This section is dedicated to Japan. The above video was made by one of my friends and shows various cities and aspects of this country, which perfectly combines ancestral traditions and high technology.

Discover Japan
The following links will help you to discover in details the main cities in Japan:
Tokyo Tourism Webstation (Tokyo seen by its anime creators)
Japan Travel and Living Guide

If you are planning to travel by train between different cities of Japan, you might need a Japan Rail Pass. This ticket allows you to use nearly all trains of Japan Railways' Network for a limited period with the same ticket. Clic here to reach the official website.

Japanese characters
The Japanese writing is a mix between 4 sets of characters:
- the Kanji signs which are inspired from the Chinese characters;
- the Katakana alphabet which is mainly used for onomatopoeic words, foreign names, telegrams and word emphasis (the equivalent of bold, italic or upper case);
- the Hiragana alphabet which is mainly used for the grammatical signs or if the writer does not know the Kanji version of a word;
- the Romaji alphabet which is actually a transcription of the Japanese in western characters.
(Clic on the characters names to find the complete alphabets or here to use a Kanji - Hiragana - Romaji converter).

Useful links about Japan
Sumo, a typical Japanese sport
Cherry Blossom
GaijinPot (website for foreigners in Japan)

Japanese newspapers
Tokyo Weekender
Tokyo YY
Japanzine