Second Grade Magnet Studies Japan Second Grade Magnet Studies

Introduction Japan is a country situated in Asia. It is also known as Nippon which means “the land of the rising sun”. The Japanese flag has a red circle in the middle which symbolizes the red sun on a white background. Japan is made up of four main islands and over 4,000 little ones.

Culture The Japanese culture has many influences from neighbouring continents such as Europe and North America. The traditional culture comprises of many old customs extravagant costumes and their cuisine. The Japanese culture is made up of many traditions some of which are Tea ceremonies, Geishas, Cherry Blossoms, Sumos, Japanese swords, Festivals etc.  

Land and Climate Most of Japan has a humid Monsoon climate with strong winds the weather can get very hot during the summer months and very wet and cold during the winter months it also snows it gets up to -9 degrees Celsius. Japan has four distinct seasons. Japan is made up of four large islands and 4,000 little ones. The names of the four main islands are Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Hokkaido. The largest is Honshu this is where the capital Tokyo is situated. Japan is well known for its highest mountain mount Fuji; infact 70% of japans landscape is mountainous.  

Food Japans food comprises of rice as a staple, seafood such as fish and Tofu. Japanese food is very well known around the world because of its simplicity and tastiness. Sushi is one of the most known dishes. It is Rice wrapped in Seaweed with various fillings from cucumbers to teriyaki chicken. Some other examples of Japanese food would be Miso Soup( Bean soup) , Ramen ( Noodles with various vegetables), Tempura ( fish and seafood deep-fried in a tempura batter)  

Language Japanese is the sixth most spoken the language in world. More than 99% of Japan speak Japanese the rest either speak English etc. Japanese is written in characters like Chinese.  

Clothing Today a typical Japanese person wear what an average person every else in the world would were. The traditional costume for Japan is a Kimono. It is only worn on special occasions such as weddings graduation ceremonies and festivals. Different Kimonos are worn on different occasions. On a funeral Japanese people were black kimonos.  

Japan Statistics Country: Japan Capital: Tokyo Population: 127,333,002 Currency: Japanese yen (¥) Emperor: Akihito Prime Minister: Junichiro Koizumi National Flower: Cherry Blossom (sakura) National Bird: Pheasant (kiji) National Sport: Sumo Wrestling  

Bibliography www.kidswebjapan.com http://www.tooter4kids.com/Japan/introduction.htm www.en.wikipedia.com http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/culture/culture.html http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e638.html http://www.mapsofworld.com/japan/culture/traditions-in-japan.html http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/japan/landclim.html http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/japan/japan_climate.htm