Japan Project By Patrick G. The Rice School Location • Japan is located in the continent of Asia, but it’s an island located eastern most of Asia. Money • The Japanese people use a type of money called yen. • If you brought a dollar to Japan it would be about a lot of yen. Population • Japan has about 127,000,000 people. • Tokyo has about 12,000,000 people. Japan Government • The Japan government started in 1947. • The three branches of the Japan government are the Legislative, the Executive, and the Judicial. • Japan has a parliamentary government system like Canada. • There are 15 judges for the Supreme Court. Japan Culture • The Japan culture is pretty much a rich blend of Asian influenced. • Japan has traditional performing arts that continue to thrive in Japan today which include kabuki, noh, kyogen, and bunraku. • Other Traditional arts such as the tea ceremony and ikebana, are part of the everyday lives of Japanese people. Japan Education • The basic school system in Japan is composed of elementary school, middle school, high school, and university. • About 97% of the Japan students go to high school. • Students learn shodo and haiku in school and we do not. Japan Clothing • The traditional dress of Japan is the kimono. • Kimono is usually worn on special occasions like the Shichi-Go-San or weddings and a lot of other occasions. • The kimono dress tends to limit one’s movement, and it takes time to put it on properly. • The word for meal in Japan is gohan. • An average Japanese meal consists of steamed rice along with fish or regular meat. Also usually vegetables for the side. Then there's soup and pickled vegetables. • All Japanese people eat with chopsticks. • Japanese even eat rice with their chopsticks. • Before eating their food they say itatakimasyu which is a polite phrase which means I receive food. Foods Geography • Japan has 42 prefectures. • These prefectures can be divided into nine regions: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. • Each region has its own dialect, customs and unique traditional culture. • The capital of Japan is Tokyo. • The land area of Japan is 378,000 square kilometers. • The whole Japan is surrounded by sea. • Japan suffers many natural disasters like typhoons which is the name of hurricanes in Japan. • 3 fourths of Japan is covered by mountains. • There are about 188 types of mammals in Japan. • There are approximately 665 species of birds. • Japan has more types of cherry trees than any other country. Early History of Japan • Stone Age: People live by hunting and gathering. • Jomon Period: Permanent settlement begins; people use polished stone tools and earthenware. • Yayoi Period: start of rice cultivation and use of metal utensils. Landmarks/ Historical Places • The oldest surviving structure in Japan ( also the oldest in the world) is called Horyuji Temple and was completed in in the year of 607. • Two major historical temples that were in Japan were called the temple of the golden pavilion and the temple of the silver pavilion. • The tallest building in Japan ( also the tallest in the world) is the Tokyo Tower and it was completed in the year of 1958. Festivals and Celebrations • April 8th is when the Buddha's birthday takes place in Japan and this is a celebration for Buddhists. • April 29 is a day to give thanks to nature and it is called Greenery Day. • There is a festival in November called the festival of the rooster. • November 15 is Shichi-gosan, a day of prayer for the healthy growth of young. Art and Music • Shinozaki Tatsuki won many awards for his artistic abilities to draw pictures really good. • Sugawara Hiroki was a very good player for drums and he is probably one of Japans top drum players. • Many kids can have artistic or musical abilities. • The boys of Wakahaya Taiko perform in public between 25 and 40 times a year. Baseball in Japan • Baseball is the most popular sport in Japan. • There are12 professional baseball teams in Japan. • The teams are divided in two leagues and they are called the central league and the Pacific league. • Each team gets to play about 140 games in one season. The Japan National Flag • Japan’s national flag is called the Hinomaru. • It became the national flag in the late nineteenth century. • The flag depicts the sun as a red disk in a white background. Japan and Videogames • Now most Japanese families with children own at least one videogame counsel. • One of the world’s favorite video game made by Japan was the Gameboy Advance. Japan Language • Three types of characters are used to write Japanese. • The word sun in Japanese is hi. • The word person in Japan is hito. • The word tree in Japanese is ki. Outside of School • The Japanese kids spend their free time in all kinds of ways like playing videogames, such as those made by Nintendo and Sony, but Japanese children also go outside to play soccer and baseball or to ride their bikes just like American kids do. Tokyo Tower • The Tokyo tower is 13 meters taller than the Eiffel tower. • The Tokyo tower was completed in the year 1958. • Visitors can ascend to the main observatory at 150 meters and the special observatory at 250 meters to get a bird’s eye view of Tokyo. Why You Should Go To Japan • It has many different Japanese customs like their food, music, video games, (thank you) plays and many other things such as the Tokyo Tower. Bibliography • http://web-jpn.org/kidsweb/index.html • http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3009.html