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Japan

We live in a ime of great change and an increasing need for a celebration of diversity. Each month Earthy Family will explore a new culture in our World Travels section and will provide information for families to share the world together. It is our goal to create a greater understanding of the wonderful diversity in our world in a fun and family-centered manner. So take a peek and then invite your family to travel the world with you. Perhaps you want to have a "travel night" once a month where you immerse yourselves in a country and cook traditional foods, listen to traditional music, celebrate with a festival and talk about the issues facing the people of the chosen culture. Or perhaps you want to learn about the culture more slowly, helping each other learn a few new words, a few new facts and a few new recipes throughout the entire month. Adapt our ideas so it works for your family and have fun!

Facts & Figures

Total area:
377,835 sq km - this ranks Japan 61st in the world in terms of total area.

Border countries:
Japan is an island with no land border countries. The nearest countries to Japan are North Korea, South Korea, China and Russia. Click Here forLonely Planet Map

Population:
127,214,499 (July 2003 est.). This makes Japan the 9th most populated country in the world.

Religion:
The two most popular religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism.

Shinto is the original religion of Japanese people and teaches a great respect for nature. Shinto honours the sacred spirits of earth and heaven called Kami. There is no founder of Shinto, nor are there sacred scriptures.

Buddhism (which originated in India) was brought to Japan in the 6th Century. Buddhism focuses on reincarnation and the belief that all actions have an impact on future lives.

For a more in-depth discussion of Shinto and Buddhism in Japanese society, check out Shinto & Buddhism:Wellsprings of Japanese Spirituality by Paul Watt.

Language
Japanese

Capital
Tokyo (population: 12,289,519)

States & Territories
Japan is made up of a thousand islands, most of which are incredibly small. The vast majority of the population live on one of the 4 largest islands: Hokkaido, Honshu (where most people live), Shikoku, and Kyushu. (For more information on Geography, click here) Insert Link.

Japan is divided into 47 prefectures
Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi

Flag
The Japanese flag is white with a large red disk in the center. Japan is known as the “Land of the Rising Sun” and the red disk on the flag represents the sun without rays.

 

Industry & Agriculture
Japan is one of the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals; textiles, and processed foods

The major agricultural products include:
Rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish

What can you find in your house or local store that was made or grown in Japan?

Currency of Japan
Yen (JPY)
One Canadian dollar is worth about 81 yen. One American dollar is worth about 109 yen.

If you were to convert the money in your piggy bank or savings account into yen, how much would you have? How much would it cost to buy your favourite treat? How about your favourite toy or a new CD?