LOCATION

Japan is located in both the northern and eastern hemispheres, in the northeastern part of Asia. It is made up of four larger islands and over 3,000 smaller ones. Japan’s closest neighbors are Korea, Russia and China. Japan lies between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. No point in Japan is more than 150 kilometers away from the sea. Tokyo, the capital of Japan is found on the east coast of the island of Honshu.

GEOGRAPHY

As mentioned, Japan is made up of over 3,000 islands. The largest are, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku and they make up about 97% of the land area. Most of Japan’s area, 73% is forests and mountains. Japan has 9 forest “eco regions”, from moist broad leaves to coniferous trees. These reflect the geography and climate of the islands. 25% of Japan’s land is plains and basins and this is where the population is concentrated. The largest plain is the Kanto Plain where Tokyo is located. Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area in the world where over 30 000000 live. Japan’s total population is 128 000000. Japan’s total area is 377 835 square kilometers, 374 744 square kilometers is land, and 3091 square kilometers is water such as lakes and rivers. Three mountain ranges in Japan, the Hida, the Kiso and the Akaisha make up the Japanese Alps.
Japan’s highest point is Mount Fuji, which is a volcano, at 3776 meters. Japan’s lowest point is Hachiro-gata at –4 meters.

GEOLOGY

Japan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is a horseshoe shaped band of volcanoes and fault lines that circle the edges of the Pacific Ocean. Inside this ring is where almost 90% of the earth’s active volcanoes are located. 10% of the world’s active volcanoes are found in Japan. Japan has up to 1 500 big earthquakes a year. Small minor ones can be felt in some areas many times a day. One of the worst earthquakes was in 1923 and it killed 130 000 people. It was called The Great Kanto Earthquake. Undersea earthquakes put Japan in danger from tsunamis and tidal waves. A major part of the tourist an d leisure industry are the many, many hot springs found in Japan.

CLIMATE

Japan’s climate varies depending on the area. Typically, it is cooler in the north and more tropical in the south. Japan is divided into 6 main climatic zones:

1. Hokkaido – this is the northern most zone. It has long cold winters, and cool summers. There is not a lot of rain but lots of deep snow in the winter.
2. Sea of Japan – the northwest seasonal wind causes heavy snow falls in the winter. During summer time it is cooler than the Pacific area, but sometimes gets extremely high temperatures caused by the Fohn wind phenomenon.
3. Central Highland – this area has a typical inland climate that gives large temperature differences between summers and winters, and between days and nights. It does not rain a lot here.
4. Seto Inland Sea – the Mountains in this area shelter it from seasonal winds, which bring milder weather throughout the year.
5. The Pacific Ocean – winters are cold with little snowfall and the summers are hot and humid because of the southeast seasonal winds.
6. Ryukyu Islands – this southwestern area has a subtropical climate with warm winters and hot summers. There is a lot of rain during the rainy season and typhoons are common.

Two major influences on Japan’s climate are the location to the Asian continent and the major ocean currents. The main rainy season begins in May and lasts until July and averages 100 – 200 centimeters a year. In the late summers and early fall typhoons coming from the Pacific Ocean cause storms and heavy rainfall.

HISTORY

On the morning of December 7, 1941 Japan’s Imperial Japanese Navy did a surprise attack on the United States by bombing Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Japanese destroyed 2 US Navy battleships, 2 destroyers and 188 planes. Many warships and battleships were also badly damaged. 2 333 people in Pearl Harbor were killed and thousands were injured. Only 65 men from the Japanese navy were killed. Japan wanted to destroy the Pacific Fleet so there would be no one to stop them going into Malaya and the Dutch East Indies to get oil. The United States and Japan had been fighting over oil for more than 2 decades. Bombing Pearl Harbor was one of the most significant attacks of World War II, as it caused the Americans to enter the war.

GOVERNMENT

Japan has a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is currently in power and has been since 1955. The Prime Minister’s name is Yasuo Fukuda. Japan’s Emperor is Akihito, he holds limited power and acts as a symbol of the State and the People.
The currency of Japan is the yen. 110.9 yen is equivalent to 1 Canadian dollar. Japan is the country’s conventional name, but its’ local name in long form is Nihon-Koku/Nippon-Koku and its short form is Nihon/Nippon.
Emperor Akihito

CULTURE AND CUSTOMS

Japanese people are very polite and correct manners are important to them. Some examples of manners they consider bad are:

1 Blowing your nose in public or at the table.
2 Talking about the toilet before or during a meal.
3 Burping.
4 Drinking before everyone is served and their glasses are raised.

Non-verbal communication plays an important role in Japanese culture. Bowing not only indicates a form of greeting; but also is a way to say thank you or sorry. Japanese schools are very difficult and demanding and the students are under a lot of pressure to succeed. Their education system works, as Japanese students are some of the worlds best in math and science.

The two major religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism. These have been around for centuries and many Japanese consider themselves to be both. It is very important, especially to the elderly to behave calmly, respectfully and appropriately when visiting a temple or shrine.

Kabuki is a traditional Japanese form of theatre that was founded in the 17th century. The costumes are colorful and the makeup is dramatic. Men play both female and male roles.

Although many people think of kimonos when they think of Japan, today a Japanese woman usually owns one. This is worn on her 19th birthday for her coming of age ceremony. For other ceremonies, like weddings, kimonos are usually rented.