16 Around Japan in Three Days

CHAPTER 1 A Very Different Country JAPAN IS A COUNTRY OF THOUSANDS OF ISLANDS! JAPAN'S MOST IMPORTANT CITIES ARE ON ITS BIGGEST ISLAND: HONSHU. THE JAPANESE MAKE A LOT OF THINGS: CARS, BIKES, TRAINS, BOATS, COMPUTERS, TELEVISIONS, RADIOS, CAMERAS, AND GUITARS. People Japan has 127 million people. They live longer than people in almost any other country! Some people think this is because they eat well. Japanese food is famous everywhere in the world. Most people know sushi, which is usually made with rice and raw fish. Art Japan's music, art, and buildings are very different from those in other countries. One kind of Japanese art is manga: books of pictures that tell stories. The Japanese language does not use letters like A, B, and C in English to make words. It uses pictures called logograms. You can buy manga in many different languages. You don't have to read Japanese! Tourists People like to visit Japan on vacation. About nine million tourists come to Japan every year. There's a lot to see and do there!

CHAPTER 2 Day 1: Visit Tokyo TOKYO IS THE BIGGEST CITY IN JAPAN. IT'S A VERY EXCITING PLACE. THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO! MARKETS, RESTAURANTS, SHOPPING, THEATER... Market Before lunch, do you want to see where the food comes from? Why not visit the Tsukiji fish market? The Japanese love fish, and Tsukiji is the biggest fish market in the world! You can go there really early. It usually opens at 3 a.m.! That's when fish arrives from all over the world. It gets very busy between 5 and 8 a.m. There's every kind of fish at the market. You see big, small, colorful, and unusual fish. And there are auctions. In an auction, you and other people want to buy some fish. You say how much you are ready to pay. Other people do the same. If you can pay the most, you get the fish.

Food Food in Tokyo is great. The Japanese love a meal called ramen noodles— a kind of pasta, like spaghetti. People often wait a long time outside a good noodle restaurant! Or try a sushi restaurant. At a sushi restaurant, you sit and the table moves! The table carries plates of rice and fish in front of you. When you see something good, you can take it! Theater After dinner, you can see traditional shows at the Akasaka Act Theater. The actors speak Japanese, but you can listen to the words in English. Shopping Why not go to the Ginza part of Tokyo? In 1612 there was a factory called Ginza here. The factory made different kinds of money. It was a mint. Now the Ginza makes money in a different way. Some of the world's best clothing stores, restaurants, and cafes are in the Ginza. If you like art and enjoy seeing pictures and photos, there are fantastic art galleries, too. On weekends, there are no cars on Chuo-dori street. There are lots of people, and you can listen to great street music there!

CHAPTER 3 Day 2: A Bullet Train to Kyoto JAPAN'S BULLET TRAINS ARE FAMOUS. ENJOY THE RIDE TO OLD KYOTO— JAPAN'S MOST IMPORTANT CITY FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. Catch the Bullet Train Japan was the first country to have these very fast trains. The first bullet train started in 1964. It traveled between Japan's biggest cities, Tokyo and Osaka. Today, there are bullet trains between all the biggest cities on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu. Why not take one to Kyoto? Kyoto was the most important city in Japan until 1868. When you get on the bullet train, you see that it's very clean inside. And your seat is very comfortable! The train goes faster and faster. You look out of the window. Everything goes past so quickly! In the end, you are traveling at 300 kilometers an hour! A waiter comes and you get some tea. Then the train stops. Not a minute late! Did it really get to Kyoto so fast? Japanese trains are fantastic!

In Kyoto Now you're in Kyoto, and you need a place to stay. If you have a lot of money, stay in a ryokan, a beautiful traditional Japanese hotel. A night in a ryokan is something to remember! But if you have less money, stay in a minshuku. Minshukus are not as good as ryokans, but they are nice. It's time to visit Kyoto! Go to the part of the city called Higashiyama, with its beautiful temples and parks. There's a zoo, too. Next, visit Kinkaku-ji Temple. In 1400, it was the house of an important man. When he died, his son made a temple there. The building is above a big pool of water. You can take a beautiful photo of the temple in the water. Enjoy Are you hungry now? The Pontocho part of the city has many restaurants and teahouses. It also has many geisha houses and sometimes real geisha shows.

CHAPTER 4 Day 3: Climbing Mount Fuji YOU HAVE ONE LAST, EXCITING THING TO DO IN JAPAN. YOU'RE GOING TO CLIMB THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN THE COUNTRY! Get Ready Start your morning with a traditional Japanese breakfast. The Japanese eat rice and soup for breakfast. They also eat eggs, fish, and vegetables. Next, take a look at Kyoto's fantastic train station. It's one of the biggest buildings in Japan. Inside there's a big store, a hotel, and a movie theater. Some people don't like the station because it's a new kind of building and not traditional. Now it's time to take the train from Kyoto to Shin-Fuji, near Mount Fuji. The train is fast— you're there in only two and a half hours. Look at beautiful Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji is a volcano, but it isn't usually dangerous. The last time the volcano erupted was in 1707 more than 300 years ago. But it may erupt again soon!