Neacsu Lorena- 9C

Traditional Japanese attractions, an escape from reality.

In general, most of the people choose tropical or Mediterranean places when
going on a holiday, such as Maldive or Greece. Many of them, however, don’t know
about some less popular places among the Globe, especially from Asia. Today I will
tell you about some interesting places that you can visit in Japan that have an
interesting history as well.
Japan has always been a country full of tradition, and that goes up to the
present. Japanese architecture was originally heavily influenced by Chinese
architecture and later developed many unique aspects indigenous to Japan. Examples
of traditional architecture are seen at temples and castles in Kyoto and Nara. As for
natural attractions, you can find them everywhere. From the sakura trees along the
streets, to natural gardens and huge parks.
To me, some of the best things in Japan are temples. The most dominating
religions in japan are Buddhism and Shintoism. Shinto temples are the most popular
ones, because here you can find a lot of special spirits, named ‘Kami’ (In Japanese,
‘kami’ means ‘god’). As for the architecture, those temples are built in the traditional
way. However, you can find a lot of religious paintings, representing their gods and
historical scenes. The local people usually go to pray in these places, especially when
a celebration occurs.

are organised, where people go dressed in Yukata or Kimono (Yukata and

Kimono are two different types of traditional clothing in japan). There you can play
fun games, meet people, eat traditional food and watch the fireworks at midnight.
About food, you can find a lot of appetizing dishes and so much more. A traditional
New Year food osechi-ryori consists of various colourful preserved foods stored in a
container known as "Jubako”. Literally meaning “mirror rice cake”, Kagami mochi is a
special rice cake consisting of two mochi – the smaller on top of the bigger one. It is a
food dedicated to gods during the New Year. The two mochi symbolize the going and
coming years, or “yin” and “yang”. These festivals have, in my opinion, everything
you’d wish for the New Years Eve.
For me, a perfect holiday would be in Japan, because there you can find
unimaginable places that carry a lot of untold secrets, that you can discover only by
going there. What do you think? Maybe a different landscape will change us a little.