365 Days of Happiness

Tran Duc Thao

Trần Đức Thảo (26 September 1917—24 April 1993) was a Vietnamese philosopher. His work (written primarily in French) attempted to unite phenomenology with Marxist philosophy. His work had some currency in France in the 1950s and 1960s, and was cited favorably by Jacques Derrida and Jean-François Lyotard and Louis Althusser.

Born in Hanoi, Vietnam, he was educated there, completing his baccalaureate at 17. In 1936, he continued his studies in France, becoming a student of Maurice Merleau-Ponty at the École Normale Supérieure where he wrote a dissertation for a diplôme d’études supérieures on Hegel. In 1943, he completed his agrégation with a thesis on the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl, being received premier ex aequo alongside Jules Vuillemin. Through the 1940s, he worked on his first book, Phenomenology and Dialectical Materialism. The book argued that the defects of the phenomenological account of consciousness could only be remedied by the Marxist account of labor and society. In the 1940s and 50s, Trần Đức Thảo’s ideas achieved some currency among the elite philosophical circles of France. At the same time, he became an active anti-colonialist, publishing articles in Jean-Paul Sartre and Merleau-Ponty’s journal Les Temps modernes about colonialism in Indochina; these articles were read by Frantz Fanon and other anticolonialists. From October to December 1945, Trần Đức Thảo was jailed by the French government as a threat to its security. Phenomenology and Dialectical Materialism was published in 1951, and in the same year he returned to Vietnam, working in support of the Communist Party. In 1956, he was named the Dean of History in the country’s first national university.

But he became critical of the Party over land reforms which had led to many deaths in 1956, and Trần Đức Thảo was caught up in the Nhan Van-Giai Pham affair in which the dissident intellectuals of the late 1950s were publicly criticized or punished. Though Tran Duc Thao was never jailed, he fell out of favor with the ruling Party, publishing two self-criticisms in Nhân Dân and leaving his position of authority in 1958. None of his work was published in his home country from 1965 until 1987. For the next thirty years, his profile was lower, as he worked in the rural provinces translating philosophy into Vietnamese and preparing his book Investigations into the Origin of Language and Consciousness. This book, published in France in 1973, combined materialist biological and cognitive accounts of subjectivity and consciousness with the Marxist account he had elaborated earlier. In the liberalized political climate of the 1980s, he was able to return to France for medical treatment, and there he met many of his old philosophical colleagues again, although he lived in poverty in an apartment at the Vietnamese embassy. He died in Paris in 1993 and was cremated at the Père Lachaise Cemetery.

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Shinto

Shinto (神道, Shintō^?) or kami-no-michi is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written historical records of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in the 7th and 8th century. Still, these earliest Japanese writings do not refer to a unified “Shinto religion”, but rather to disorganized folklore, history, and mythology. Shinto today is a term that applies to public shrines suited to various purposes such as war memorials, harvest festivals, romance, and historical monuments, as well as various sectarian organizations. Practitioners express their diverse beliefs through a standard language and practice, adopting a similar style in dress and ritual, dating from around the time of the Nara and Heian Periods.

The word Shinto (“Way of the Gods”) was adopted from the written Chinese (神道, shén dào), combining two kanji: “shin” (神^?), meaning kami; and “tō” (道^?), or “do” meaning a philosophical path or study (originally from the Chinese word tao). Kami are defined in English as “spirits”, “essences” or “deities”, that are associated with many understood formats; in some cases being human-like, in others being animistic, and others being associated with more abstract “natural” forces in the world (mountains, rivers, lightning, wind, waves, trees, rocks). Kami and people are not separate; they exist within the same world and share its interrelated complexity.

There are currently 119 million official practitioners of Shinto in Japan, although a person who practices any manner of Shinto rituals may be so counted. The vast majority of Japanese people who take part in Shinto rituals also practice Buddhist ancestor worship. However, unlike many monotheistic religious practices, Shinto and Buddhism typically do not require professing faith to be a believer or a practitioner, and as such it is difficult to query for exact figures based on self-identification of belief within Japan. Due to the syncretic nature of Shinto and Buddhism, most “life” events are handled by Shinto and “death” or “afterlife” events are handled by Buddhism—for example, it is typical in Japan to register or celebrate a birth at a Shinto shrine, while funeral arrangements are generally dictated by Buddhist tradition—although the division is not exclusive.

Source: Wikipedia

Ten Precepts Of Shinto

i) Do not transgress the will of the gods.

ii) Do not forget your obligations to ancestors.

iii) Do not offend by violating the decrees of the State.

iv) Do not forget the profound goodness of the, gods, through which calamity and misfortunes are averted and sickness is healed.

v) Do not forget that the world is one great family.

vi) Do not forget the limitations of your own person.

vii) Do not become angry even though others become angry.

viii) Do not be sluggish in your work.

ix) Do not bring blame to the teaching.

x) Do not be carried away by foreign teachings.

Shinto Sayings

The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form.

Even the wishes of an ant reach to heaven.

Leave the things of this world and come to me daily with pure bodies and pure hearts.

A single sincere prayer moves heaven. You will surely realise the divine presence through sincere prayer.

Where you have sincerity, there also is virtue. Sincerity is a witness to truth. Sincerity is the mother of knowledge. Sincerity is a single virtue that binds Divinity and man in one.

Retribution for good or ill is as sure as the shadow after substance.

To do good is to be pure. To commit evil is to be impure.

To admit a fault is the beginning of righteousness.

The first and surest means to enter into communion with the Divine is sincerity. If you pray to a deity with sincerity, you will surely feel the divine presence.

Common Shinto Prayer

Our eyes may see some uncleanliness, but let not our mind see things that are not clean. Our ears may hear some uncleanliness, but let not our mind hear things that are not clean.

Feng Shan Ho

Dr. Feng Shan Ho single-handedly saved thousands of Austrian Jews during the Holocaust. When Dr. Ho arrived in Vienna in 1937 as a Chinese diplomat, Austria had the third largest Jewish community in Europe. Just one year later, however, the Nazis took over Austria and began persecuting Jews. Although they tried to flee, Austrian Jews had nowhere to go because most of the world’s nations would not accept Jewish refugees. Against all odds, many would survive thanks to Dr. Ho. As Chinese General Consul in Vienna, he went against his boss’ orders and began issuing Jews visas to Shanghai, China. These lifesaving documents allowed thousands of Jews to leave Austria and escape death. After 40 years of diplomatic service that included ambassadorships to Egypt, Mexico, Bolivia, and Colombia, Dr. Ho retired to San Francisco, California. At age 89, he published his memoirs, “Forty Years of My Diplomatic Life.” Dr. Ho died in 1997, an unknown hero of World War II.

Cool things to do in Southeast Asia

There are so many great things to do in South East Asia, whether it’s joining an amazing expedition, taking part in a life changing voluntary program or just exploring the tropical rainforests and gorgeous beaches of the region.

We’ve picked out some of the best.

The Rainforests and Wildlife of Borneo in Malaysia

Borneo is famous for its wildlife and jungles, in particular Orangutans, its diverse colorful cultures, marine life, national parks, as well as Sabah’s famous Mount Kinabalu. Many organisations run placements in Borneo, helping the region preserve the rainforest and wildlife it supports.
Visit Borneo Tourism Website

Discover the exotic locations of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam

No trip to Southeast Asia is complete without a visit to the famous, bustling city of Bangkok. A visit to Cambodia to see the fabulous temples at Angkor, considered to be the most spectacular architectural ruins on earth, is not to be missed. Whilst you’re in the region, why not take in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and visit the War Remnants museum.

Compatibility Table of the 12 Chinese Zodiac

Rat

Ox

Tiger

Cat

Dragon

Snake

Horse

Goat

Monkey

Rooster

Dog

Pig

Rat

+

=

+

-

=

-

-

-

+

+

Ox

=

+

-

=

+

-

-

+

-

+

Tiger

+

-

+

-

+

-

+

-

=

=

Cat

+

+

-

+

=

+

-

-

-

=

Dragon

-

+

=

-

+

-

+

+

-

=

Snake

+

-

+

=

+

-

=

-

+

-

Horse

-

-

-

=

+

-

=

+

+

+

Goat

-

-

=

+

+

=

+

+

-

-

Monkey

+

-

-

-

-

+

=

+

+

=

Rooster

-

+

-

=

+

=

-

-

+

+

Dog

+

-

=

-

+

-

+

-

=

+

Pig

=

+

=

+

-

-

-

+

+

-

Legend:

Very compatible       = Compatible         + Can work together            – Incompatible

All these animals are action oriented ones, they have positive thinking and
are high class competitors and are true to their core and character. Rat is
timid and a coward, Dragon is full of courage and self-confidence and of high
thinking. He has the ability to understand the intelligence of the Rat and the
cunningness of the Monkey. Monkey needs the intellignece of the Rat and the
courage of the Dragon. Due to the above said factors they are complementary to
each other. Here Rat represents the water element, Dragon the water element and
Monkey, the metal element.

Second Group- Ox, Snake, Rooster

These are deep thinking animals who continue to dwell upon one aspect or the
other. They are always conscious about attaining their objective. Ox is strong
and sturdy, but desires to possess the diplomacy of the Snake. The Rooster
aspires to possess Snake’s alertness and Ox’s strength. Here the element of Ox
is earth, element of Snake is fire and that of Rooster is metal.

Third group- Tiger, Horse, Dog

They love freedom and hassle free movement. All these animals are quadrupeds and
believe firmly in situations of personal ego. Horse requires Tiger’s
exciteability and Dog’s transparency, Tiger needs Dog’s sense of duty towards
its master and the transparencey and it also needs continuous mobility of the
Horse.

Fourth Group- Cat, Goat, Pig

These are all peace loving animals and believe in mutual co-operation. They are
neither too zealous and active nor intelligent and also do not believe in
accepting challenges and risks as they are highy sensitive animals. They also
have great ability to elicit and seek sympathy, hence they are considerate, love
and sympathise with each other. Pig requires Cat’s crafty cunningness and Goat’s
civility and humility.

Fun and interesting facts about China

1. No Spitting
   1. China is still trying to suppress spitting in Urban Cities! Spitting is a rural practice around China and chinese spit loudly! It is even considered a sport in rural chinese areas.
2. Ketchup originated in China as a pickled fish sauce called ke-tsiap.
3. Trouble in China is symbolized by 2 women living together under 1 roof
4. Chopsticks originated from China approximately 4,000 years ago.
5. Silk was developed in China were it was kept a secret for more than two thousands years.
6. The Great Wall stretches for about 4,500 miles across North China.
7. In China astronauts are called taikonauts
8. Many of the guards never left the Great Wall in their entire lives.
9. Pekingese dogs were sacred to the emperors of China for more than 2,000 years.
10. Twenty percent of China’s plants are used in medicine.
11. Mandarin Chinese is the world’s most spoken language with over 870 million speakers.
12. 34 children are born every minute in China
13. There are over 150 different herbs from China used in the treatment of Infertility
14. The story of Mulan had been told in China for almost 1,500 years before Disney decided to make it into an animated movie.
15. All Disney characters was banned for 40 years in China
16. The story of Cinderella may not originate with Disney, some say it originated in China around AD 860
17. China is now the world’s largest apple producer, followed by the U.S. in second place.
18. Ice cream was invented in China around 2000BC when the Chinese packed a soft milk and rice mixture in the snow.
19. Long ago, silk making was a closely guarded secret. Anyone who gave the secret away could be killed.
20. Paper was first invented in China in 105 AD. It was a closely guarded secret and didn’t reach Eurupe until the 8th century.
21. A terracotta army of six thousand men and horses was buried with Shi Huang-Ti, China’s first emperor, at Xianyang.
22. Fingerprinting was used in China as early as 700 A.D.
23. It is not true that the early Chinese used gunpowder only for fireworks. They had forms of guns (invented in 1288), bombs, grenades, rockets, land mines, and other arms.
24. “May you live in interesting times.” – Chinese curse.
25. China is called Zhongguo in Chinese
26. Flights between Hong Kong and mainland China are classed as international flights
27. Liu Ch’ing, who became the governor of China’s Shansi province in 955 A.D., was born with two pupils in each eye.
28. The wheelbarrow is invented by a chinese
29. About 700 000 engineers graduate annually from schools in China
30. China has only about 200 different family names
31. China has about 30 million Muslims
32. China invented the first kites and they where used in wars
33. Some people in China work as apologisers
34. In China tree hugging is forbidden
35. There are 100 million internet users in China. Some of the sites they can’t access are BBC news, Amnesty International and Dalailama.com.
36. There are about 40000 characters in Chinese language; An Adult is only expected to know 5000 of them
37. Tian’anmen Square is the largest public plaza in the world.

Fun and interesting facts about India

1. India is about 1/3 the size of the United States, yet it is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of 1,166,079,217. India is the seventh largest country in the world, at 1.27 million square miles.^g
2. India is the largest democracy in the world.ⁱ
3. The Kumbh Mela (or Grand Pitcher Festival) is a huge Hindu religious festival that takes place in India every 12 years. In 2001, 60 million people attended, breaking the record for the world’s biggest gathering. The mass of people was photographed from space by a satellite.^c
4. Many Indians find toilet paper repellent and consider it cleaner to splash water with the left hand in the appropriate direction. Consequently, the left hand is considered unclean and is never used for eating.^f
5. To avoid polluting the elements (fire, earth, water, air), followers of Zoroastrianism in India don’t bury their dead, but instead leave bodies in buildings called “Towers of Silence” for the vultures to pick clean. After the bones dry, they are swept into a central well.^f
6. It is illegal to take Indian currency (rupees) out of India.^f
7. India leads the world with the most murders (32,719), with Russia taking second at 28,904 murders per year.^j
8. India has one of the world’s highest rates of abortion.^e
9. More than a million Indians are millionaires, yet most Indians live on less than two dollars a day. An estimated 35% of India’s population lives below the poverty line.^l
10. Cows can be found freely wandering the streets of India’s cities. They are considered sacred and will often wear a tilak, a Hindu symbol of good fortune. Cows are considered one of humankind’s seven mothers because she offers milk as does one’s natural mother.^k
11. Dancing is one of India’s most highly developed arts and was an integral part of worship in the inner shrines of every temple. It is notable for its expressive hand movements.^f
12. Rabies is endemic in India. Additionally, “Delhi Belly” or diarrhea is commonplace due to contaminated drinking water.^f
13. Many Indian wives will never say her husband’s name aloud, as it is a sign of disrespect. When addressing him, the wife will use several indirect references, such as “ji” or “look here” or “hello,” or even refer to him as the father of her child.^f
14. A widow is considered bad luck—otherwise, her husband wouldn’t have died. Elderly women in the village might call a widow “the one who ate her husband.” In some orthodox families, widows are not allowed near newlyweds or welcomed at social gatherings.^b
15. India is the birthplace of chess.^l The original word for “chess” is the Sanskrit chaturanga, meaning “four members of an army”—which were mostly likely elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers.^d
16. The Indian flag has three horizontal bands of color: saffron for courage and sacrifice, white for truth and peace, and green for faith, fertility, and chivalry. An emblem of a wheel spinning used to be in the center of the white band, but when India gained independence, a Buddhist dharma chakra, or wheel of life, replaced the spinning wheel.^m
17. The temples of Khajuraho are famous for their erotic sculptures and are one of the most popular tourist attractions in India. Scholars still debate the purpose of such explicit portrayals of sexual intercourse, which sometimes involves animals.^a
18. The earliest cotton in the world was spun and woven in India. Roman emperors would wear delicate cotton from India that they would call “woven winds.” Mogul emperors called the fabrics “morning dew” and “cloth of running water.”ⁱ
19. In ancient and medieval India, suttees, in which a recently widowed woman would immolate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre, were common.^b
20. The Himalayas—from the Sanskrit hima, meaning “snow,” and alaya, meaning “abode”—are found in the north of India. They extend 1,500 miles and are slowly growing taller, by almost an inch (2.5 cm) a year. Several ancient Indian monasteries are found nestled in the grandeur of these mountains.^m
21. India is the world’s largest producer of dried beans, such as kidney beans and chickpeas. It also leads the world in banana exports; Brazil is second.^l
22. In India, the fold and color of clothing are viewed as important markers of social classification. Additionally, women will be viewed as either a prostitute or a holy person depending on the manner in which she parts her hair.^k
23. With 150,000 post offices, India has the largest postal network in the world. However, it is not unusual for a letter to take two weeks to travel just 30 miles.^f
24. In India, grasping one’s ears signifies repentance or sincerity.^f
25. The Bengal tiger is India’s national animal. It was once ubiquitous throughout the country, but now there are fewer than 4,000 wild tigers left.^m
26. Indians hold prominent places both internationally and in the United States. For example, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems (Vinod Khosla), the creator of the Pentium chip (Vinod Dahm), the founder/creator of Hotmail (Sabeer Bhatia), and the GM of Hewlett-Packard (Rajiv Gupta) are all Indian.^h
27. Alexander the Great of Macedon (356-323 B.C.) was one of the first important figures to bring India into contact with the West. After his death, a link between Europe and the East would not be restored until Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) landed in Calicut, India, in 1498.^l
28. The British Raj, or British rule, lasted from 1858 to 1947 (although they had a strong presence in India since the 1700s). British influence is still seen in Indian architecture, education system, transportation, and politics. Many of India’s worst famines are associated with British rule in India.ⁱ
29. Every major world religion is represented in India. Additionally, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all originated in India.^f
30. About 80% of Indians are Hindu. Muslims are the largest minority in India and form approximately 13% of the country’s population. In fact, India has the third largest population of Muslims in the world, after Indonesia and Pakistan.ⁱ
31. India has the world’s largest movie industry, based in the city of Mumbai (known as the “City of Dreams”). The B in “Bollywood” comes from Bombay, the former name for Mumbai. Almost all Bollywood movies are musicals.^l
32. Mumbai (Bombay) is India’s largest city, with a population of 15 million. In 1661, British engineers built a causeway uniting all seven original islands of Bombay into a single landmass.^l
33. Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) is known around the world as Mahatma, which is an honorific title meaning “Great Soul” in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit. He devoted his life to free India from British rule peacefully and based his campaign on civil disobedience. His birthday, October 2, is a national holiday. He was assassinated in 1948.^m
34. The lotus is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. The Bahá’í house of worship in Delhi, known as the “Lotus Temple,” is shaped like a lotus flower with 27 gigantic “petals” that are covered in marble.ⁱ
35. The banyan, or Indian fig tree, is considered a symbol of immortality and is mentioned in many Indian myths and legends. This self-renewing plant is India’s national tree.^m
36. Marigold flowers are used as decoration for Hindu marriages and are a symbol of good fortune and happiness.ⁱ
37. The official name of India is the Republic of India. The name “India” derives from the River Indus, which most likely is derived from the Sanskrit sindhu, meaning “river.” The official Sanskrit name of India is Bharat, after the legendary king in the epic Mahabharata.^m
38. Introduced by the British, cricket is India’s most popular sport. Hockey is considered the national sport, and the Indian field hockey team proudly won Olympic gold in 1928.ⁱ
39. Indians made significant contributions to calculus, trigonometry, and algebra. The decimal system was invented in India in 100 B.C. The concept of zero as a number is also attributed to India.^m
40. The national fruit of India is the mango. The national bird is the peacock, which was initially bred for food.^m
41. Most historians agree that the first recorded account of plastic surgery is found in ancient Indian Sanskrit texts.^b
42. Hindi and English are the official languages of India. The government also recognizes 17 other languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Nepali, Manipuri, Konkani, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu). Apart from these languages, about 1,652 dialects are spoken in the country.^l
43. India’s pastoral communities are largely dependent on dairy and have made India the largest milk-producing country in the world.^l
44. India has the world’s third largest road network at 1.9 million miles. It also has the world’s second largest rail network, which is the world’s largest civilian employer with 16 million workers.^f
45. Rivers have played a vital role in India’s popular culture and folklore—they have been worshipped as goddesses because they bring water to an otherwise dry land. Bathing in the Ganges in particular is thought to take away a person’s sins. It is not unusual to spread a loved one’s ashes in the Ganges.^f
46. Raziya Sultana (1205-1240) was the first woman leader of India. She was considered a great leader, though she ruled for only three years before being murdered.^b
47. Most Indians rinse their hands, legs, and face before eating a meal. It is considered polite to eat with the right hand, and women eat after everyone is finished. Wasting food is considered a sin.ⁱ
48. During the Vedic era in India, horse sacrifice sanctioned the sovereignty of the king.^a
49. It is traditional to wear white, not black, to a funeral in India. Widows will often wear white in contrast to the colorful clothes of married or single women.^k
50. All of India is under a single time zone.^g
51. On India’s Independence Day, August 15, 1947, the country was split into India and Pakistan. The partition displaced 1.27 million people and resulted in the death of several hundred thousand to a million people.^g
52. In recent years, Indian authors have made a mark on the world with such novels as Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses (1988), Vikram Seth’s Suitable Boy (1993), and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997).ⁱ
53. India experiences six seasons: summer, autumn, winter, spring, summer monsoon, and winter monsoon.^m
54. India is the world’s largest tea producer, and tea (chai) is its most popular beverage.^f
55. The Taj Mahal (“crown palace”) was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666) for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631). This architectural beauty has been called “marbled embroidery” for its intricate workmanship. It took 22,000 workmen 22 years to complete it.^m
56. The first and greatest civilization in ancient India developed around the valley of the Indus River (now Pakistan) around 3000 B.C. Called the Indus Valley civilization, this early empire was larger than any other empire, including Egypt and Mesopotamia.^l
57. After the great Indus Civilization collapsed in 2000 B.C., groups of Indo-Europeans called Aryans (“noble ones”) traveled to northwest India and reigned during what is called the Vedic age. Aryans spoke and imported Sanskrit into India, which is the mother of all European languages. The mingling of ideas from the Aryan and Indus Valley religions formed the basis of Hinduism, and the gods Shiva, Kali, and Brahma all have their roots in Aryan civilization. The Aryans also recorded the Vedas, the first Hindu scriptures, and introduced a caste system based on ethnicity and occupation.^l
58. Alexander the Great invaded India partly because he wanted to solve the mystery of the “ocean,” which he had been told was a huge, continuous sea that flowed in a circle around the land. When he reached the Indian Ocean, he sacrificed some bulls to Poseidon for leading him to his goal.^m
59. Greek sculpture strongly influenced many portrayals of Indian gods and goddess, particularly after the conquest of Alexander the Great around 330B.C. In fact, early Indian gods had Greek features and only later did distinct Indian styles emerge.^m
60. Chandragupta Maurya (340-290 B.C.), a leader in India who established the Mauryan Empire (321-185 B.C.), was guarded by a band of women on horseback.^a
61. When the first independent prime minister of India, pacifist Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), was featured in Vogue, his distinctive close fitting, single-breasted jacket briefly became an important fashion statement for the Mod movement in the West. Named the Nehru jacket, the prime minister’s coat was popularized by the Beatles and worn by such famous people as Johnny Carson (1925-2005) and Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990).ⁿ

Fun and interesting facts about Japan

1. Raw horse meat is a popular food in Japan.

2. Sometimes the trains are so crowded railway staff are employed to cram passengers inside.

3. Japanese celebrate Christmas, but it is more like Valentine’s Day in the western world.

4. Poorly written English can be found everywhere, including T-shirts and other fashion items.

5. More than 70% of Japan consists of mountains, including more than 200 volcanoes.

6. Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, is an active volcano.

7. Many Japanese do not know the difference between Shintoism and Buddhism.

8. A nice musk melon, similar to a cantaloupe, may sell for over $300US.

9. There are four different writing systems in Japan, romaji, katakana, hiragana, and kanji.

10. Coffee is very popular and Japan imports approximately 85% of Jamaica’s annual coffee production.

11. Japan’s literacy rate is almost 100%.

12. Sumo is Japan’s national sport, although baseball is also very popular.

13. Sumo wrestlers eat a stew called Chankonabe to fatten up. Many restaurants in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo serve this nabe (Japanese word for stew).

14. Many toilets in Japan have a built-in bidet system for spraying your backside.

15. When you use the restroom in some one’s home, you should put on special bathroom slippers so as not to contaminate the rest of the home.

16. Noodles, especially soba (buckwheat), are slurped very loudly when eaten. It is often said slurping symbolizes the food is delicious, but the slurping also serves to cool down the hot noodles for eating.

17. Japan is the world’s largest consumer of Amazon rain forest timber.

18. Vending machines in Japan sell beer, hot and cold canned coffee, cigarettes, and other items.

19. When moving into an apartment it is often required to give the landlord a “gift” of money equal to two months’ rent.

20. There are around 1,500 earthquakes every year in Japan.

21. It is not uncommon to eat rice at every meal, including breakfast.

22. Average life expectancy in Japan is one of the highest in the world. Japanese people live an average of 4 years longer than Americans.

23. Japan is the largest automobile producer in the world.

24. The Japanese language has thousands of foreign loan words, known as gairaigo. These words are often truncated, e.g. personal computer = paso kon. The number of foreign loan words is steadily increasing.

25. Tsukiji market in Tokyo is the world’s largest fish market.

26. Although whaling is banned by the IWC, Japan still hunts whales under the premise of “research”.  The harvested whale meat ends up in restaurants and supermarkets.

27. Some men in Japan shave their heads to apologize.

28. Some women in Japan cut their hair after breaking up with a boyfriend.

29. Tokyo has had 24 recorded instances of people either killed or receiving serious skull fractures while bowing to each other with the traditional Japanese greeting.

30. The first novel, The Tale of Genji, was written in 1007 by a Japanese noble woman, Murasaki Shikibu.

31. The term karaoke means “empty orchestra” in Japanese.

32. In a Sumo training “stable” the junior rikishi Sumo wrestlers must wash and bathe their senior sumo wrestlers and make sure their hard to reach places are clean.

33. Contrary to popular belief, whale meat is not a delicacy in Japan. Many Japanese dislike the taste and older Japanese are reminded of the post-World War II period when whale meat was one of the few economical sources of protein.

34. In their effort to make things cute and cuddly rampant inbreeding of dogs has resulted in one of the highest rate of genetic defects in the world for canines.

35. Raised floors help indicate when to take off shoes or slippers. At the entrance to a home in Japan, the floor will usually be raised about 6 inches indicating you should take off your shoes and put on slippers. If the house has a tatami mat room its floor may be rasied 1-2 inches indicating you should to take off your slippers.

36. Ramen noodles are a popular food in Japan and it is widely believed extensive training is required to make a delicious soup broth. This is the subject of the movies Tampopo (1985) and The Ramen Girl (2008).

37. On average, it takes about 7-10 years of intensive training to become a fugu (blowfish) chef. This training may not be needed in the future as some fish farms in Japan are producing non-poisonous fugu.

38. Ovens are not very common in Japanese kitchens, but most households own a rice cooker.

39. Geisha means “person of the arts” and the first geisha were actually men.

40. It was customary in ancient Japan for women to blacken their teeth with dye as white teeth were considered ugly. This practice persisted until the late 1800′s.

41. In ancient Japan, small eyes, a round puffy face, and plump body were considered attractive features.

42. Some traditional Japanese companies conduct a morning exercise session for the workers to prepare them for the day’s work.

Fun and interesting facts about Korea

• South Korea is a country in the center of East Asia that stands below the 38^th parallel on the Korean peninsula.
• South Korea has a republic government, with authority and power shared between the President, the Legislature, and the Courts.
• South Korea showcases varied topography. It is mountainous towards the east, with harbors on the mainland and offshore islands towards the western and southern sides.
• The capital of South Korea is Seoul, which is the largest city in the country.
• The emigration rate of South Korea is one of the highest in the world, with most of the ethnic Koreans migrating to China, the United States, Japan, and countries of the former Soviet Union.
• South Korea has the world’s highest estimated national IQ, with leading rankings in mathematics, science, problem solving and reading, as declared by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development).
• South Korea has the most sophisticated IT infrastructure in the world and is world-renowned in information technology, with leading brand names like Samsung and LG.
• South Korea is the only country that boasts of DMB, WiBro and 100Mbit/s Broadband.
• South Korea is one of the 5 most popular automobile makers in the world, leaded by brands like Hyundai and Kia.
• South Korea also earns credit for being the largest shipbuilder in the world.
• POSCO, the third largest steel producer in the world, is based in South Korea.
• South Korea is the foremost construction contractor in the world, having built some of the world’s most prominent buildings, like the Burj Dubai and Taipei 101.
• Snuppy, the world’s first cloned dog (Afghan Hound), was created at Seoul National University (SNU) in South Korea.
• The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in South Korea developed the world’s second walking humanoid robot, HUBO.
• EveR-1 is the world’s second female android (robot created to resemble humans) developed by scientists from South Korea.

Interesting and fun facts about Thailand

1. According to the World Meteorological Organization, Bangkok is apparently the hottest capital city in the world.
2. In Thailand it is deemed impolite to ask someone their age or salary.
3. Boxing is the national sport of Thailand.
4. Thai cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines in the world.
5. Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country to have never been dominated by a Western power and hence retains most of its original culture.
6. Although prostitution is illegal in Thailand, it is touted as the world’s biggest sex-tourism hub.
7. Thailand was known as Siam till 1939.
8. It is called the “Land Of Smiles,” because of its ever smiling, inviting, soft spoken, friendly, and hospitable inhabitants.
9. In ‘Thai’, the name Thailand signifies “land of freedom” or the “land of the free”.
10. Buddhism is the predominant religion of the country. However, it has a minor populace of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and Jews, as well.
11. Thailand is popularly known as the “Land of the White Elephant.” It is said that white elephants were highly revered by Thai Rulers and till date are widely honored as symbols of peace and prosperity.
12. In Thai tradition, the tradition of touching the head is severely looked down upon. The Thais believe that the soul resides in the head, which makes it an extremely sacred place that should not be touched.
13. Thailand is the 49th largest country in the world with its total land area as big as that of France. It is bigger than the combined areas of United Kingdom, Iceland, Belgium and Austria.
14. Thailand a high number of Guinness World Records, including that for the man with the longest hair, the biggest hamburger, largest ever aerobic workout, and also for the most linked skydivers.
15. Every Thai male has to take up monkhood at some point in his life even if only for a short period, and at almost any age between completion of school and the beginning of a career or married life.
16. In Thailand, both the Father’s Day and the Mother’s Day are celebrated to commemorate the birthdays of Their Majesties the King and Queen.