The Japanese text can be written horizontally or vertically. When texts are written vertically, they are written top to bottom, starting from the rightmost column. When written horizontally, they are written from left to right just like English. Both texts below mean "Is it a school? --- Yes, it is." Note that there are no spaces between words in Japanese.
がっこうですか。
はい、そうです。
When you write horizontally (left to right), the Japanese
period and
the comma are
written at the lower left corner of the full-size area. Note that
the small /tsu/ representing
double consonants is also written at the lower left of the full-size
area.
When you write vertically (top to bottom), it is read
from top to bottom and right to left. The Japanese period and comma are
written at the upper right corner of the full-size area.
The small representing
double consonants is also written ar the upper right of the full-size
area.
Japanese books written vertically open in the opposite direction from books written in English. Japanese books written horizontally open in the same direction as books in English.