Shoe boxes in a Japanese school entrance way.

1. Shoe boxes in a Japanese school entrance way. • . • …

2. Japanese education • Elementary and junior high schools prepare students for the rugged regimen of high school by supporting and encouraging a positive engagement in work. • Japanese students lead all international tests of children’s ability in math and science. • 40-50 percent of high school students plan on attending top universities and must take private after school preparation classes called juku. • Japanese students test higher than any other national group in liking to go to school. • Most schools require a uniform. • High school classes average 43- 45 students per one teacher.

3. .. Matsumoto Castle -(Matsumotojo) is one of the most complete and beautiful among Japan's original castles. It is also a good example of a "hirajiro", a castle built on the plain rather than ona hill or mountain. -Matsumotojo's castle tower and smaller, second turret were built from 1592 to 1614.

4. Geisha Dancers • The word geisha is a Sino-Japanese word meaning "a skilled person" and referred to girls in Japan who were professional singers and dancers. • The true geisha were required to undergo a period of strenuous training in singing and dancing, which sometimes began as early as at the age of seven. • A geisha’s fee was based upon the amount of time she spent entertaining a guest. The time was calculated on the basis of the burning duration of an incense stick, which was variously reported to be from twenty-five to thirty minutes.

5. Japanese Marriage • There are two types of Japanese marriages: the “love” marriage (we are familiar with in the West) and arranged marriages. • Arranged marriages were common in the past but now are only around 25- 40 percent. • The divorce rate for arranged marriages is lower than for “love” marriages.

6. Kabuki Actors • Kabuki is one of Japan's traditional theatrical arts. • It began in the16th century and is still an important part of Japan’s culture today. • All female parts are played by male impersonators known as onnagata. • Until kabuki, the people of Japan had never seen theater of such color, glamour, excitement and general extraordinariness.

7. The Japanese Housewife • In the 1960s women in Japan typically left the workplace when they had children and did not return. The recent trend for Japanese women is the neo- housewife. They are creating businesses and organizations and are separating themselves from the male- centered corporate world.

8. A Drawing of Fifty Yen Coin Coins One Yen ¥1 Five yen coin ¥5 Ten yen coin ¥10 Fifty yen coin ¥50 One hundred yen coin ¥100 Five hundred yen coin ¥500 Bills One-thousand yen bill ¥1000 Two-thousand yen bill ¥2000 (rare) Five-thousand yen bill ¥5000 Ten-thousand yen bill ¥10000

9. Kyoto • Kyoto is a city that has a very natural setting which seems to enhance the quality of life for its inhabitants. • At the foot of the mountains surrounding Kyoto, magnificent structures and gardens created during various periods since the 8th century have been well preserved.

10. Japanese food Buckwheat noodles that have been prepared Kyoto- style • . Sake (Japanese rice wine)

11. The great variance in Japanese geographic regions. • Mount Fuji