INTRODUCTION TO
JAPAN
Ms. Jones
January 25,
2005
FACTS:
•Capital-Tokyo
•Located in Eastern Asia
near North Pacific Ocean
and Sea of Japan
•47 Prefectures (states)
•Smaller than California
•127,333,002 people
•99% Japanese people; 1%
other races
•Mostly rugged and
mountainous
Anime
Japanese students and
adults love to read anime.
Anime is a type of
cartoon. The drawings are
very detailed and look
almost real. Anime is very
popular; with many comic
books and movies being
made. There are also many
different kinds of anime.
Some teach important
skills such as English and
Science. While others are
just for fun.
BICYCLES
People in Japan
often ride bikes
everywhere because
its faster and easier.
They ride bikes to
school, work, the
grocery store, and
many other places.
Some bicycles have
special baskets in
the front for
mothers to carry
small children.
CLOTHING
• The Japanese wear
the same clothing
as Americans. But
on special
occasions such as
weddings, funerals
and festivals many
people wear
kimonos.
EDUCATION
• School in Japan is a little different from school in
Baltimore. The school year begins in April and
ends in March. All students wear uniforms to
school.Elementary schools begins with
Kindergarten and ends with 6th grade. Middle
school is from 7th-9th grade. High school is from
10th-12th grade. Students do not have to go to
school after middle school. Also all students must
learn English beginning in middle school.
EDUCATION II
Bowing before class
Japanese classroom
FOOD
Japan has many of
the same
restaurants as
Baltimore such as
McDonald’s, KFC,
Baskin Robbins and
Subway. However,
here are a few of
traditional Japanese
foods. Most food
(except soup or
cereal) is eaten
with chopsticks.
gyoza
sushi
rice
tempura
GREETING
•
•
Bowing is a very important
custom in Japan. Japanese
people bow all the time.
Mostly, they greet each other
by bowing instead of
handshaking. It is impolite not
to return a bow to whoever
bowed to you.
Bowing can mean many things.
You can bow, when you say,
"Thank you", "Sorry", "Hello",
"Good bye", "Congratulations",
"Excuse me", "Good night",
"Good Morning", and more!!
Teachers and students even
bow before and after class.
If the person is a teacher,
doctor or other important
person or older than you are, you
should bow deeper and longer. It
is polite to bow, bending from
your waist. Men usually keep
their hands in their sides, and
women usually put their hands
together on their thighs with
their fingers touching.
HOMES
• The land is so small in Japan that
there are many apartment
buildings and very small houses.
Almost the size of an apartment.
There is a small hall near the
door. Here, you must take off
your shoes before you enter the
house. Each room is separated by
a sliding door. The floors of most
rooms are made from Tatami
mats. Some houses have beds but
most people sleep on futon mats.
• The toilet and bathtub are in
different rooms. Most houses
have an American style toilet
although some have traditional
Japanese toilets. When taking a
bath, you must first stand and
wash with the shower. The bath
is for soaking only. You can not
use soaps in the bathtub.
HOMES II
Bath and
shower
Futon bed
room
toilet
Tatami mat
Important places
Japan is a very
beautiful country
with many wonderful
things to see and do.
But here are a few
places that most
people like to see
when they come to
Japan.
Mt. Fuji
KamakuraBig Buddha
Tokyo
Disneyland
LANGUAGE
• Unlike English, Japanese language has
many letters and sounds. There are 3
sets of letters/sounds used to write
in Japanese. Hiragana, Katakana and
Kanji.
HIRAGANA
KATAKANA
SPEAKING JAPANESE:
It’s Easy!
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•
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Let’s Count:
Ichi (eechee)-1
Ni (nee)-2
San (sun)-3
Shi (she)-4
Go-5
Roku (roekoo)-6
Shichi (sheechee)-7
Hachi (hychee)-8
Kyu (kew)-9
Jyu (jew)-10
Phrases:
Konnichiwa (ko-nee-chee-wa)hello/good afternoon
Sayonara (sy-ya-na-ra)-goodbye
O Genki Desuka? (o-genkee-des-ka)How are you?
O Namae Wa? (o-ny-my-wa)-What is
your name?
Watashi wa (___) desu. (wa-ta-shewa) My name is __.
Hajimemashite! (hi-jay-may-moshte)-How do you do!
Dozo Yorosh(i)ku! (doe-zoe-yo-roeshkoo) Nice to meet you!
MONEY (YEN)
1 yen=1
cent
5y=5 cent
10y=10cent
100y=$1
500y=$5
1000y
=$10
*Values are approximate because of change in currency rate.
RECREATION &
SPORTS
There are many sports
and recreation
activities in Japan but
the most popular are
Sumo Wrestling,
Martial Arts (such as
Karate), baseball, and
Kabuki (type of theater
play where men dress
up and act out scenes).
Weather
Weather in Japan is different from place
to place. In southern Japan (near Okinawa
Island) it is very warm all year long.
However, in mainland Japan, the weather is
very similar to Baltimore. There are four
distinct seasons. Winter is very cold but
there is hardly any snow. Spring is warm.
Summer is very hot. During the end of
summer there is also a period of intense
rain. Fall is cool and breezy.
CONCLUSION
• Now that you know a little about
Japan why don’t you try to practice
some of the customs. You can try
bowing, counting, and even
introducing yourself. Have Fun!