JAPAN

History

Geography of Japan
Japan consists of several thousands of islands, of which
Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku are the four largest.
Japan's closest neighbors are Korea, Russia and China. The
Sea of Japan separates the Asian continent from the Japanese
archipelago.
Japan's area is comparable to that of Germany or California.
Japan's northernmost islands are located on a similar
geographical latitude as Milan or Portland, while her
southernmost islands are on a similar latitude as the Bahamas.
More than 50% of the country is mountainous and covered by
forests. Japan is politically structured into 8 regions and
47 prefectures.

Japans Map

Climate:
Due to the large North South extension of the country,
the climate varies strongly in different regions. The
climate in most of the major cities, including Tokyo, is
temperate to subtropic and consists of four seasons.
The winter is mild and the summer is hot and humid.
There is a rainy season in early summer,
and typhoons hit parts of the country every year
during late summer.

HISTORY
According to legend described in the
Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, Japan was
founded in the seventh century. C. by the
Emperor Jinmu. During the V and VI
centuries.

Basic Dates

Emperor : Emperor Akihito (125th generation , the current emperor).

Prime Minister: Kuzuhiro Soda

Total population : 127,515,000 people ( tenth in the world ) (October 2012).

Population Density : 343.39 people / square kilometer.

Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ): 5.96 billion dollars 269 billion (2012 ,third
in the world).

Life expectancy: men 79.94 years 5th in the world ; women 86.39 years 1st
World (2012).

Unemployment rate: 4.0% (2013).

NATIONAL SYMBOLS
Emblema nacional

Bandera nacional

 In the early seventeenth century, the shogunate became

suspicious of Christian missions, considering forerunners
of a military conquest by European forces and, as a
protective measure, ordered the closure of Japan to all
relations with the outside world except for restricted
contacts with merchants.

MEIJI RESTAURATION
It was a period of most big revolutions an
changes in Japan. It was guide by Mutsu ito

 The feudal system was abolished and numerous

Western institutions were adopted, including a Western
legal and government system, along with other reforms
in the economic, social and military that transformed
Japan into a world power medium-high level.

FIRST AND SECOND WAR

Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in
December 1941, which led to the North American country to
declare war on the Japanese Empire in the framework of
World War II. US attacked Tokyo, Osaka and with
conventional and strategic bombing of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki with atomic bombs. Japan finally accepted the
unconditional capitulation to the US Army on August 15,
1945 thereby giving an end to the war.

LANDMARK

Economy
and
Demography

Demography
The population of Japan is about 125,000,000, including
approximately two million foreign residents. More than
half of the non Japanese population is of Korean
descent.

Statistics
The current population of Japan is 126,280,316 as of Thursday, September 1,
2016, based on the latest United Nations estimates.
Japan population is equivalent to 1.72% of the total world population.
Japan ranks number 11 in the list of countries by population.
The population density in Japan is 347 per Km2 (897 people per mi2).
The total land area is 364,571 Km2 (140,761 sq. miles)
93.7 % of the population is urban (118,911,665 people in 2016)
The median age in Japan is 46.9 years.

Japans Economy
The economy of Japan is the third-largest in
the world by nominal GDP and the fourthlargest by purchasing power parity (PPP) and
is the world's second largest developed
economy

Japaneses Currency

Goverment

The central government: Japan is a constitutional monarchy, in

which 17 people over 20 years can vote in universal suffrage. In
practice, it is a parliamentary democracy, the people do not vote for
a president, but members of Parliament and these, in turn, vote for a
prime minister from one of them.

Local government: The governors of each prefecture are elected by

the people, but its independence is limited by the annual budget that
the central government allocates to each prefecture

Political Symbol and Parties

Prime Ministre

Culture

Religion
Religion in Japan is dominated by Shinto
(the ethnic relgion of japaneses people),
Buddhist schools and Christianism.
According to the survery carried out in
2006 and 2008, less than 40% of the
population of Japan identifies with a
Shinto relgion; around 35% are Buddhist
and 3 or 4% are member of different sets
of religon.

Statistics of Religion

Shinto

Buddhist

Christiansm

What is Folkore?

Folklore is the traditional art, literature,

knowledge, and practice that is
disseminated largely through oral
communication and behavioral example.

Japanes Folklore
Classic Folklore
Animals Folklore
Modern Folklore
Fantastic Creatures

Classic Folklore
Momotaro

Animals Folklore
Kitsune and Tanuki

Fantastc Folklore

Clothes in Japan
There are typically two types of clothing that the
Japanese wear:
the Japanese clothing, such as kimonos, and
Western clothing. Japanese culture has been
greatly impacted by the rest of the world
throughout history.
One of the most noticeable changes has been
Japanese clothing.Traditional clothing and
Modern day clothing.

Kimono

Principal Food in Japan

Sukiyaki
Tempura
Sushi
Sashami
Kaiseki Ryori
Yakitori
Tonkatsu
Shabu-Shabu
Soba and Udon

Sushi

Sukyaki

Sashimi

Soba and Ubon

Principal Sport in
Japan
Sports in Japan are a signifcant part of
Japaneses Culture. Both traditonal sports
as such as SUMO and MARTAL ATRS, and
western imports like Baseball and
association football, are popular with both
participants and spectators

SUMO

Sumo or Sumo Wrestling is a competitive

full-contact wrestling sport where a Rikishi
(wrester) attempts to force another wrestler
out of a circle ring (Dohyo) or ntro touching
the ground with anything other than the
soles of his feet. The characters, literally
mean Striking one another

Sumo

Martial Arts
Martial Arts are codified systems and traditons of
combat practices, which are defense, military, and law
enforcement application.
As competition, physical fifness, mental and spiritual
development.
As well as entertaiment and the perservation of a
notions intangble cultural heritage.

Martial Arts

Karate
Judo

Baseball and Football

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the
highest level of baseball in Japal. Locally, it is
often called Puro Yakyu meanting Professional
Baseball.
Association Football, more commonly known as
football or soccer, is a sport played between two
teams of eleven people with a spherical ball.

Architecture
Japanese architecture has as long of a history
as any other aspect of Japanese culture.
Originally heavily influenced by Chinese
architecture, it has developed many differences
and aspects which are indigenous to Japan.
Examples of traditional architecture are seen
at temples, Shinto shrines,
and castles in Kyoto and Nara. Some of these
buildings are constructed with traditional
gardens, which are influenced from Zen ideas.

Tradition in Japan
Japanese Traditions
From prehistoric Jomon period to modern era,
the culture of Japan has evolved from Asian as
well as Western cultures and in ways more than
one. The Asian country is known for its distinct
culture and heritage, which has been preserved
by the Japanese since ancient times. The ageold Japanese traditions and customs which give
a unique character to the lifestyle of the
Japanese people have to be experienced to be
truly appreciated.

Important Even of Japan

There have been four instances of such holidays since
the introduction of the Public Holiday Law.
April 10, 1959: Marriage of Crown Prince Akihito.
February 24, 1989: State Funeral of the Showa Emperor.
November 12, 1990: Official Enthronement Ceremony of
Emperor Akihito.
June 9, 1993: Marriage of Crown Prince Naruhito.