<明治維新ついて> After Commodore Perry came to Japan, Japan opened its door to the world after 220 years of national isolation. And Japan realized the need to establish a modern state to cope with powerful Western countries. The last shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu stepped down in 1867, and Emperor Meiji came to the throne. Thus, the Meiji Restoration took place in 1868, which included a series of drastic political, economic and cultural changes. The new government promoted industrialization and modernization, through abolishing the feudal system and introducing Western culture and political systems. The Meiji Restoration also brought about internationalization of Japan and foreign tourists began to visit Japan.
<解説> ペリー来航(1853)→開国(日米和親条約)(1854)→大政奉還(1867)→明治維新(1868)→日本の近代化、工業化、国際化(鹿鳴館外交)→富国強兵→日清戦争(1894〜95)→日露戦争(1904〜05)の流れは重要。 最後の “foreign tourists began to visit Japan.”は、取って付けた感は否めないが、ペリーの砲艦外交が、日本のインバウンド観光(inbound tourism)の先駆けとなった事実は重要。
Kyoto is located in a valley part of the Yamashiro Basin in the eastern part of themountainous region known as the Tamba highlands. The Yamashiro Basin is surrounded on three sides by mountains known as Higashiyama, Kitayama and Nishiyama, with a height just above 1,000 meters above sea level. There are three rivers in the basin, the Ujigawa to the south, the Katsuragawa to the west, and the Kamogawa to the east. Kyoto has a humid subtropical climate, featuring a marked seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation. Summers are hot and humid, though contrarily, winters are relatively cold with occasional snowfall. Kyoto's rain season begins around the middle of June and lasts until the end of July, yielding to a hot and sunny latter half of the summer. Kyoto, along with most of the Pacific coast and central areas of Japan, is prone to typhoons during September and October. Since Kyoto was the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years until 1868, it is richin cultural assets, including 2 Imperial villas, 200 Shinto shrines, 1,500 Buddhist temples and over 60 beautiful gardens. Many foreign tourists visit the city every year.
【5】質疑応答の内容 外国人試験官=(A)、日本人試験官=(B)としてください。
(A)Tell me some famous sightseeing spots in Kyoto.
(私)They are Nijo castle, Heian Shrine, Yasaka shrine, Kinkaku-ji temple and Kiyomizu-dera temple.