Wikipedia Trails: From Tanuki to UNESCO

1. Tanuki. I had never heard of this animal-- it's known as the Japanese raccoon dog and is well known in Japanese folklore. Like the fox, it is known to be mischievous but also absentminded at times. When the word is translated, people often say "badger" or "raccoon". However, that is incorrect. While it does look like those animals, it is not related.

Tanuki. Source.

2. Okinawa. Okinawa is the southernmost prefecture in Japan. Seventy-five percent of US installation are located there. There are a few languages that are foreign to the Japanese civilians there.

3. Ryukyuan Language. These languages are considered to be part of Japanese dialect, but they are not intelligible with Japanese. These languages are considered to be endangered. There is large diversity between these languages.

4. UNESCO. UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Its mission is to promote international collaboration in order to bring peace. They also address social and ethical issues. It has 195 member states.