Learning more about Japan

Currently and over the last few weeks the world has been tracking the devastating news in Japan. As I have been following the relief efforts and day-by-day coverage I have been praying for all those directly and indirectly effected. In situations like these I feel it is just as important to know about the current events, but also to remind your self what wonderful features a person, in this case a country, has to offer.

Being a 23 year old student from Canada with little money to travel I have realized I know very little about Japan, other then the basics. Personally I have felt an incline to rapidly learn more about the country behind what is being covered in the news. In this blog I would like to educate others on three interesting facts I have found while researching more about the country of Japan.

“Japanese celebrate Christmas, but it is more like Valentine's Day in the western world” Facts. “About .5% of the Japanese population is estimated to be Christian, with the majority of Japanese being tolerant of all faiths: Buddhism, Christianity, Shinto, etc.” They are embrasures of several different festivals and celebrations and tend to celebrate Christmas on more of a commercial level. Dec. 23 is there national holiday for the present emperor’s birthday and Jan. 1 is the most important holiday in Japan for New Years (shogatsu of oshogatsu). Many businesses will remain closed until Jan. 3. If only Canada would set a three-day holiday and we could spend more time with the family like Japan does. Part of the reason why Jan. 1 is a major holiday is because Japanese traditionally view each year as completely separate, providing a fresh start. They have a belief that all duties should be completed before the New Year and the parties are called “bonenkai parties” meaning “year forgetting parties”.

“Sometimes the trains are so crowded railway staff are employed to cram passengers inside” Facts. This is not surprising since Japan has over 127 million people, making them the tenth-largest population in the world. The Yamanote line in Tokyo carries between three to four million passengers everyday. During rush hour “tushy pushers” shove people into trains. So if you go to Japan remind yourself this is normal someone may touch your tushy while on a subway if your close to the door.

“Vending machines in Japan sell beer, hot and cold canned coffee, cigarettes, and other items” Facts. Japan has one of the world’s highest vending machine densities. Many of the machines will only sell your typical pop, juice, vitamin or energy drinks, while others sell alcoholic beverages and cigarettes. On a smaller scale it is possible to find ice cream, rice, disposable cameras, instant noodles in a vending machine.

I hope some of these facts have enticed people to learn more about Japan.

My heart goes out to all those have been affected by the disasters happening in Japan. 

External Links:

More facts on Japan

Christmas in Japan

How to donate to the Japan relief effort

I could be the next great baker

Over the past month I have been fascinated with professional cake decorating. I have spent countless hours in front of the television watching Ace of Cakes on the Food Network and Cake Boss on TLC. I thought to myself, “that doesn’t look so hard. I could make a cake like that in no time.”

This was the final product

I figured this was a perfect time because a friend of mine was celebrating his 23rd birthday. I started my list and headed out to the store to grab all the supplies I would need. Now in the past I have done some simple cake decorating with butter cream icing but never used fondant before. Let me tell you boys and girls, it’s a lot of work.
In total I spent about three days making a cake and that included all the preparing, baking, decorating, and cleaning. With all that time spent alone in the kitchen I started thinking to myself, “why did I even start this? and where did the tradition of birthday cakes come from?"

Many historians have their different opinions of where the birthday cake originated. It is believed that the Ancient Greeks were the first to start this tradition. The story goes, “the Greeks offered round shaped cakes to the Goddess of Moon called Artmis. It is for this reason that even candles were placed on the cake to make it glow like the moon.” (source)

Some other interesting cake facts I found were:

• Millions of years ago Celtic people used ago cakes in a ritual. When celebrating a festival called Beltane, they lit bonfires at the top of a hill and rolled cakes down the hill. If the cake didn’t break, they believed it would bring good fortune.
• In England during the 17th century people believed keeping fruitcakes under the pillows of those who were unmarried would give that individual sweet dreams about a fiancée.
• During the medieval times in England people would place objects like coins, rings, and thimbles in the cake batter. It was believed that those who found the coins in the cake would become wealthy and those who found the thimble would never marry. The lucky individual who found a ring in the cake would soon be married.

Today cakes have become apart of so many different traditions it’s hard to keep track of the original purpose. Either way i'll eat a nice piece of cake if you make it next time. 


External Links:
History of Cakes

Birthday History

And the winner is...

James Franco, Anne Hathaway

The last of the awards are being handed out in a few days at the 83rd Oscars. The 2011 Oscars air on ABC at 8 p.m. (EST) on

Feb. 27, 2011. James Franco and Anne Hathaway are hosting this year’s awards.

In the past I have never shown an interest for award season; however, this year I have been fascinated with the nominations, styles, and gossip around the awards.

During my award captivation I have learned a few interesting facts and figured I would share them.

Did you know…

• The red carpet at the Kodak Theatre, where the ceremony is held, is about 500 feet long and 33 feet wide. Along this 500 foot long space, over 100 photographers and 300 TV media members will be documenting every moment. No wonder actors and actresses get stressed out when it comes to finding the best red carpet outfit.  

Youngest winners

Tatum O'Neal

• The youngest Oscar winner, excluding special awards, was 10-year-old Tatum O’Neal, who won for best supporting actress for 1973’s Paper Moon.

• Youngest to receive an Oscar of any kind was Shirley Temple at the age of five in 1934; however, Shirley’s Oscar was considered an honorary award.

Oldest Winner

• In 1990, Jessica Tandy won the Best Actress Oscar at age 81 for Driving Miss Daisy.

Longest acceptance speech

• Actress Greer Garson’s acceptance speech went on for an overwhelming five minutes. Today, Oscar winners are advised to keep their speeches to 45 seconds in length.

 Additional Facts

• The Academy Awards were first broadcast on radio in 1930.
• Over 90 million people watched the first television broadcast in 1953.
• Gone With the Wind was the first coloured movie to win best picture (1939).
• The biggest loser of all times is Kevin O'Connell, a sound re-recording mixer who holds the record for most Academy Award nominations without a win at 20. He originally set the record in 2006 with his 18th nomination and loss, making him the "unluckiest nominee in the history of the Academy Awards".

Share your knowledge; please add any “award winning” facts below.

Sources: Oscar.com, Oddee.com, Wikipedia.com, Oscarworld.net, Popmatters.com

Welcome!

   I have recently been asked to write a blog for a class assignment. When I sat down to think of a blog topic I realized how much time (as a student) I have spent procrastinating. My top procrastination technique is researching amazing and bizarre facts online.

   
   This got me thinking about recent websites and trivia apps I visit. Too many of the facts posted leave me asking questions about why and how people have come up with this information.
   
   Through out this blog I will be picking facts and researching the history behind them. I invite you to add information as I am not a true expert on these topics. Join me as I answer questions and we can learn more about each topic together.