Weights & Measures in Japan

Like every nation on Earth except Liberia, Myanmar and the United States, Japan relies on the metric system for most of its weights and measures. While you may be used to the antiquated and difficult British Imperial system used in the U.S., the fact is that anyone who can add, subtract, multiply and divide by tens will have a very easy time with weight conversion the "metric way." Weight conversion charts that can fit into your purse or wallet are easy to get and fairly inexpensive; alternatively, you may prefer a weight conversion calculator, which can be purchased from many sources for around $50 or so. In any case, anyone who is considering a journey to Japan will do well to have access to weight conversion table in order to facilitate metric weight conversion tasks. A Short History of Weights and Measures If you find the old style system of pounds and ounces confusing, the one thing you can say about it is that such weight conversions are at least consistent. In the old days, weights and measures were based on arbitrary factors that were not at all consistent. Biblical scholars will recall such units as the "cubit" or the "talent." The former was equivalent to the distance between a man's elbow and the tip of his middle finger; the latter was a measure that was equal to the volume of an amphora, the size of which could vary from one region of the Mediterranean to another. The inconsistencies and difficulties involved with these types of weight conversions should be obvious.

Although more complicated than the metric system, the old Japanese shakkan-ho standard of weights and measures - still used in the sake (rice wine) manufacturing industry - is remarkably consistent. The base unit is known as sho, which is the standard size for a bottle of sake - just short of two liters, which a weight conversion chart or weight conversion calculator will show you is roughly equivalent to half a gallon. Buying Food and Drink in Japan Whereas food and drink in the US is sold in pounds and ounces, grocers in Japan deal in grams, kilograms and liters for all measurements other than sake. A kilogram is equal to 2.2 U.S. pounds, and a gram is 1/1000th of this amount. Understanding this will make your weight conversion tasks much easier, whether or not you have a weight conversion calculator or a metric conversion chart with you. Susan Slobac is an avid supporter of extended learning. She is active in helping educators with an interest in teaching internationally, and her experience includes development of metric weight conversion curriculum. By Susan Slobac

Read More

Weight Conversion Scales

Weights and measures refer to legal units of measurement in different countries. The science of developing universally accepted weights and measures is called as metrology. The institution that implements the S.I. unit of measurement worldwide is The Bureau International Des Poids et measures (BIPM). The SI unit of weight is the Kilo Gram (KG). The other conversion measures used in the world to measure weight are Carats, Grains, Grams, Ounces, Pounds, Slugs, stones, and Tons. The Kilogram is the basic unit of mass. It is the mass of an international prototype in the form of a platinum-iridium cylinder kept at Sevres in France. It is now the only a basic unit still defines in terms of a material object and also the only one with a pre-fix, kilo already attached.

The U.S system of measurement is very similar to that of the U.K. Weight is measured in the following way- 437.5 grams=1 ounce 16 ounces= 1 pound 14 pounds=1stone 100 pounds=1 hundred weight (cwt) 20 cwt = 1 ton (2000 pounds) The conversion scale is as follows: Kilogram= Carats X .0002 Grain X .000 064 Gram X .001 Ounce X 0.028 Pounds X 0.453 Slugs X 14.593 Stones X 6.350 Tons X 1016.046 Tonnes X 1000 Conversion weight scales are adept at calculating the various values of a single weight reading in different weight measures. This helps in international, universal as well as precise readings of weight measures for various purposes including commercial, medical, sports and other uses. The grain was the earliest unit of mass and was used to weigh silver and gold. The Pound was derived from The Mina used in early civilizations. Smaller unit was the Shekel and a larger unit the Talent. The Carat is a unit for measuring gemstones that had its origin in the Carob seed and was later standardized at 0.2 gram. When weighing of goods began, units of mass based on volume of grain or water were developed. The stone, Quarter and ton were large units used in Britain. But today only stone is used to measure Personal body weight. Today the market has many scales that have the function of weight conversion. Digital scales are available that can make readings for ounce, carats, grams, and pounds and are equivalent to several weighing machines rolled into one. An Acculab Vicon Digital Balance for instance weighs in oz., Lb, dwt, grains, Newton’s, carats, Taels plus user defined units. By Eric Morris

Read More

Perform Instant Weight Conversions (Weight Conversion in Japan)

It is in many ways a shame that the USA has refused to join the rest of the industrial world in adopting the metric system - because compared to the antiquated and often confusing British Imperial system, which even the British have given up. The USA still clings stubbornly to the old system of pounds and ounces, which means if you're planning to go to Japan, you need to learn something about weight conversion in grams and kilograms. Back In The Day... Of course, at one time, every region - and even many villages - had their own system of weights and measures. Conversion weight might be different depending on whether you were on a given side of a river. For over 12 centuries, the Japanese used the shakkan-hM system. Unlike some systems -which were based on the weight of the ruling king's (fill in the blank) or some such thing. In 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry of the U.S. Navy turned his ships' guns on Tokyo and forced the Tokugawa Shogunate to open Japan - which had been isolated and off-limits to foreigners for centuries - to international trade. Japan's medieval society was abruptly yanked into the Industrial Age. The historical consequences were profound; events issuing from this action reached a tragic climax almost 90 years later with the raid on Pearl Harbor and the bloody three-and-a-half year war in the Pacific that followed.

Powers of Ten In light of such historic events, Japan's adoption of the metric system in 1924 seems almost trivial, although this too was a consequence of Commodore Perry's opening of the country. However, it means you'll need to know something about weight conversion if you're not going to have problems shopping on the Ginza. One option is to use a weight conversion chart. These are often available on the Internet from any one of several websites and can be downloaded and printed for no more than the cost of the paper and toner. Such a weight conversion table can be kept in your pocket for handy reference. An alternative to weight conversion charts is a weight conversion calculator. This is essentially a basic everyday calculator that includes metric conversion functions, such as weight conversion. Such a device can be purchased online or at a specialty electronics store for around $50. If you are not particularly talented mathematically (like most of us) and don't deal well with weight conversion formulas (which are another option), then using such a calculator for weight conversion problems may be the way to go. By Wayne Hemrick

Read More