Q6:YU(SENTO)

YU means a SENTO, which is a Japanese public bath. SENTO has become common in the Edo period(1603-1867) and even now there are thousands of SENTO in Japan.

In Japan, almost all people take a bath every day. Because Japan is a humid country, it make them sweaty, so they have to take a bath or shower for their health maintenance. Most of them have a bathtub and a shower in their house, but they love public baths also. One reason is that they can use very big bathtub, 20 to 30 people can use it together , there. And another reason is that public baths are a kind of gathering place, where they can talk with their neighbors casually and comfortably because they are all naked.

A link to a Japanese site(in English):"About 'Sento' - Tokyo Sento Association"

The charge is around 400 yen, and you can also take a sauna and a cold bath there. A cold bath is not tepid water but truly cold water. People use a cold bath after taking a sauna, because it improves the circulation of the blood and makes them healthy. After a bath, you can buy some drinks, a Cafe au lait is very popular, and can watch TV and read a newspaper or some magazines. That's a very comfortable time.

There are also other kinds of public baths such as "Super SENTO" and "KENKO Land". A Super SENTO is a more big and luxury public bath. You can soak in a outdoor hot tub or a hot spring(ONSEN), and can eat foods in a restaurant and get a massage service. A KENKO Land, KENKO means health, is a kind of spa, where you can swim in a pool and work out at a gym.

These kinds of public baths are more and more popular lately, and there are some theme parks featuring baths like Hakone Yunessun, where you can take a wine bath and a coffee bath and so on. Thus, taking a bath is not only a custom for health but also a kind of amusement for the Japanese people.








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Q4:MANGA-KISSA

MANGA-KISSA(manga cafe) is a combination of two Japanese words MANGA, a Japanese comic book, and KISSA, a cafe. And it means a place where you can read many comics and can drink a coffee and some soft-drinks.

There are more than a thousand manga cafes in Japan. Of course, all big cities have many ones and almost all local cities also have some ones.

Link to a Japanese site:"Net Cafe Navigation"

Average Japanese people read more than a thousand comics in their lifetimes. But most of them can't store so many books since they live in a small house, or an apartment. So they have to sell or throw away old books. That's why there are so many manga cafes in Japan. They can read thousands of comics there without buying and storing.

Many cafes serve a lunch or snacks such as rice balls and spaghetti. And some of them even have shower rooms and massage rooms. Therefore, some people use these cafes as a cheap hotel. They stay there all night not for reading books but for having a sleep.

The charge varies according to the length of time. Generally, you can stay there for about 350 yen to 500 yen per hour. And you can drink coffees, teas and soft-drinks for free.

Most of them also have internet-connected PCs, various magazines and DVDs. These DVDs are not for rental. You can watch them there because they also have DVD players.

Thus, manga cafes are very convenient and comfortable place. But some people, especially parents, say these cafes have a bad influence on kids. The same phrase was used when the Karaoke Box first appeared. But now, karaoke boxs are one of the most popular amusements and it's considered as a Japanese culture. I hope manga cafes will be developed in the right way and make a culture since I think MANGA is a brilliant Japanese art.




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Q2:TODAI

TODAI stands for Tokyo Daigaku(University of Tokyo), which is the most famous university in Japan.

There are more than 700 Daigaku, which includes Universities and colleges, in Japan. Every prefecture has some national or public universities and almost all prefectures have some private universities or colleges. Especially, Tokyo has more than a hundred of Daigaku, including many famous and historic universities.

There are 4 very famous and historic universities in Japan, such as

University of Tokyo : a national university in Tokyo
Kyoto University : a national university in Kyoto
Waseda University : a private university in Tokyo
Keio University : a private university in Tokyo


University of Tokyo is well known by its difficult entrance examination which requires a exceptional intelligence and a great deal of effort. Those people who want to enter the university make a major effort to work harder than others, and almost all of them go to a cram school(JUKU), some of them attend several cram schools, or take correspondence courses.And the university is well known by its great graduates, including several Nobel Prize winners like Yasunari Kawabata and many previous prime ministers such as Eisaku Sato and Shigeru Yoshida.

Kyoto University is well known by its extremely high level of researches in biology, and it has produced 7 Nobel Prize winners such as Hideki Yukawa and Ryoji Noyori.

Waseda University has been producing many famous writers and athletes, including several gold medalists like Shizuka Arakawa.

Keio University is well known by its researches of the Internet. Professor Murai had built the Japanese base of the Internet. And the Keio University and the Waseda University are known as traditional rivals. They have been competing with each other in many areas, especially sports.


Japanese university(or college) entrance ratio is about 40%, and it has been rising lately. And the ratio will rise more and more because the population of Japan has been decreasing in recent years. Therefore, university students and graduates are not so uncommon nowadays.




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