All About Japan. Willamarie Moore

warriors became more powerful. They were loyal to a daimyo (feudal lord). The different lords’ armies battled each other throughout the country. Great castles were built for defense but also to display wealth and power.

      The Age of Merchants

      Under one ruler again, more people lived in cities. As they bought and sold more and more goods, merchants became more powerful. New art forms like kabuki and ukiyo-e became very popular, especially among townspeople.

      The Age of Opening to the World

      With the arrival of U.S. Commodore Perry’s Black Ships in 1853, Japan agreed to trade with other countries. In 1868, the Meiji Restoration put the Emperor back in power, in Kyoto. The capital city of Edo was given a new name, Tokyo, and this is where political rule remained. Many big changes took place in the way people lived.

      Japan Today

      Japan is a major economic and cultural power in the world.

      “Welcome to my home!”

      Our apartment is called a “2LDK.” This means we have two bed­rooms, a living/dining room, and a kitchen. Even though our apartment is small, I have my own room, which is better than a lot of kids. I like decorating it exactly the way I want.

      Of course we have a bathroom too… and actually, it’s kind of high-tech. The floor tiles in the sink area are heated during the winter, and our toilet is the kind that has a heated seat, different flush options (big or small) to conserve water, and a nozzle for washing and drying if you don’t want to use toilet paper. And for the bath water in the tub, we can set the temperature to the exact degrees we want with the digital thermostat control.

       Fusuma: Sliding walls and doors between rooms. Fusuma are made of thick paper on both sides of a wooden frame. Fusuma slide on tracks, and can also be taken away to make a bigger room.

       Shoji: Paper-covered sliding panels. Since the paper is stretched over just one side of the wooden frame, light filters through.

       Tatami: Thick mats made of rice straw and covered with a tightly woven rush grass, and a cloth tape border. Very comfortable to sit or sleep on!

       Kotatsu: The heated low table. There is a space heater on the underside of the tabletop, and a quilt between the tabletop and the floor. So when you sit on a cushion on the tatami at the table with the quilt over your legs, you stay nice and toasty warm. In the wintertime, this is my family’s favorite place to be: we eat our meals, watch TV, and I even do my homework at the kotatsu!

      Even though our apartment is small, I have my own room, which is better than a lot of kids. I like decorating it exactly the way I want. how I want it to look.

      My grandfather grew up in this house, and my father did too. It’s been in our family for generations. Someday, when my father dies, the house and land will be passed on to me. This follows the traditional customs in Japan’s countryside. These days, not everybody follows these customs, but many still do.

      You may see some things here that are different from your house…

      Have You Tried Japanese Food?

      Traditionally, people in Japan ate rice at every meal, so the word for “meal” and “cooked rice” is the same in Japanese: gohan. Nowadays, people eat a huge variety of foods.