zosia lasota

Very often Japan is called "The Land of Rising Sun". But have you ever heard  a name "The Land of Cherry Blossom"? A lot of  "sakura" cherry trees grow on Japanese islands which you probably know from some photos. It is very hard not to assiociate Japan with cherry blossoms. They bloom from March to May. Many people call this time span as cherry wave because streets are covered with pink cherry petals. Firstly "sakura" trees start blooming in the southwest part of Japan because there is the warmest weather. Then they sprout on Honsiu island and at the end they appear on Hokkaido island. Japanese cherry doesn't bear fruit, so you can't try for example cherry jam made from "sakura". What a pitty! Every year there is a picnic called "hanam" on which people meet, talk and eat with family and friends under the trees. The Japanese love this day! During the cherry wave you can buy a lot of things connected with cherries for e...

Probably most of you have already heard about one of the fastest trains in the world. I will try to zoom in on the subject. High speed trains in Japan are called Shinkansen or Bullet trains. They connect Tokyo with Japanese major cities. They are the most punctual trains in the world. Most of Shinkansen trains depart on time to one second. I think it's incredible! The first one was invented in 1964. The Bullet trains can   even  reach the speed of 320 km/h. Amazing, right? They are also known for their safety and there were no accidents in their history. The network of Shinkansen trains constists of multiple and different lines but the oldest and the most popular is called Tokaido Shinkansen. It runs from Tokyo to Osaka. Almost all of the lines (except for two of them) run on special tracks built only for Shinkansen trains. In most of those vehicles there are seats in two classes: Ordinary and Green Car. The Ordinary as the name suggests is simply a normal truck with usual sea...

Probably for most of you Japan is known for big cities,  huge buildings  and crowded streets. However I will surprise you! About 67% of Japan consists of mountaines and forests where a lot of animals  live.  Some of them are very similar to those living in our country - Poland. The first of them are called Sika deer. The name "Sika" comes from the Japanese word "Shika" which means a deer. They look almost the same as a Polish deer. In summer their fur is red and brown with white spots. But in winter they change their fur and colour to dark grey with dark coloured  stripe running the length of the back. Sika deers prefer to live in coniferous woods. They are more active in the early mornings and evenings, so if you want to meet them you should wake up early.  The next are called the Japanese dwarf flying squirrels. These squirrels are very small and fluffy. Well, the name of these animals is misleading. They actually cannot fly. Instead of flying t...