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ISLANDS OF JAPAN Japan consists of over 4000 islands; most of the country’s land mass is located on four large islands.  HOKKAIDO  The Northernmost Island.  HONSHU  The largest island.  SHIKOKU  The smallest island.  KYUSHU  The southernmost island.

HOKKAIDO  Makes up 21% of Japan’s land mass.  It is bordered by the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Pacific Ocean.  Known for it’s cool climate, mountains, volcanoes, and hot springs where macaques like to relax.  The island wasn’t settled until 1869 when it was renamed Hokkaido from Yezo.  It was originally home to the aboriginal Ainu people who still reside there.

HONSHU  It’s the largest island of Japan and is 60% of the total area of the country.  The island is mountainous and volcanic which results in many earthquakes.  Mount Fuji is the highest peak on the island.  Most of the country’s population inhabits the island of Honshu.  The capital of Japan, Tokyo, is located on this island.

SHIKOKU  Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands.  It is separated from Honshu and Kyushu by an inland sea.  The climate is humid and subtropical.  There are no volcanoes on the island.  Due to steep slopes and high mountains, Shikoku is the most remote of the four islands as it’s terrain makes communication difficult.

KYUSHU  Kyushu is the southernmost main island, and has the most tropical climate of the four.  The interior of the island is very mountainous and is home to Japan’s largest active volcano.  The island is home to the longest river in the country.  As well as being very lush and tropical, Kyushu is the most densely populated island,  Its harbor towns- specifically Nagasaki has the distinction of being the first port in the nation to receive western trade.

Government Facts – National Flag. Japan has a parliament, and a constitutional monarchy As of June, 2010 the Prime Minister is Naoto Kan The capital city is Tokyo The total population of the country is 127,078,679 as of 2009 The population is gradually declining at a rate of %

Japan’s Economy.  Currency:  Yen  GDP:  4.34 Trillion  Electric Power Generation:  Conventional Thermal (coal, oil, natural gas) 60%, Nuclear 29%, Hydroelectric 9%, renewable 2%.  Major Industries  Consumer electronics, motor vehicles, machine tools, steel, and nonferrous metals  Major exports are:  Motor vehicles, semiconductors, and office machinery  Agriculture:  Rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, fish  Unemployment rate:  4%

National Language  Japanese is the National language of Japan, and is spoken by 99% of the populace.  Many Japanese also speak and write English as it is required in schools.  There are four different writing systems within Japanese:  Kanji – the oldest writing system, borrowed from the Chinese alphabet in the early days of Japanese culture. There are hundreds of kanji, each having it’s own meaning.  Hiragana- a phonetic alphabet used commonly in most writings. Many young people view Kanji as old fashioned and many Kanji go unlearned. Hiragana is a newer writing style. Hiragana is more relatable to the English alphabet in terms of it’s symbol count.  Katakana- Similar to Hiragana, Katakana is phonetic and is basically the Hiragana alphabet but with different symbols. Used to spell and write words that are not yet in the Japanese language. Foreign words, computer lingo, slang, etc.  Romanji- is just the spelling out of Japanese words phonetically using the roman alphabet. 

Tradition. Japan is a nation steeped in Tradition, and due to that, it is a nation with countless holidays, festivals, and events. Many, if not most, of these festivities have a strong focus on the history of their country or local areas. Japan has an ancient culture, and many families can trace their lineage perfectly for hundreds of years so, family and honor are also focal points of many celebrations and traditions.

January 1 Much like in America, and the rest of the world. January 1 st or New Years is an incredibly important holiday in Japan. In Japanese tradition the changing of years is viewed more as a new beginning than it is American culture. It is tradition to visit shrines or temple on this day – Larger temples such as Meiji shrine in Tokyo attracts several million visitors during the New years day break. - Entrance to the Meiji Shrine within Tokyo city.

National Foundation Day February 11 th One of, if not the, most historical Japanese holidays. According to some of the earliest and oldest Japanese historical records on February 11 th in the year 660 B.C. the first Japanese Emperor, Jimmu, was crowned. Kenkoku kinebi Originally called Kigensetsu, or Empire Day – Founded by the Meiji emperor in 1873 to help institute respect for the emperor as the nation had just ended the long shogunate period.

Golden Week Golden week is a special week on the Japanese calendar as it hold four different holidays. Showa Day (Showa no hi, formerly Greenery Day) – April 29 th - celebrates the birthday of former Emperor Showa Constitution Day(Kenpo kinenbi) – May 3 rd, celebrates the adoption of the nations new constitution in 1947 April 29 th, May 3 rd, May 4 th, May 5 th Greenery Day( Midori no hi) – Another day dedicated to Emperor Showa This day has an emphasis on nature and the environment, due to Showa’s love for nature and wildlife. Children’s Day(Kodomo no hi) – Also known as boy’s day, on this day families pray for the health and future success of their sons. Traditions involve hanging up Carp shaped streamers and displaying samurai dolls. – Girls have their day on March 3 rd, or Doll’s day.

Ocean Day Umi no hi A relatively new national holiday. Ocean Day is celebrated on the third Monday of July. The day is dedicated to a famous boat trip that Emperor Meiji took in the British constructed Steamship “Meiji- Maru” to Hokkaido in 1876.

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