FEBRUARY 2000 QUESTIONS
- (Linda, U.S.A.)
How did Japan get its name "land of the rising sun?"
Japan lies to the east of the Eurasian continent, and beyond Japan
lies the Pacific Ocean. So from the continental point of view, Japan
is in the direction of the sunrise. This is why the Japanese began
to call their country Nihon or Nippon, literally meaning "source of
the sun" and often translated into English as "land of the rising
sun."
- (Erin)
What type of food do you eat at school? How long is each class,
and how long is a school day? How many children are in the class?
Do you wear uniforms? What time do you go to school?
So many questions! But you can find all the answers in our Schools
section.
- (Ida)
Do Japanese children go to school on Saturdays?
Until recently, Japanese children had to go to school from Monday
to Saturday every week. Now, though, there are no classes on the second
and fourth Saturdays of the month, and beginning in April 2002 all
Saturdays will be free.
- (Amber)
How is Japanese writing read? Do you read it up and down, left
to right?
Traditionally, Japanese writing is written vertically, starting at
the right of each page, so the lines go from right to left. Today,
however, it's also common to write in the same direction as English--horizontally,
from left to right.
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