Japan

Chelsea Paige

Japan’s Location• Japan is made up of over 4000 small islands

with four main ones: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu

• Surrounded by water: The Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean

• The countries across the Sea of Japan are North Korea, South Korea and Russia

Capital and Population

• Japan’s capital is Tokyo, which is one of the world’s largest cities

• The population of Japan is 126,804,433 and ranked 10th for the most population on the planet

• The population density is 336 people per a square mile, which is ranked 32nd in the world

• Japan is also the leading supplier of fish and the United States biggest trading partner

Japan Flag

• Adopted by Japan on February 27th, 1870• Most commonly known as “Hinomaru” which means

“sun disk” or “Nipon”, the “The Land of the Rising Sun”

• The red circle in the middle represents the sun, and the sun represents sincerity, brightness, warmth, bravery, strength and valor

• The white background stands for purity and honesty

Japan Currency

• The Japanese Currency is Yen (¥)• One million dollars would equal

about 83,906,010 yen• One million yen would equal about

11,918.1 dollars

Japanese Writing and Alphabet• Japan has four different

writing styles: Hiragana and Katakana (which are the easiest), Kanji (the most complicated), and Romaji (Written using English letters)

• Can be written vertically right to left or horizontally left to right

Japanese Suffixes

• There are many ways to call people in Japan by adding suffixes• “San” means “Mr./Mrs./Ms.” or for people you barely met

and it’s also for people you’re not close to but know them, and a way of showing respect

• “Kun” is generally used for boys, but also can be used for girls if someone elderly is addressing them

• “Chan” is usually used if you have a certain fondness for the person, most commonly girls

• “Niichan” and “Neechan” are for older brother and sister respectively and the more formal “Niisama” and “Neesama”

• There are many others, including uncle, aunt, grandpa, etc.

Politeness and Impoliteness• Being polite is one of the most important qualities• A bow is the proper way to greet someone, however when

meeting a foreigner, a handshake is fine• Yawning, chewing gum, putting your ankle over your knee,

and blowing your nose in public are all considered impolite• When eating soup, slurping is not impolite, in fact, it’s

considered as gratitude by showing the cook you’re enjoying the meal

• Walking and eating is impolite for an adult, but for a kid, it’s alright

• Laughing can be a sign of embarrassment

Family• A man is the head of the family• The woman works and raises the children• Usually the male and female are equal• There are almost always fewer than three kids• Teenagers date around fifteen and do the same things

as us, such as going out to eat, seeing a movie, etc. • The usual marrying age is twenty-seven for males and

twenty-six for females• Weddings are important and also expensive and are

most commonly held in hotels• Divorce and single parenthood is very rare

Living Style• There are Japanese-style houses, apartments, and now

Western-style houses• When people enter houses, they take off their shoes is

the genkan which is a small place between the door and the living room and put on slippers to wear around the house

• There are sliding doors, called fusuma and if you open them, you can make two rooms into one

• People have beds, but sometimes they sleep on futons, which are beds you lay on the ground and when done, you can roll them up and put them in the closet

School• Schoolwork is very important• Even in kindergarten, kids are expected

to do their very best and nothing less• It’s very serious and rigorous• Getting into the right school can

guarantee success for their whole life• School is free ages six to fifteen• There are often school uniforms students

are required to wear, which helps distinguish schools from each other

• English is taught in all secondary schools (which is around high school age) because it is often used in business deals and etc.

• School is everyday except Sunday and is held twice a month on Saturday

Anime and Manga• Anime is like a cartoon, except

for all ages, not just kids while manga is Japanese graphic novels and also directed towards older ages

• Some popular ones are: Bleach, Detective Conan, Inuyasha, Ranma ½, and many more

• Many are ongoing, and publish them weekly in a magazine called Shonen Sunday

• People love anime and manga all around the world, not just Japan

Traditions• People go to temples to pray for many things,

such as a good grade on a test• You can also buy good luck charms• When people go to a temple, they pull a rope

and a bell rings and they pray and clap their hands once

• They can get a piece of paper with a fortune on it and if the fortune is bad, they tie it to a tree to get rid of the bad luck

• You can also buy good luck charms

Mount Fuji

• Mt. Fuji is a currently dormant volcano near the Yamanashi and Karagawa Prefectures

• The last time Mt. Fuji erupted was in November 1707 and has remained dormant since February 1708

• Mt. Fuji is 3,776 meters high or 12,388.45 feet• Mt. Fuji is also known as Fuji-san and is a well

known landmark

Cherry Blossoms

• Cherry blossom trees are called ‘sakura’• A popular thing to do in Japan is go flower

viewing• There are many cherry blossom parks you can

visit• Usually schools have cherry blossom trees

outside of them• There are festivals called ‘hanami’ to enjoy

the flowers

Tokyo Tower

• Tokyo Tower is in Tokyo and is the world’s tallest self-supporting tower

• Based of France’s Eiffel Tower• 333 meters tall, 13 meters higher than the

Eiffel Tower• At the top of the tower, there’s a TV and

broadcast antenna• Built in 1958 as Japan’s birth economically

• Located in Tokyo Dome City• Opened on March 17th, 1988• Many sports and concerts have and still are

taking place in the Dome• 60 NFL and baseball games are held yearly• Madonna, Michael Jackson, the Backstreet Boys,

Britney Spears, the Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, etc. have had a concert in the Dome

• Can fit up to 55,000 people at once

Peace Memorial Park

• Built in Hiroshima after the US dropped the Atomic Bomb

• 120,000 square meters• Every year, there’s an anniversary the day the

bomb was dropped with speeches for loved ones, etc.

• The main facility is the Peace Memorial Museum

Akihabara

• Akihabara is also called Akiba• In Tokyo• Hundreds of stores and shops, mostly for

electronics• Gaming, anime and manga is also popular • Famous for cosplay cafes: Regular cafes

except where waitresses dress up as anime characters

Random Facts• Sushi is expensive; it is usually only bought on rare occasions• Adults like to drink a type of alcohol called sake, which is rice wine.• Medical teams wear helmets and blue scrubs• The life expectancy rate for males are 79 and 86 for female. • Business people wear ties and suits, just like in America and

Europe. • People dress in harmony with other people, but comfortably• A major holiday is New Years Eve• The prime minister is the head of government• The voting age is twenty• People travel in cars, planes, subways, and trains• For a funeral, bodies are burned instead of buried• They have cigarette vending machines as well as regular ones• They have indoor beaches

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Bibliography Continued

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Bibliography Continued• Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Land. "Hiroshima City (Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Pref.)." Japan

National Tourism Organization Web Site. 2007. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://www.jnto.go.jp/tourism/en/f028.html>.

• MyDisguises. "Top Cosplay Cities - Tokyo!" My Disguises - We Love Costumes. 2007. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://mydisguises.com/2007/08/29/top-cosplay-cities-tokyo/>.

• SDK. "Home Page." SWiSH [global2.swi]. 1988. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://sdkdirect.com/Client_Country_Flags.htm>.

• "SmTown Live in Tokyo." | Trust and Support HoMin :: Current Members of TVXQ: U-KNOW Yunho & MAX Changmin. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://continuetvxq.com/tag/smtown-live-in-tokyo/>.

• Travel Destination Pictures and Travel Photography. "Japan Landscape Mt Fuji Picture." Travel Pictures from Great Travel and Vacation Destinations from around the World. 2000. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. <http://www.travel-destination-pictures.com/japan-landscape-mt-fuji-picture-1417-pictures.htm>.

• Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://www.japanorbit.com/travel-in-japan/tokyo-japan.html>. • WordPress. "Introduction of Japan – Capital & Currency, Etc « Japan Encyclopedia." Japan

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• Yahoo Inc. "Cherry Blossom Park. (Explored) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!" Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/glenn-in-japan/3458324387/>.