Japan

[Sarah]

The country with the world's best toilets.

[PussyCat]

The land of the rising sun.
A island nation to the east near Korea.
Often overrated by anime junky.
Many people in North American and parts of Europe have many misconceptions about Japan. Many believe that the country lives, eats, sleeps, and breaths anime and people still walk around with swords and ninja and [shoguns] are still about. Even though weapons have been banned from civilians for years. Many people think Japan invented anime, well they are wrong all they did was improve on the idea of Disney cartoons that American GI’s brought over for entertainment. The reason why anime is where it’s at today is because you don’t have people who say animation is for kids nor do you have television producers saying.”You can’t [put that on] TV because its violent.”
The school system in japan is great even though they sometimes go to school 6 days a week depending on the school. Although Japan has little shootings “about 30 a year” more people just get stabbed. Teen suicide much like the rest of Asia is [sky high] because of the requirements of the Japanese school system.
Electronics in Japan are advanced even though 90% of them where invented in the US or other places. They go to Japan to become improved or mass produced. Stuff in Japan can be EXTREMELY expensive. A small two bedroom one bathroom apartment in Tokyo can cost around ,000 [US dollars].
Japan’s history is varied. From [Shoguns] and warriors of the feudal era to the atrocities of WW2 to stories of honor and respect. Although Japanese history classes are very vague on their history and their role in it.
Most Japanese people like the western influence because it made Japan the way it is today. Even though it involved the US dropping two atomic bombs on them and they hate they [enjoy that] the fact the US made them what it is. So it’s a [trade off]. That part right there I got from [interviewing] a Japanese [exchange student].
Japan as a physical country is a really neat place. From mountains, [valleys], rivers and lakes to the sandy and rocky beaches. Japan is a land of beauty.
So in all Japan is really a nice country and a great place to visit if you got the money to. But it is not a [promise land] so many people believe. Having been to Japan my self a few times I must say go to Japan [for the culture] beyond anime and electronics and the high-rises of the major cities and see the sights. Also don’t think of Japan as you see in anime and games think of it as a real country with real people like you and me. A good thing to if you go to Japan is to [read up] the different festivals and go to them. I guaranty your trip will be worth it.

[Dave Paprocki]

Japan, a country often not seen for what it really is. It is one of the worlds largest powers, however, many think everyone wears [kimono], watches anime, practices karate everyday, and eat only rice. There is much more to it than that.
-Food-
Due to being an island, [Japans] main source of food is seafood. Sushi is one of Japans specialties and can be made in a variety of ways. Popular dishes include [Nigiri], Gunkan, and Norimaki. (source : japan-guide.com)
Another type of popular Japanese foods are its sweets. Some of the most famous are Pocky ([bisquit] sticks covered with a type of icing), [Pucca] (sea-creature shaped pretzle-like snack filled with chocolate), and [Ramune] Candies (made after a popular drink called Ramune thats very sweet and comes in a glass bottle with a marble in the neck). These items are shipped around the world and can commonly be found in a local store.
-Housing-
In the common Japanese household, many things are different from what you may be used to. When you enter ones home, you take off your shoes at a front square, switching to slippers (common colour is green).
Bathroom
When you need to use the restroom, there is another type of slippers available called Toilet Slippers. They are often decorated with cute characters but I believe the most popular ones Ive seen have a silhouette of a man and woman.
There is a kind of [Japanese toilet] that a lot of people arent used to. Most of it is in-ground, so for use, you must squat, facing the pipes. Thankfully, these are usually seen at public places rather than a home.
-School-
Japanese schools tend to also be different from what most are used to. Many students go six days a week, Saturday being a half day. When you go to enter the school, there is usually rows of [cubbies] or lockers where you switch your shoes into a kind of white slipper. Many girls decorate theirs with magic markers, writing their name or drawing little pictures (even though its usually against school rules).
Class
Instead of changing classes and flipping out because [the bells] going to ring, in Japan, the teacher comes to you. In between classes, there is a short break, allowing you to talk quickly with your friends. When the teacher arrives, usually what happens is all the class rises, greeting the teacher, sometimes bowing in unison. The books from your classes all day were to be stored in your desk.
Lunch
During lunch, the desks in the class are pushed together to form small tables. Students eat, read manga, fix their hair, and talk to their friends. Some people visit other classrooms.
After School
The class is divided into groups. One group goes home, the other group stays to clean up the room ([mop the floor], clean the desks off with a sponge...etc.) You can see this during an episode of Sailor Moon [Live Action]. It also shows you what the average classroom looks like and what happens during lunch.
Cram School
Cram School is a school many Japanese students go to after hours. I know, more school, AH!! Its exactly what its called. Its to help you get ready for University exams and other information. Sorry, I dont really have much more to say on this, but you can get the idea of a cram school by, again, [watching Sailor Moon] Live Action.
[School Uniforms]
Practically every public high school in Japan requries a uniform. For boys, it is typically black pants with a black jacket with a high collar and buttons running down the front. For girls, it is a [pleated] skirt (long in the winter and short in the summer) with a shirt that looks like a sailor (popular in many kinds of anime), or a jacket/vest and shirt. A school logo is usually on the jacket or vest and each school has a different colour scheme for the uniform.
The gym uniform is a shirt and shorts for boys with matching colours (typically white and blue) and girls have a shirt with shorts that resemble outer underwear (typically white and red). The gym classes are usually divided between boys and girls.
-Music-
Ahhh... Japanese music, one of my favourite things to talk about. It is becoming increasingly popular every year across the globe. AOL radio even features a staion titled Japanese Pop, I believe. Anyways, the two most known are [Jrock] and [Jpop] (Japanese rock and Japanese pop). Even though theyre titled rock and pop the music tends to be quite different from what were used to. Since I cant really quite explain the music, here are some popular bands that should be checked out :
Jrock : hide (will be missed), [X Japan], Hyde, [Larc~en~Ciel], [Dir en Grey] (going to be taking a tour through America), [Psycho le Cemu], [Alice Nine], [Miyavi], [MUCC], and Vidoll. (theres a LOT of others, but I just cant list them all!)
Jpop : [Ayumi Hamasaki] and [Gackt] (Like I said, lots more, go check it out!)
-Fashion-
Japanese fashion tends to be a bit more wild than American fashion (even though popular fashion in Japan is becoming increasingly more American).
FRUiTS
FRUiTS is a magazine that shows pictures of Japanese [street fashion], one of the purest forms of modern day Japanese fashion. You may think the clothes dont match, but to others (including myself) think its pure genius! For a FRUiTS Look, it usually requires a lot of [layering].
[Lolita]
Lolita is a childish and elegant look which resembles old fashion clothing with many [frills], bows, and lace for the girls, and typically a suit for the boys. [Gothic Lolita], a popular style of Lolita, tends to be more dark and usually uses only the colours of black and white, sometimes grey and red. It is a very elegant style and the usually the goal for girls in Lolita is to look as childish and pure as possible. A popular clothing company for Lolita is Metamorphose.
Another popular clothing company is h.[NAOTO]
There are many more [imporant] aspects of Japan, but what I described was Japan in a nutshell! Other interesting topics of Japan are Geisha, History, [Kimono] Making, Anime and Manga, and electronics.

[Agnes]

[Bizarre]. Most everything in their culture is (to western mindsets) either mind-blowingly awesome, or mind-numbingly [horrifying]. There seems to be no [middle ground].

[Jessica]

Home to, Nintendo, Naruto, Godzilla, [Mario Bros]., [Gay Luigi],[Kirby], Zelda, Sushi, Falco-Punch, And many more kick ass items

[Marquetta]

Worlds second largest single economy (disregarding Eurozone).
[World class] producers of automobiles.
World class producers of small electronic [gizmos] with no readily identifiable use.
World class producers of animated tentacle-rape porn, disturbingly....
One of the few countries to feature vending machines with [schoolgirl] knickers in.
Has really perfected the art of toilet making. Music and automatic scent release, from a toilet shaped like a mouth? Fantastic!
Has the worlds second largest defence budget, in real terms.
Doesnt seem to do much with that money. One can only assume that a [giant robot] godzilla is around the corner.
Limited land area. One can only ski for a short distance before smacking into the side of a cooperative bank.

[Greta]

A country on the Northern Hemisphere, located in the Eastest end of the Far East, with about 130 million residents. Like most modern societies, Japans struggles with its population getting too old, people of high age dominating demographics. The way they solve it can be a guide for now developing countries.
In the past Japan was influenced by China mainly, and since [Perrys] black ships in the 1850s, there was a growing pressure on the country to match Western customs and expectations, which may have peaked in the decades that followed World War II.
Still its [cultures] pretty unique, different from even Chinese in many aspects, as Ruth [Benedict] explained carefully in The [Chrysanthemum] and The Sword. Its dominated by shame, as opposed to Western cultures which are guided by sin. That is, while before doing something a Westerner would ask himself Does this make me sin?, a Japanese rather asks Will other people think this shames me? This is also why they are so group-centric.

[Becky]

A very brutal country. You can buy almost everything you can dream of from [vending] machines. Famous for anime, manga, and disgusting porn (scatophagy, vomit, violent rape, hentai). A peaceful, polite country on the surface with a violent undertone. Overcrowded; surprisingly clean; extremely high smoking rate; obssessed with [electronic gadgets]; biggest producer economical, quality but also ugly-looking automobiles.
Their music includes cute [j-pop] to ultra-brutal grindcore. Suicide rate is high, people are nationalistic.

[Jessica]

Bizarre. Just a very, very bizarre and frightening place. Its the only nation where one can buy both porn and womens underwear from that freaky [vending machine] a [block away] from your cramped apartment.
Women should stay FAR away from any crowded place, because its more that probable that shell get [groped] at least six times before she gets back to her hotel room. If shes lucky.

[Jessica]

To [confuse] another person or when u don’t know [the answer] to something or don’t want to [answer] it