2. Location Japan consists of several thousands of islands, but Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku are the four largest. Japan’s closest neighbours are Korea, Russia, and China. The sea separates the Asian continent from the Japanese archipelago.

3. Longitude, Latitude, and Elevation In the Capital City of Japan (Tokyo) the Longitude is 139º 30' E and the Latitude is 35º 45' N. The elevation of Tokyo, Japan is 116 ft.

4.  Japan has many Geographic Features including: Tokyo Tower - The Tokyo Tower was made in in 1958 and stands at an impressive 333 metres / 1,093 feet, 13 metres / 43 feet higher than the Eiffel Tower. Belfry- Belfry is a tiny hill is home to a shrine to the goddess of good fortune. The bell once told the hours for the people of the district and it is said that it could be heard for a radius of no less than 6 km / 4 miles. Hanazono Jinja, Kaminarimon, Asakusa Shrine, Meiji Jingu Shrine are also interesting landmarks.

7. Japanese food offers a very large variety of dishes. Some popular dishes include: Domburi, Gomaae, Gyoza, Gyudon, Korokke, Nikujaga, Okonomiyaki, Ramen, Rice, Sashimi, Seaweed, Soba, Soya Bean, Sushi, Tempura, Udon, Yakitori, and Wasabi.

8. The vegetation consists of lush green forests to desert plants. From north to south, different forests include broadleaf evergreen, broadleaf deciduous, and coniferous evergreen woodlands. Cherry Blossoms are indigenous to many Asian states including Japan, Korea, China. Japan has a wide variety of cherry blossoms. Bonsai Trees are very popular in Japan.

9. Resources Japan’s natural resources are negligible mineral resources and fish. Japan has no natural energy resources and is the world’s largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas. Japan is also the second largest importer of oil.

11. Culture Japanese culture includes: Architecture - Originally heavily influenced by Chinese architecture, it also develops many differences and aspects which are indigenous to India. Gardens - Garden architecture is as important as building architecture and very much influenced by the same historical and religious background. Painting - Painting has been an art in Japan for a very long time. Sculptures - Traditional Japanese sculptures mainly consisted of Buddhist images, such as Tathagata, Bodhisattva and Myō-ō.

12. Climate and Weather Except for the Hokkaido area and the subtropical Okinawa region, the weather is mostly temperate, with four seasons. Winters are cool and sunny in the south, cold and sunny around Tokyo (which occasionally has snow), and very cold around Hokkaido, which is covered in snow for up to four months a year. Summer, between June and September, ranges from warm to very hot, while spring and autumn are generally mild throughout the country. Rain falls throughout the year but June and early July is the main rainy season. Hokkaido, however, is much drier than the Tokyo area. Rainfall is intermittent with sunshine. Typhoons are only likely to occur in September or October but rarely last more than a day.

13. Important Dates in History 16 th Century 1560 - Oda Nobunaga emerged victorious from the Battle of Okehazama. 17 th Century Dec. 17 1637 - Shimabara Rebellion: A rebellion began against the daimyo Matsukura Katsuie over his persecution of Christianity and onerous tax code. 18 th Century Feb.19 1709 - Tsunayoshi died. His nephew Tokugaw Ienobu succeeded him as shogun. 19 th Century July 2 1863 - Representatives of the Satsuma Province refused to turn over Richardson's killers or pay an indemnity for his death. 20 th Century Feb. 8 1904 - Russo-Japanese War: Japan launched a surprise torpedo attack on the Russian navy at Port Arthur. 21 st Century Aug. 8 2005 - The House of Councillors voted down a bill to break up and privatize Japan Post.

14. Sports Sumo Baseball Soccer Golf Ski and Snowboard Martial Arts Car Racing Hanetsuki – Japanese Badminton

15. Interesting Facts There are 176 airports in Japan, 144 of which are paved. There are 15 heliports in Japan. There are 1,196,999 Km of highways in Japan. There are 1,770 Km of waterways in Japan. There are 23,506 Km of railways in Japan.

16. Reference List http://www.fecielo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/japan- flag.png - February 5 th, 2010 http://www.fecielo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/japan- flag.png http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/country/jp/ - February 8 th, 2010 http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/country/jp/ http://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1000.html - February 8 th, 2010 http://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1000.html http://z.about.com/d/archaeology/1/0/b/-/1/japan_map.gif - February 8 th, 2010 http://z.about.com/d/archaeology/1/0/b/-/1/japan_map.gif http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/jp.htm - February 9 th, 2010 http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/jp.htm http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10004/japan_map.gi f - February 23 rd, 2010 http://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10004/japan_map.gi f http://www.tokyo.world-guides.com/tokyo_landmarks.html - February 23 rd, 2010 http://www.tokyo.world-guides.com/tokyo_landmarks.html http://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1003.html - February 23 rd, 2010 http://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1003.html

17. Reference List http://www.japan-101.com/geography/index4.htm - February 26 th, 2010 http://www.japan-101.com/geography/index4.htm http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=248 – March 5 th, 2010 http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=248 http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e620.html - March 8 th, 2010 http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e620.html http://www.expressentree.com/Images/cuisine/Japanese-food- delivery.jpg - March 8 th, 2010 http://www.expressentree.com/Images/cuisine/Japanese-food- delivery.jpg http://blog.hotelclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/japanese- cuisine.jpg - March 8 th, 2010 http://blog.hotelclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/japanese- cuisine.jpg http://lordofdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/japanese- food2.jpg - March 8 th, 2010 http://lordofdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/japanese- food2.jpg http://www.indexmundi.com/japan/natural_resources.html - March 8 th, 2010 http://www.indexmundi.com/japan/natural_resources.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_in_Japan - March 8 th, 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_in_Japan

18. Reference List http://www.toons4biz.com/v/vspfiles/photos/computer_cartoon_02X 018.jpg - March 9 th, 2010 http://www.toons4biz.com/v/vspfiles/photos/computer_cartoon_02X 018.jpg http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_main_vegetation_in_Japan - March 9 th, 2010 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_main_vegetation_in_Japan http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/npr/wetland/vegetation.html - March 9 th, 2010 http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/npr/wetland/vegetation.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom - March 9 th, 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom http://utellit.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/miniature-bonsai-tree.jpg - March 9 th, 2010 http://utellit.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/miniature-bonsai-tree.jpg http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/131/climate/Far-East- Asia/Japan.html - March 9 th, 2010 http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/131/climate/Far-East- Asia/Japan.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Japanese_history - March 9 th, 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Japanese_history http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e633.html - March 9 th, 2010 http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e633.html