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.

Perform Instant Weight Conversions (Weight Conversion in Japan)