Japan
Where is Japan?
Japan is located in the continent of Asia, with neighbours
including Russia, China, North Korea and South Korea. Japan lies
east of Sea of Japan. It has a population of 127.6 million, today.
The capital of Japan is Tokyo.
What is Japan’s Flag?
Japan’s flag is plain white with a red disc in the centre of the flag.
The red disc represents the sun. The official name for the flag is
Nisshōki, meaning sun-mark flag. It is most commonly known as
Hinomaro, meaning circle of the sun. The national flag is
different to the military flag. Although they both use the same
colours, the military flag has white and red stripes coming from
the edges of the rectangle to the outside of the disc.
What do they eat in Japan?
There are special, traditional foods in Japan. Usually, when you
eat, your meal will consist of a serving of plain, white rice. You
also have a side dish (cooked vegetables), a main dish (fish or
meat), soup (often miso soup) and pickled vegetables. Japanese
children of Foreign Origin will eat hamburg steak, curry and rice,
ramen, spaghetti and other noodle dishes. Restaurants sell both
non-Japanese and Japanese foods. Popular dishes include sushi,
tempura and noodles made with buckwheat.
Hamburg
State
Ramen
Religion and Languages
Most Japanese people are not followers of religion. Those who
do are either from the Buddhist religion or the Shinto religion. A
poll stated that most Japanese people are 80 percent Shinto and
80 percent Buddhist. The most common languages spoken in
Japan is Japanese and English. The most common languages
spoken from immigrants are Korean and China.
What Sport do They Play?
There are many different sports played in Japan. Traditional
sports include martial arts such as Judo and Kendo. These are
the two most popular sports. Others are sports imported from
over seas for example baseball and soccer (football). Sumo
wrestling is considered Japan’s national sport.
Economy in Japan
Japan is a very wealthy country. It has the third
largest economy in the world by Nominal GDP and the
world’s second largest, developed economy. The money
There is called Yen. Zimbabwe also uses this currency.
Their prime minister’s name is Naikaku- Sori- Daijin.
There is a standard for him, an emblem and a crest.
The symbol for yen is a capital Y with two horizontal lines
on the standing line.
What do They Wear?
Wherever you go in Japan, you must always wear clean socks as before
you go in someone’s house, a Japanese tradition is that you must take
your shoes off. When travelling, business attire is most likely to be
worn. Shorts are very unlikely. Most Japanese women wear high heels,
even with casual clothes. When working, most companies require
Japanese women to wear pantyhose, even in the most hottest days. All
tattoos and piercings must be covered. Men, mainly wear buttondown shirts. Adult men generally don’t wear shorts, even in the most
humid days. Both men and women, don’t ‘typically’ wear jewellery,
hats or sunglasses. They do not wear anything with holes, band shirts,
full pockets, jeans or cargo pants. Anything that looks ‘distressed’ is
not to be worn.
Cherry Blossoms
April is the month for the cherry blossoms to bloom. Japan has
over 200 types of cherry blossoms. Once they have fully
bloomed, most citizens make special visits to parks and have
picnics underneath the Cherry Blossoms. The leaves are usually
pickled and used as wrapping for sweets. The blossoms are also
pickled and used to make a hot drink.
Tea Ceremonies
Japan is known for having a ton of tea ceremonies. It is a ritual,
performed by Zen Buddhist. A powdered green tea is
ceremonially served by a skilled practitioner and served to a
small group of guests. A tea practitioner must be familiar with
the different types of tea, flower arranging, calligraphy, kimono
and incense. Even the guest of a tea ceremony requires
knowledge about the religion.
Landmarks
There are over 30 landmarks in Japan. Two that you may have
seen before includes the Miyajima and the Matsumoto Castle.
These are the two most visited landmarks in Japan. Others
include; Tokyo DisneySea, Okinawa Churaumi, JigoKudani Snow
Monkey Park and Todaji Temple.