Japan

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Japan
Japanissometimescalledtheland of the rising sun. The Japanese themselves call their country Nihon or Nippon, which means origin of the sun. You can see an image of the sun on Japans flag: a red circle on a plain white background. Inmanyways,Japanisoldandtraditional.Its also one of the worlds most modern, and densely populated, countries.

Facts About Japan

Capital Official language Population Rank among countries in population Major cities Area Rank among countries in area Highest point Currency Tokyo Japanese 127,000,000 people 10th Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya 146,000 square miles 378,000 square kilometers 61st Fuji 12,387 feet/3,776 meters Yen

ISLANDS AND MOUNTAINS

Japanisanislandnationlocatedoffthenortheastcoastofthe mainland of Asia. The Japanese islands lie in the North Pacific Ocean. Theyre separated from Asia by the Sea of Japan (East Sea). Japan has thousands of tiny islands, but there are four main ones: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Mountainscoveraboutthree-fourths of Japan, giving the country rugged and spectacular scenery. The most famous mountain is the majestic Fuji, a dormant volcano on Honshu. For many people, Fuji is sacred. Its often shown in Japanese paintings.

EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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TheJapaneseislandsareactuallythesummitsofanunderwater chain of mountains. The forces that lifted the mountains are still at work. Japan has hundreds of earthquakes every year. Sometimes they are powerful and cause severe damage. Underwater earthquakes can cause destructive tidal waves called tsunamis. Therearemorethan150majorvolcanoesinJapan.About40of these are still active. Japan is home to 1 out of 10 of the worlds active volcanoes.

FOOD FROM THE SEA

TheJapaneseislandshavethousandsofmilesofcoastline.Thats why fishing is a big industry in Japan. The traditional Japanese diet includes lots of seafood. Sashimi is a Japanese specialty of raw fish. Sushi is a cold rice dish often served with sashimi or with dried seaweed called nori.

CROWDED CITIES
Japanishometoabout127millionpeople.Mostofthemlivein towns and cities in the narrow plains along the coasts. This makes Japan one of the most crowded countries in the world. How crowded? In Tokyo, some people work as people pushers. They push people onto crowded subway trains! ThepeopleofJapanarealmostallJapanese.Thereislittleethnic diversity. One exception is the Ainu. They are the native people of Japan. The Ainu once nearly disappeared, but today they are reviving their traditions. Most Ainu live on Hokkaido.

TOKYO
JapanhasmanybigcitiessuchasYokohama,Osaka,Sapporo,and Kyoto. But Tokyo, on the island of Honshu, is by far the biggest. How big is Tokyo? Its the biggest city in the entire world! There are more than 26 million people living in and around Tokyo. The city is the capital of Japan and the nations economic and cultural center.

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Tokyohassomethingforeveryone.Ithasmorethan100 universities. It has museums such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Museum of Science. It has theaters for modern plays as well as traditional Japanese theater. It has old religious sites such as the Meiji Shrine and the Kanda Shrine. It even has an imperial palace. Thats where the emperor of Japan, the nations symbolic leader, still lives. Tokyoisverymodern.High-speed trains, called bullet trains, connect Tokyo to other parts of Japan. Tokyo is a center for services such as banking and insurance, new technology, and manufacturing.

SHOGUNS AND SAMURAI

FormanycenturiesJapanwasafeudalstate.Infeudalism,some people were given land in return for military service to a nobleman. Many common people had to work a nobles land as servants called serfs. Bythe12thcentury,Japanwasledbyanemperorwhoshared power with strong military rulers called shoguns. Each shogun was supported by loyal noblemen called daimyo. The daimyo relied on the famous samurai warriors to fight for and protect them. ThesamuraiweremuchliketheknightsofEurope.Theyfolloweda code called bushido, or the way of the warrior. This meant a samurai had to be honest, polite, and brave, and be loyal to his nobleman. Theshogunandsamuraidisappearedin1871,whenJapan changed its political system. The changes opened up Japan to the modern world. But the shogun and samurai remain an important part of Japanese history. They are often the subject of Japanese art, novels, and films.

BASEBALL AND SUMO WRESTLING

DidyouknowthatthemostpopularteamsportinJapanis baseball? Baseball was first brought to Japan in 1872. It quickly

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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caught on. Today Japan has its own professional league. In recent years, Japanese players such as Hideo Nomo and Ichiro Suzuki have become star players in the United States. ApopulartraditionalsportinJapanissumowrestling.Insumo,two large, heavy men try to shove each other out of a small ring. Sumo wrestlers follow a difficult training program and strict way of life. Each tournament begins with a ritual performed by all the wrestlers. Tradition even determines a wrestlers dress and hairstyle.

A WEALTHY COUNTRY
Today,Japanisoneoftherichestcountriesintheworld.After 1945, following Japans defeat in World War II, the Japanese embraced modern technology and manufacturing. Japans economy grew rapidly for decades. Japanesetechnologyremainsontheleadingedge,evenasJapan maintains many of its traditions. Today, many of the worlds great makers of automobiles, electronics, and computer games are Japanese.
Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.