwatani, a twenty years old guy, who is invoked to another world in order to save it from something called "The Waves." He became one of the four heroes. The story is composed of 19 volumes in which Naofumi meet people and have to fight against a lot of enemies.

        The story began with Naofumi in his world where he did not know what to do with his life, but one day he went to a library and took a book. Suddenly, he was in front of a king with three other guys. Each one had a weapon. Naofumi had a shield, and the others had a spear, an arch, and a sword. They were summoned in order to save that world, but something was wrong with all these people which looked like if they hated The Shield Hero. Just one girl, who became the antagonist later, joins Naofumi's party. However, she betrayed him. She pretend to be a good girl, but she was not as lovely and honest as she looked.

 

       

        After all the things that happened, The Shield Hero was angry and he wanted revenge against all those who betrayed him. He did not trust in anyone, but he had to live in that world until it were safe. He got a partner, a demi-human slave who he bought to a slave seller. At the beginning, he did not trust her because she was a girl, and he remembered the one who betrayed him. However, later on she became someone on whom he could trust, and she became the female protagonist whose love for The Shield Hero was real. So, the story continued, he made friends and changed little by little in order to save the world, obtain revenge against his enemies, and to achieve his goal of returning to his world.

        To conclude, The Rising of the Shield Hero is my favorite light novel. A good story which have a lot of characters. However, the most important thing is that the story attract the atention of the reader because on the way in which is developed. Maybe because it is a Japanese gender is not as famous as other books around the world, but I can say that reading this novel was worthied.

Benefits and Drawbacks about Playing Videogames

     

         Playing videogames is a controversial topic. One of the reasons may be the addiction that some people have. On the contrary, some studies have shown that playing videogames helps to develop some skills in children. So, there are some advantages and disavantages about realizing this activity.

         On one hand, playing a videogame, children use their brains to solve puzzles, or to think in a way to pass a level. Thereby improving skills and being of any situation that they can use in their normal life. Furthermore, the new technologies allow people to communicate with others through a game console, making friends and interacting with people in other countries.

        On the other hand, some games are too violent for some children, inflicting traumas and making them rudes. Those games may have sexual content, impulsing children instints. Nevertheless, the biggest problem for their parents is that their children can be addict to play videogames, and to spend too much time on it, taking them away from school, or friends.

        As a conclusion, it is a fact that playing videogames have positive and negative aspects, allowing people critics. However, any technological device will always attract people, thereby buying more games and game consoles.

Where Would I Like to Travel?

        One of the biggest dreams that people have is to travel. As a human being, I also have the desire to travel. Nevertheless, it is not my biggest dream. The world is big, that is something that all people know, but the place where someone wants to go depends of the reason. Either for work or pleasure. So, Where would I like to go in this big world?

        

         First of all, I have two reasons why I want to travel. The first is because of my studies. If aI got a scholarship, I would like to travel either Australia or Japan. However, the destiny may vary according to what I want to do after my degree. If I do the best, I will finish my career next year. In contrast, even if  I don't get a scholarship, I want to travel.

        Secondly, As it was mentioned before, I have two reasons why I want to travel. So, the second one is for pleasure. I want to travel to Japan. I love many things of this country, and I know many things too. What is more, I've been studying Japanese by my own. Of course, traveling is not cheap, so, if I want to go there, I have to save a lot of money. Consequently, I should save money if I want to realize that dream.

        As a conclusion, people have many reasons to travel. Some of them have the ressources, others like me don't. So, in order to achieve this goal, it is neccessary to do the best I can. If I get good grades, I may get the ressources to travel.

Golden Week.

        Golden Week is one of the busiest holiday seasons in Japan. This is a collection of four national holidays within seven days. Trains, airports, and sightseeing spots get very crowded during the Golden Week. The national holiday making up The Golden Week are Showa Day, Constitution Day, Greenery Day, and Children's Day.

        Firstly, Showa Day which takes place on April 29. This is the birthday of a former emperor Showa, who died in 1989. Previously, this holiday was called Greenery Day, but that was changed because of some reasons. However, the date of being called Showa Day remains since 2007.

        Secondly, Constitution Day (kenpo kinenbi) that take place on May 3. As a result of the post-war in 1947, the new constitution was put into effect. Because the date is close to Showa Day, it is a part of the collection of Holidays on the Golden Week. Due to the name, this day is chosen to reflect democracy.

        Thirdly, Greenery Day (Midori no Hi) is celebrated each May 4 since 2007. Before being called Greenery Day, it was called " Birthday of the Emperor." However, as it is known now, it is a day dedicated to the environment and nature. Before the emperor loved plants and nature.

        Finally, Children's Day (Kodomo no Hi), on May 5, this day is celebrated; Therefore, there is a festival called " The Boy's Festival." Families pray for the health and future sucess of their sons by hanging up carp streamers, and displaying samurai dolls so that symbolizing strenght, power, and success in life.

        To conclude, Japan is well-known for the holidays and the dedication that Japaneses put into practice. Because of the actual era, they have a lot of holidays. Golden Week is one of them. They also take the whole week as vacation where few places are opened, and manga magazines are not released during the week.

Light Novels.

        There are many kind of books, and Japan has a gender of novel which targets primarily highschool and middle-school students. This is because in Japan most of the students enjoy reading. Nevertheless, they also enjoy watching anime, and reading manga. However, a light novel is different from the other kind of writtens.

         First of all, a distinguishing characteristic of light novels is their relationship with anime and manga. As a result, they are illustrated with some characters, or some important scenes about what people are reading at that moment. Furthermore, these novels are published in separate book volumes which mean that the reader has to buy all the volumes in order to complete the whole story.

         Secondly, most of the novels are written by Japanese authors. Nonetheless, because of the popularity that the gender has obtained in all the continent, it is normal to find Korean, and Chinese authors. As it was mentioned before, light novels target students because the topic of these are related to genders that they could enjoy such as love,action,horror,etc. Although this happen in Japanese novels, Chinese and Korean novels use to be more brutal, and heartless.

         As a conclusion, light novels are very popular, not only in Japan but also in other countries.America is not the exception. Since the internet is a way to release everything, people around the world can reach to this magnific gender of book.

WELCOME!

          Hi everyone and welcome to this blog. First of all, my name is Manuel and this is the first time that I post something here. Because of the time, I have been not able to write until now. As you can see, the name of the blog is due to my name and the reason why I created it, share my experiences about writting.

           This time, I am just going to talk a little about me. As I said before, my name is Manuel and I am a fourth year student of foreign languages. I am from San Miguel, I was born here and I have been living in this place my whole life. I am 25 years old and I enjoy reading which is one of the reasons why I have created the blog. To share my experiences and to give my opinion about what I have already learned.

   If you are someone who enjoy reading, and if you enjoy learning about japanese culture, I suggest you to be attentive to all my entries, so I invite you to be aware, and I will try to post as much as I can. With nothing more to say, until next time!