Sushi, geishas, karate!

壽司、藝妓、空手道！

Temples, ramen, anime!

寺廟、拉麵、動漫！

Sumos, weird stuff, weird cosplay, poison fish,

相撲、奇怪的東西、Cosplay 、有毒的魚

and I'm not even gonna ask about that...

而我不想去多問那個

De wa, ikimashou! では, 行きましょう!

好了嗎？開始吧！

It's time to learn Geography

該去學地理了

NOW!

就是現在！

Hey everybody, I'm your host Barbs. We have reached the Land of the Rising Sun,

大家好，我是你們的主持 Barbs，我們到了日不落國

Asia's island powerhouse and home to a culture that I'm sure you've heard of. Let's just jump into it.

亞洲的島嶼強國，我確定你們一定聽過它的文化。讓我們直接切入主題

Ah, Japan, you have such a story behind you.

日本，你有這麼多背景

First of all, Japan is located right off the east coast of the Asian continent

首先，日本正坐落在亞洲大陸的東岸

between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan,

就在太平洋與日本海中間

stretching all the way from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north with the East China Sea to the south.

從北部的鄂霍次克海一直延伸到東海，向南延伸

The country is divided into 47 prefectures, each with incredibly beautiful minimalistic style flags.

這個國家分為 47 一級行政區，每個都有極其美麗抽象的旗幟

The prefectures are divided into four different categories: "ken", "to", "fu", and "do".

這些一級行政區又被分為四個領域：縣、府、道、都

The first level, "ken"

第一層級「縣」

(heh heh, "Ken")

(哈哈，「肯」)

refers to the 43 plain prefectures. Then you have "to",

指向 43 個平原上的行政區。接著你有「府」

which means something like "metropolis", and this category only applies to Tokyo City.

意旨都會區，而這個分類只適用於東京市

"Fu" refers to the urban prefectures, which applies only to the cities of Osaka and Kyoto.

「道」指都市的行政區，這只適用於大阪市與京都

And finally, "do", which is a unique category translating to something like "circuit"

最後，「都」是個獨特的領域，它可以被翻譯成像是「巡迴」

and that applies to all of Hokkaido in the north.

而它適用於北方整個北海道

Speaking of which, Tokyo, Japan's capital, is the largest city in the world,

說到東京，日本的首都，它是全世界最大的城市

with its greater metropolitan area including Kanto containing about 37 million people.

它廣大的都會區含括關東地區，總共有三千七百萬人

That's more than the entire population of Canada.

這比整個加拿大還多人

However, Tokyo is kinda like 23 smaller cities all smashed into one, divided into units called wards.

但是，東京其實是 23 個較小的城市擠成一個，分成不同單位叫做「區」

And the closest thing to a capital one would probably be Chiyoda,

而最像首都的區域大概就是千代田区

where the Emperor, Prime Minister, and Supreme Court are located.

天皇、首相和最高裁判所都在那裡

After the Greater Toyko Kanto region, you have the next largest cities Osaka and Nagoya coming in at third.

在大關東地區之後，大阪是第二大城市而名古屋則是排在第三位

Keep in mind, about 90% of people in Japan live in cities, and the vast majority on Honshu and Kyushu

記得，百分之九十的日本人口住在城市哩，而大部分則住在本州和九州

The busiest airports, of course, being Tokyo's two twins:

想當然，最忙碌的機場則是東京的兩個姊妹市：

Haneda, which is actually in Tokyo,

羽田機場，它實際上在東京市裡

and Narita International, which is like an hour and a half drive away outside of Tokyo.

還有成田機場，它屬於一到一個半小時車程的東京郊外

Then you have Osaka's Kansai International

接著，你有大阪關西國際機場

Heh heh, "KIX".

哈哈，「KIX」（一個麥片品牌）

and Fukoka International on Kyushu.

還有九州島上的福岡機場

Heh heh, fu-

哈哈，乾–

Gotta keep it clean, Keith!

嘴巴得放乾淨，Keith！

Speaking of which, Japan is made up of about 6,850 islands,

說到這，日本是由 6, 850 個島嶼組成

but about 97% of the land is made up of four main islands:

但是，有百分之九十七的路地是由四個主要島嶼組成：

Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido.

本州，九州，四國和北海道

South of the main four, you have the Ryukyu Islands chain

這四個島嶼南方有琉球群島

which extends just south of Kyushu, partially making up Okinawa Prefecture.

它從九州島往南延伸，部分屬於沖繩縣

You've probably heard of Okinawa – it's where Uma Thurman got that sword that she used to kill Lucy Liu.

你大概聽過沖繩–就是烏瑪舒曼在那找到用來殺掉劉玉玲的劍

It's also where these two isla- *ahem* never mind...

這也是這兩座島嶼 (咳嗽) 當我沒說

Nonetheless, Japan can still kind of be separated into ten historical main regions,

儘管如此，日本依然能被分為十個主要歷史分布

six of which divided amongst Honshu.

其中六個分在本州

Then you have the interesting less-highlighted Kuril Islands dispute with Russia in the north.

然後，你在北方與俄羅斯之間有有趣但較不那麼引人注目的千島群島

Basically, Russia administers all of them but Japan claims these two islands closest to Hokkaido:

基本上，俄羅斯管理這些群島，但日本聲稱這兩個島嶼最接近北海道：

Iturup (or Etoro-futo) and Kunashir (or Kunashiri),

Iturup (或 Etoro-futo) 和 Kunashir (或 Kunashiri),

which is only less than ten miles away from Hokkaido.

它們距離北海道不到十哩

On a clear day, you can even see it from the coast, but it's like, "Nope! Russia."

在晴朗的日子，你甚至可以從海岸上看到它們，但是，這就像「不，謝了，那是俄羅斯」

They even have a statue of Lenin.

它們甚至有列寧的雕像

The Russians and Japanese have kind of had a long dispute over this area –

俄羅斯人和日本人在這方面有過長期爭執

at one point Japan even tried to take over all of Sakhalin in the 1800's.

在 1800 年時，日本甚至想接收整個庫頁島

Then you have the Dokdo/Takeshima island dispute between them and South Korea.

然後你和他們和韓國之間有竹島和里昂科礁島的爭執

To this day South Korea has a patrol building built on the island and they fiercely guard it.

直到今天，韓國還在島上建了一座巡邏用的建築，他們積極地看守它

And finally, you have Okinotori-shima,

最後，你有沖之鳥島

which is probably the loneliest place in Japan as a shallow reef in the middle of the ocean.

這可能是日本最孤獨的地方，它是海洋中的一個淺礁

It looks like it's trying so hard to become an island, complete with three helipads and a research station.

它很努力成為一個島，它有三個直升機停機坪和一個研究站。

There's no diplomatic dispute, but rather a dispute within the UN on whether or not it qualifies as "land"

它沒有外交爭議，但是聯合國內部爭論過它是否有資格

for an exclusive economic zone in the ocean.

成為海洋專屬經濟區的「土地」

Whew, okay, all right, that kind of took forever.

哇，好吧，好吧，這種情況會耗一段時間

Getting around in Japan is incredibly easy,

在日本旅遊相當簡單

often touted as having the best public transportation system in the world.

他們經常被吹捧為擁有世界上最好的公共交通系統

They have highways and trains everywhere, even one that cuts through an office building,

他們到處都有高速公路和火車，甚至還有穿過辦公樓的高速公路和火車

as well as the Shinkansen bullet train system that can get you to virtually every corner of Honshu and Kyushu

新幹線子彈列車可以帶你到本州和九州幾乎每個角落

as well as the bottom tip of Hokkaido.

以及北海道的南端

But not Shikoku! If you want to go Shikoku,

但不是四國！如果你想去四國

you have to take this slower, local Seto-Ohashi Line across the Seto Bridge.

你必須搭這條較慢的當地瀨戶大橋線穿過瀨戶大橋

Yeah, Shikoku is kind of like the runt of the litter in Japan.

四國有點像日本的小鬼

Basically, Japan is like one big massive machine constantly running and moving,

基本上，日本就像一台不斷運轉的大型機器

with flashing neon lights, vending machines, and robots, and everything,

它有閃爍的霓虹燈、自動售貨機和機器人還有所有的事物

EVERYTHING, even the garbage cans have cartoons, cartoons everywhere!

我是說「所有的事」，甚至垃圾桶都有卡通，他們到處都是卡通！

Anyway! Some notable places of interest might include:

總之！一些值得注意的景點可能包括：

Tokyo Skytree, the second tallest building in the world,

東京晴空塔，世界第二高的建築

Miyajima Pagoda,

宮島寶塔

Matsumoto, Himeji, and Osaka Castles,

松本、姬路城和大阪城堡

the Fushimi Inari Shrine, the Great Buddha Hall,

伏見稻荷神社、大佛殿

Nakagin Capsule Tower, the vine bridges of Iya Valley,

銀膠囊大樓、祖谷溪谷藤蔓橋

the Ramen Museum,

拉麵博物館

so many weird-themed restaurants and hot springs,

很多特色主題餐廳和溫泉

the self-mummified monks of sokushinbutsu,

已成為木乃伊的即身佛

That hotel run by robots

由機器人經營的酒店

the Ninja Museum in Iga, Kan-mangafuji Lava Buddhas,

伊賀的忍者博物館、Kan-mangafuji 的容顏佛像

the restricted-access Ise Grand Shrine, the most significant of all Shinto shrines,

神道教中最重要且禁止進入的伊勢神社

the Shirakawa-go Traditional Village armed with water cannons to protect itself from fires,

白川鄉的合掌村配備水砲免受火災

abandoned theme parks like Greenland and Nara Dreamland,

廢棄的主題樂園像是格林主題樂園和奈良夢幻遊樂園

Kochia Hill with red cypress,

常陸海濱公園的紅柏

and the national treasure, Itsu-Kushima Shrine, featured on numerous pieces of art, films, and even banknotes.

和國寶嚴島神社的鳥居，在許多藝術品，電影，甚至紙幣上最為出名

Now despite the bustling metropolis regions and skyscrapers,

儘管有著繁華的大都市區和摩天大樓

Japan does an incredible job at maintaining its natural integrity. Find out how in...

日本在保持其自然環境完整方面做得非常出色。讓我們找出為何…

Now Japan's land is kind of like a gingerbread house:

日本的土地有點像是薑餅屋：

beautiful on the outside, but potentially dangerous on the inside.

外面很漂亮，但是裡面藏著潛在的危險

First of all, Japan is a straddle volcanic archipelago located on the most precariously-situated section where

第一點，日本跨越火山的群島，位於最不穩定的地方

four major tectonic plates converge: the Pacific, the Philippine, the Eurasian, and the North American Plates.

四個主要板塊匯合組成：太平洋，菲律賓，歐亞和北美板塊

Of course, this means that not only is Japan subject to earthquakes but also tsunamis

當然，這表示了日本屬於地震還有海嘯的影響範圍內

(which by the way is a Japanese word – “津波”)

（順帶一提，就是日文「津波」的意思）

caused from sub oceanic activities, such as the one recently in Fukushima

它們由海洋活動造成的，例如最近在福島縣的海洋活動

caused by the epicenter in the Japan Trench off the Pacific.

它是由太平洋日本海溝的震中引起的

This also means that Japan is a volcanic area, with numerous volcanoes still active

這也意味著日本是一個火山區，許多火山仍然活躍

like Aogashima, a volcano within a volcano, and Mt. Aso, the largest volcanic caldera.

像是青島是火山內的火山，而阿蘇山是最大的火山口

This, in return, also blesses Japan with countless natural hot springs

作為回饋，它也為日本帶來無數的天然溫泉

which they like to exploit and build bathhouses on called “onsen”, typically indicated with this symbol.

他們喜歡並利用所謂的「溫泉」來開發和建造浴室，通常用這個符號表示

All this plate activity and volcanoes means that about 70% of Japan is mountainous,

所有這些板塊活動和火山意味著大約百分之七十的日本是山區

with the highest peak Mt. Fuji overlooking Tokyo,

而最高的山頂，富士山俯瞰著東京

which by the way is still technically an active volcano which erupted about 300 years ago.

順便說一句，從技術上來說，這是一座大約 300 年前爆發過的活火山

The rift between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate creates the Japanese Alps

菲律賓板塊和歐亞板塊之間的裂縫創造了日本山脈

which bisects the country on Honshu. This isolated geologic warzone in return, though,

在本州將該國一分為二。然而，這個被孤立的地質戰區

kinda blesses Japan with an abundance of unique flora and fauna.

讓日本擁有豐富的獨特動植物

Today, about 70% of Japan is forested, with nice natural water sources

今天，百分之七十的日本是擁有天然水資源的森林

like the longest river, the Shinano, and the largest lake, Lake Biwa on Honshu.

就像最長的河流：信濃和最大的湖泊，本州的琵琶湖

Endemic animals can be found, like

很多地方性的動物出現在這裡，像是

Japanese hornets, macaque monkeys, tanukis,

日本大黃蜂、獼猴、日本狸

giant salamanders, Bob-tail cats, serow,

巨型蠑螈、短尾貓、蘇門羚

red fox, red crown crane,

紅狐狸、紅頂鶴

the national dog the shiba inu, the national bird the green pheasant, and the national fish koi.

國家狗柴犬、國鳥，綠雉，和國家魚，錦鯉

Speaking of animals, Japan has quite a few feral animal islands and towns,

說到動物，日本有很多野生動物島嶼和城鎮

such as Tashirojima the cat island, Okunoshima the rabbit island,

像是宮城縣貓島、竹原市兔子島

the town of Miyajima for deer, Miyagi Zao for foxes,

宮島上的鹿、藏王町的狐狸

and of course Jigoku-dani where you can see those monkeys in hot springs.

還有必去的長野雪侯

With limited space and only about 20% (highly subsidized) arable land,

由於空間有限，只有約百分之二十（高補貼）的耕地

Japan has kinda had to think outside the box, so they said, “Hey! Why not go to the sea?”

日本必需以新的眼光思考，所以他們說「嘿！為什麼不往海邊發展？」

Today, Japan is disputably the most advanced aquaculture society on the planet.

今天，日本是世界上最先進的水產養殖協會

Not only do they have the largest merchant marine fleet in the world,

他們不僅擁有世界上最大的商船隊

but they also harvest everything from shellfish to seaweed in offshore ocean plots and fish farms.

但他們也從近海和養魚場收穫貝類到海藻的所有東西

They love fish – they even have the largest fish market in the world, Tsukiji.

他們喜歡魚 - 他們甚至擁有世界上最大的魚市，築地市場

Speaking of which, we all know about Japanese food –

說到這一點，我們都知道日本料理

I feel like I don't really have to give you a list of notable dishes like sushi, mochi, or ramen.

我覺得我真的不必給你名單，像是壽司，麻糬或拉麵等著名菜餚

However, Japan is known for making strange flavors of conventional snacks, drinks, and desserts, such as:

然而，日本以製作奇特口味的傳統小吃、飲料和甜點而聞名，例如：

yogurt Pepsi, spaghetti popsicles,

優格口味的百事可樂、義大利麵口味的冰棒

horse and octopus ice cream,

馬和章魚口味的冰淇淋

pancake juice, wasp crackers,

鬆餅果汁、大黃蜂餅乾

and Kit-Kat has tried pretty much anything under the sun.

而且 Kit-Kat 試過許多世界上的口味

Itadakimasu! いただきます! (Let's eat!)

開動吧！

Speaking of which, Japan is the third-largest world economy by nominal GDP,

說到這一點，按 GDP 計算，日本是世界第三大經濟體

mostly due to their various technology and automotive industries

主要是由於他們的各種技術和汽車行業

that have swept over the world by storm since the middle of the 20th Century.

自20世紀中葉以來席捲全球

The largest automotive companies include Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Suzuki, and Subaru.

最大的汽車公司包括豐田、三菱、本田、本田、馬自達，、鈴木和速霸陸

As well as tech companies and their subsidiaries like

以及科技公司及其子公司像是

Hitachi, Sony, Epson, Canon, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Panasonic, Nikon, and Nintendo.

日立、索尼、愛普生、佳能、東芝、富士通、松下、尼康和任天堂

This does, however, cause a problem: Japan is classified as a high-throwaway society

然而，這確實引起了一個問題：日本被歸類為過度消費的社會

in which lots of resources get unnecessarily used and tossed.

其中大量資源被不必要地使用和拋出

Like, c'mon Japan! I know you have aesthetic standards

就像，拜託日本！我知道你相當有審美標準

but seriously, I don't need one apple in vacuum-sealed plastic wrap!

但是，我不需要一個蘋果包著真空密封保鮮膜！

Nonetheless, Japan is often seen as one of, if not the, world leader in robotics and tech science,

儘管如此，日本經常被視為機器人和科技科學的世界領導者之一

receiving more Nobel Prizes in science than any other Asian country. And it's kind of impressive –

在科學方面獲得的諾貝爾獎金額超過任何其他亞洲國家。而這令人刮目相看

I mean, with a high population and limited space, Japanese people know how to consolidate and innovate.

我的意思是說，在有限的地方住著過多的人口，日本人知道如何保護傳統兼顧創新

Speaking of Japanese people…

說到日本人

Now, Japanese people are like, you never know what they're gonna come up with next.

現在，日本人就像，你永遠不知道接下來他們會想出什麼

You know it's probably going to be a little weird, but you're still gonna be a little interested in it.

你知道它可能會有點奇怪，但你仍然會對它有點興趣

First of all, the country has about 127 million people and is the 10th most populous country in the world

首先，該國擁有約 1.27 億人口，是世界上人口第 10 多的國家

(however, Mexico is getting really close to beating them).

（但是，墨西哥真的快要超過他們了）

The country is incredibly homogenous, with over 98% of the populace identifying as ethnically Japanese

超過 98％ 的民眾認為是種族日本人

while the remainder is mostly made up of Koreans, Chinese, and very small Caucasian minorities

其餘部分主要由韓國人，中國人和非常小的美國及歐洲白人少數組成

of Americans and Europeans, and the indigenous Ryukyu and Ainu peoples.

還有土著琉球和阿伊努人

They use the Japanese yen as their currency,

他們用日元作為貨幣

they surprisingly use the Type A American-style plug outlet,

他們出人意料地使用了 A 型美式插頭

and they drive on the left side of the road.

他們開車在路的左側

As mentioned like eight seconds ago, Japan has two main indigenous ethnic groups,

正如 8 秒前提到的那樣，日本有兩個主要民族

each with their own languages. You have the Ainu,

每個人都有自己的語言。你有阿伊努人

which predominantly inhabit Hokkaido and some of the Kuril Islands administered by Russia,

他們主要居住在北海道和俄羅斯管理的一些千島群島

known for their rustic, scruffy features, where men grew beards and women used to tattoo their lips and arms.

他們以其質樸不整齊的特徵而聞名，男人們留鬍鬚，而女人常常用嘴唇和手臂紋身

Today there are less than 30,000 left, but some estimate that there could be up to 200,000 if you include

今天剩下不到 30,000，但有些估計可能會有多達 200,000

the other Ainu that have assimilated into the rest of Japan and are kind of faintly aware of their own culture.

其他阿伊努人已經融入了日本其他地區，對他們自己的文化已不熟悉

Otherwise, you have the Ryukyu people or the “Okinawans”,

否則，你有琉球人或「沖繩人」

which are kind of like the “Hawaiians” of Japan, known for their own distinct art and traditions and beliefs.

他們有點像日本的「夏威夷人」，以自己的特色藝術、傳統和信仰出名

Now, everybody in the world has had at least a little bit of exposure to some kind of Japanese culture,

現在，世界上每個人至少都接觸過日本文化

whether it be samurais, geishas, sumos, kabuki, shamisen music, kimonos,

無論是武士、藝妓、相撲、歌舞伎、三味線音樂、和服

and excessively weird products and advertisements

和過於奇怪的產品和廣告

aimed at using nonconformity as a hook to engage viewers.

旨在以不一致性吸引觀眾

But apart from all that flashy Japan stuff, let's look at the basics first.

但除了那些虛華的日本東西之外，我們先來看看基礎知識

Japan (no surprise) speaks Japanese which is actually not that hard to learn conversationally,

日本（一點也不驚訝）說日語，事實上要學會話並不困難

but it's a nightmare when it comes to writing.

但是，當你要學會寫它時卻是個噩夢

The Japanese language uses three alphabets: hiragana, katakana, and kanji

日文使用了三個系統：平假名、片假名和漢字

(technically four if you include romaji, but that's kinda like for lazy people).

（嚴格來說如果你包括羅馬字的話是四個，但，這是給懶人用的）

The first two, hiragana and katakana, are syllabaries made up of 46 corresponding base characters each.

前兩個平假名和片假名，是由 46 個基礎音節組成的

That means you have two ways to write each syllable.

這表示每個音節你有兩種方式去寫

Whereas kanji is basically the list of Chinese characters that they borrowed from China.

然而，漢字基本上就是一堆從中國借來的中文字元

Most students have to learn about 2000-3000 of these.

大部分的學生學了大概兩千到三千這種字

That means that Chinese people can kind of get by in Japan just by reading the signs

這表示，學中文的人可以從讀這些字上去了解日文

as most of the characters have identical meanings, just different pronunciations.

因為大部分的字都有著相同的意思，只是有著不同的發音方式

It's kind of hard to explain, but the reason why they use three alphabets is because

這有點難解釋，但他們使用三個字母的原因是

each one kind of plays a role for certain words and contexts.

因為每一種都對某些詞語和語境有獨特用途

They don't use spaces in writing so each alphabet kind of acts as like word dividers,

他們不會在書寫中使用空格，因此每個字母表的行為都像分詞

and katakana is used for technical and foreign words.

片假名用於技術和外國詞彙

Well, why don't they just fix the problem by using spaces and discard the other two alphabets?

那麼，他們為什麼不通過使用空格來解決問題並丟棄其他兩個字母呢？

Shut up, that's why!

閉嘴，這就是為什麼！

If you didn't grow up here and actually learn this stuff, you're either obsessed with Japan or criminally insane.

如果你沒有在這長大並實際學習這些東西，你要麼沉迷於日本，要麼就是瘋了

Sorry, I'm boring the crap out of you guys with language stuff – anyway!

抱歉，我用這些艱深的語言嚇壞你們了，總之！

Let's talk about history. Now I'm sure many of you have seen that video by Bill Wurtz

我們來討論歷史。現在，我敢肯定你們很多人都看過 Bill Wurtz 的影片了