JAPAN

Official Name: Historical Title:

Japan Nihon or Nippon means “Origin of the Sun”

Japan – “Land of the Rising Sun”

BASIC FEATURES OF JAPAN

Boundaries Four Major Islands

North: Sea of Okhotsk

South: Pacific Ocean

West: Korean Strait and Sea of Japan North: Pacific Ocean and

East China Sea

Hokkaido

Honshu

Kyushu

Shikkkoku

A. Land

Land Use: Area:

Arable Land: 11%

Permanent Crops: 1%

Permanent Pastures: 2%

Forest & Woodland: 17%

Other: 19%

Land- 374,744 km2

Water- 3,091 km2

TOTAL: 377,835 km2

A. Land

T O KY O - F i n a n c i a l a n d c o m m e r c i a l c e n t e r ; J a p a n ’ s c a p i t a l a n d l a r g e s t c i t y .

Y O KO H A M A - L e a d i n g s e a p o r t a n d s h i p b u i l d i n g ; i n d u s t r i a l c e n t e r o f c h e m i c a l s , m a c h i n e r y, m e t a l a n d p e t r o l e u m p r o d u c t s .

O S A KA - I m p o r a n t s e a p o r t a n d a i r l i n e t e r m i n u s ; O n e o f J a p a n ’ s l a r g e s t fi n a n c i a l c e n t e r s .

N A G O YA - M a n u f a c t u r i n g c e n t e r o f l a c q u e r w a e , t e x t i l e s a n d p o e t r y.

KY O T O - H i s t o r i c a l c a p i t a l , f a m o u s m a n u f a c t u r i n g c e n t e r o f a r t g o o d s i n c l u d i n g s i l k b r o c a d e s a n d t e x t i l e s C e n t e r o f h e a v y i n d u s t r i e s .

KO B E - L e a d i n g s e a p o r t a n d s h i p b u i l d i n g .

Principal Cities

Tokyo

Yokohama

Osaka

Nagoya

Kyoto

Kobe

Mountains: Water Forms:

Mt. Fuji Japan’s highest peak.

Japanese Alps One of the longest chains of mountains.

Mt. Yanga Highest elevation in the mountain Alps

Total # of Mountains = 200 Total # of active Mountains = 50

Shinano Longest river.

Ishikari Second largest.

Biwa Largest lake.

B. TOPOGRAPHY

Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji

Japanese Alps

Shinano River

Ishikari River

Ishikari River

KantoPlain

Nobi Plain

Kinai Plain

Plains

Kanto Plain Kanto Plain

Plains

Nobi Plain

CLIMATE

J apan be l ongs to a t empera te zone w i th f our d i s t i nc t seasons , bu t i t s c l imate var i e s f r om coo l t o t empera te i n the nor th to sub t rop i ca l i n the sou th .

NORTH JAPAN has warm summers bu t l ong co ld w in te r s w i th heavy snow.

CENTRAL JAPAN has ho t , humid summers and shor t w in te r s .

SOUTH WESTERN JAPAN has l ong , ho t humid summer and mi ld w in te r s .

TWO PRIMARY FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE JAPAN’S CLIMATE:

A. MONSOONSB. MAJOR OCEANIC CURRENT

The ho t te s t t empera ture eve r measured i n j apan 40 .9 c (105 .6 F ) occur red i n t a j im i ,g i fu on augus t 16 ,2007 .

THE JAPANESE PEOPLE

Most J apanese a re c l ass ifi ed as Mongo lo ids ( l i ke Mongo l i ans ) because o f the i r phys i ca l charac te r i s t i c s .

They have a s t ra igh t b l ack ha i r and dark a lmond - shaped eyes .

They a re shor te r i n he igh t than presen t -day Wes teners .

The i r sk in co l o r r anges f r om fa i r t o ye l l ow i sh t o b rown .

JAPANESEAre un i ted by a common spoken l anguage . Th i s has made i t eas i e r f o r the Japanese to ach i eve po l i t i ca l and cu l tu ra l un i t y more qu i ck l y than o ther As i an na t i on .

The Japanese l anguage i s ma in l y POLYSYLLABI C (mos t words a re composed o f severa l s y l l ab l e s . )

J apanese i s no t d iff i cu l t t o speak and pronounce and spe l l i ng i s s imp le r than Eng l i sh o r French .

LANGUAGE

The mos t impor tan t aspec t i n J apan as the b l end ing o f the o ld and the new. A l though w i l l i ng to adopt be t te r ways o f do ing th ings f r om o ther cu l tu res , the Japanese re ta in much o f tha t i s t r ad i t i ona l .

Apprec i a t i on o f the beau ty and grea tness o f na tu re has been a par t o f J apanese l i f e s i nce ear l i e s t t ime .

LIFE IN JAPAN

A. SHINTOISM-”S h i n t o ” m ea n s “ t h e w a y ”

- i s ba s ed o n t h e w o r s h i p o f n a t u r e a n d go o d s p i r i t s ca l l ed KA MI .

- t h ey h a d N O b i b l e .

- a bo u t 9 3 % o f J a pa n es e peo p l e p r a c t i ced S h i n t o i s m .

- S h i n t o r epr es en t s 3 s y m bo l s : S WO RD, S T RI N G O F J E WE L , M I RRO R.

RELIGION

B. BUDDHISM AND ZEN BUDDHISM

- I t was b rough t to J apan by the Ch inese abou t 1500 year s ago , and spread rap id l y among nob les and the upper

c l asses .

-Zen Buddh i sm be l i eves tha t p rayer and re l i g i ous worsh ip a re a was te o f t ime . Pe r sona l charac te r and d i sc ip l i ne a re more impor tan t . Med i ta t i on ( th ink ing ) i s the ma in f o rm o f worsh ip .

RELIGION

JAPANESE

ARTS

TEA CEREMONY

The tea ceremony is designed to make a person one with nature, to see beauty in simplicity and economy of movement.

It is an art, not a means of offering refreshment.

JAPANESE ARTS

IKEBANA

BONSAI

KABUKI

BUNRAKU

Manyoshu

Kokinshu

Suim-e

Ukiyo-e

Haniwa

The End!!Thank You

For Listening!!