Christmas in Japan

メリークリスマス

 

 

 

Christmas isn't a public holiday in Japan. It is becoming popular with many people taking up traditions such as decorating their home, giving presents to friends and celebrating the event with a special meal.

The traditional Japanese Christmas food is the Christmas cake, usually made of sponge cake, strawberries and whipped cream.

 

Christmas Song (performed by the grade 1's at Carols)

 

Christmas Origami

tree

 

instructions

 

Santa

Instructions

Santa hat and face

Santa's body

 

たべもの

Many restaurants display plastic food in their windows so you know what your food will look like. It helps if you can't read the menu, you can just point to the food you'd like to eat and the waiter will bring it to you. It always looks exactly the same as the plastic model.

They look real, don't they!

Ramen

Sushi

Tempura

udon

Ice cream sundaes

ASIMO

ASIMO

1. Height: 130 cm

2. Weight: 48 kg

3. Running speed: 9km/hr

ASIMO can recognise moving objects, postures, gestures, its surrounding environment, sounds and faces, which enable it to interact with humans. ASIMO has 2 camera 'eyes' in its head and can also determone distance and direction. ASIMO can follow people and face them when they approach.

They can shake hands, wave, point and do sign language

ASIMO can recognize about 10 different faces and address them by name.

ASIMO can pick up a glass bottle and twist off the cap, or hold a soft paper cup to pour a liquid without squishing it.

	Wouldn't this be great to have an ASIMO at home!!!

へのへのもへじ

Henohenomoheji (へのへのもへじ)  is a face drawn by Japanese school children using ひらがなcharacters

This one says へおおくのむ

this one is へままつゆひ

What characters can you see in this one?

You can also draw animals。

Try and guess what characters are drawn in the others and see if you can create your own..

capsule hotel

Capsule Hotel

Capsule hotels are built for those people wanting cheap accomodation. It costs about $20-$30 a night. The capsule measures 2m x 1mx 1.25m and they are stacked next to and top of one another. A seperate section of the hotel has bathing facilities and lockers for personal belongings.  Everything is provided within the capsule, inclduing, TV, radio, alarm clock, adjustable lighting, etc. Everything within easy reach.

The very first capsule hotel was opened in 1979 in Osaka and was designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. Kurokawa created the world's first example of capsule architecture when he built the Nakagin Capsule Tower in 1972, which housed micro apartments and offices targeted towards bachelor "salarymen."

9h (nine hours) is one of Japan's newest Capsule Hotels and offers a "luxury" capsule experience. Located in Shimogyo-Ku, Kyoto, 9h features 125 modern capsules spread over 9 storeys, separate male and female quarters, designer locker rooms, showers and a lounge. The hotel also offers guests a sleek 9h amenity kit, including: bottled water, toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, body soap, slippers and optional lounge wear. The capsules feature a Panasonic alarm clock system with controlled lighting, and curved mattresses and pillows made of four different materials to ensure a natural posture while you are sleeping in the capsule. Prices start at approximately $65 per night.

9hours "how to use your capsule" rules:

• Check-in:
Leave your shoes in the shoebox. Fill out the Check-in Card. Get your Locker key and sleeping pod number.
• Shower
Store your belongings in the locker. Take a shower & slip into some comfortable lounge clothes.
• Sleep
Climb in, snuggle up and sleep in your private capsule.
• Shower
Shower and prepare for a new day. Collect your belongings from your locker.
• Check out
Return your Locker key at the Front Desk and check out.

じてんしゃ

じてんしゃ

The population of Japan is 127 million people, 27 million people live in Tokyo. It is estimated that there are as many as 86 million bicycles in Japan!! Most people have the same type of bike. It looks like a girls bike with a basket on the front.

A common Japanese bicycle

Even with the amzing public transport they have, bicycles are still a common choice for transportation. You can see many different people using bikes, from business men wearing suits, mothers balancing their children and carrying groceries, school children, grandparents,etc . Everyone can been see around Japan riding their bikes. It's not a law in Japan to wear a bike helmet!

With so many bicycles, there are of course some problems with bicycle parking. Many people ride their bicycle to the train station and leave it parked at the station as they ride a train to work. As you may imagine, there are many, many bicycles parked at every station!

Outside a train station

where is my bike??

Eco Cycle Parking

To deal with the problem of bicycle parking, the Japanese have created the Eco Cycle parking system. It is a system of underground bicycle parking which reduces the space needed for bicycle parking. The Eco Cycle can store up to 144 bicycles underground - retrieval and storage in seconds. The longest it takes is 10 seconds

underground bicycle parking

These 'Gates' is where bicycles are parked and retrieved

At each gate there is a simple card reader. You have to take out a monthly contract to use these ones but there are some around Tokyo where anybody can park their bicycle.



The young lady swipes her card and a few seconds later the doors open. She docks the front wheel of her bicycle

and it gets pulled in to the dock. Doors close swiftly after.

This is what the bicycle park looks like underground.

The Eco Cycle caters for bicycles which are less than 1,950mm in length and less than 1,250mm in height.
It costs 2,600 yen for a monthly ticket to use the park. Students pay 1,300 yen.