James Baquet

    Keesha, from America, is chatting with her Japanese classmate Akemi in the common room of their dorm.

    Akemi: Hi, Keesha. Any plans for the holidays?

    Keesha: Actually, I'm visiting Japan!

    Akemi: Oh! I miss it so much! What will you do there?

    Keesha: Well, first, I want to see some things in Tokyo connected to anime and manga.

    Akemi: Oh, you mean like the kids doing cosplay at Yoyogi Park?

    Keesha: Yes! I also want to shop for some manga there in Harajuku, then see the Tokyo Anime Center in Akihabara.

    Akemi: That will be easy; both of those places are on the Yamanote Line.

    Keesha: Right. Then I want to take the bullet train to Osaka.

    Akemi: Oh, I love the Shinkansen! Watch for the views of Mount Fuji to the right.

    Keesha: Thanks for the tip.

    Akemi: What are you planning to do in Osaka?

    Keesha: Actually, I'll just stay there and take side-trips. Besides manga and anime, I like the old culture of Japan, too.

    Akemi: So you're going to Kyoto?

    Keesha: Sure! And Nara and Asuka, too.

    Akemi: Ah, Japan's ancient capitals. There's lots to see there.

    Keesha: I'm sure. But I also want to find an onsen to relax in, and stay in a traditional ryokan. It sounds so Japanese.

    Akemi: Ohh, I'm jealous! Have fun!

    Keesha: Thanks.

    Notes on the dialogue:

    — Anime: Japanese animated films and cartoons.

    — Manga: Japanese comic books.

    — Tokyo: Japan's capital, and the center of the world's largest metropolitan area with around 35 million people by some counts.

    — Cosplay: "Costume play," dressing up as a favorite anime or manga character.

    — Yoyogi Park: One of Tokyo's most popular parks for young people, and site of the main Olympic athletes' village for the 1964 Summer Olympics.

    — Harajuku: Adjacent to Yoyogi Park, Tokyo's most popular district for young people to hang out and shop.

    — Akihabara: Tokyo's electronics district.

    — The Yamanote Line: A "loop line" that runs in a circle in central Tokyo; most other lines in the city connect to it.

    — Bullet train: Called in Japanese "Shinkansen," one of several high-speed railway lines. The one Keesha mentions is the Tokaido Shinkansen. Built in 1964, it carries 4.9 billion passengers a year. The 515 kilometers from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka takes about two hours and 25 minutes.

    — Osaka: Part of Japan's second-largest populated area.

    — Mount Fuji: At 3,776.24 meters, the highest mountain in Japan, and a national symbol.

    — Japan's ancient capitals: Asuka, 538-710; Nara, 710- 784; and Kyoto, 794-1869.

    — An onsen: A hot spring.

    — A ryokan: A traditional Japanese inn.