Japan

Japan

Where is Japan? Japan is located in the continent of Asia, with neighbours including Russia, China, North Korea and South Korea. Japan lies east of Sea of Japan. It has a population of 127.6 million, today. The capital of Japan is Tokyo.

What is Japan’s Flag? Japan’s flag is plain white with a red disc in the centre of the flag. The red disc represents the sun. The official name for the flag is Nisshōki, meaning sun-mark flag. It is most commonly known as Hinomaro, meaning circle of the sun. The national flag is different to the military flag. Although they both use the same colours, the military flag has white and red stripes coming from the edges of the rectangle to the outside of the disc.

What do they eat in Japan? There are special, traditional foods in Japan. Usually, when you eat, your meal will consist of a serving of plain, white rice. You also have a side dish (cooked vegetables), a main dish (fish or meat), soup (often miso soup) and pickled vegetables. Japanese children of Foreign Origin will eat hamburg steak, curry and rice, ramen, spaghetti and other noodle dishes. Restaurants sell both non-Japanese and Japanese foods. Popular dishes include sushi, tempura and noodles made with buckwheat. Hamburg State Ramen

Religion and Languages Most Japanese people are not followers of religion. Those who do are either from the Buddhist religion or the Shinto religion. A poll stated that most Japanese people are 80 percent Shinto and 80 percent Buddhist. The most common languages spoken in Japan is Japanese and English. The most common languages spoken from immigrants are Korean and China.

What Sport do They Play? There are many different sports played in Japan. Traditional sports include martial arts such as Judo and Kendo. These are the two most popular sports. Others are sports imported from over seas for example baseball and soccer (football). Sumo wrestling is considered Japan’s national sport.

Economy in Japan Japan is a very wealthy country. It has the third largest economy in the world by Nominal GDP and the world’s second largest, developed economy. The money There is called Yen. Zimbabwe also uses this currency. Their prime minister’s name is Naikaku- Sori- Daijin. There is a standard for him, an emblem and a crest. The symbol for yen is a capital Y with two horizontal lines on the standing line.

What do They Wear? Wherever you go in Japan, you must always wear clean socks as before you go in someone’s house, a Japanese tradition is that you must take your shoes off. When travelling, business attire is most likely to be worn. Shorts are very unlikely. Most Japanese women wear high heels, even with casual clothes. When working, most companies require Japanese women to wear pantyhose, even in the most hottest days. All tattoos and piercings must be covered. Men, mainly wear buttondown shirts. Adult men generally don’t wear shorts, even in the most humid days. Both men and women, don’t ‘typically’ wear jewellery, hats or sunglasses. They do not wear anything with holes, band shirts, full pockets, jeans or cargo pants. Anything that looks ‘distressed’ is not to be worn.

Cherry Blossoms April is the month for the cherry blossoms to bloom. Japan has over 200 types of cherry blossoms. Once they have fully bloomed, most citizens make special visits to parks and have picnics underneath the Cherry Blossoms. The leaves are usually pickled and used as wrapping for sweets. The blossoms are also pickled and used to make a hot drink.

Tea Ceremonies Japan is known for having a ton of tea ceremonies. It is a ritual, performed by Zen Buddhist. A powdered green tea is ceremonially served by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests. A tea practitioner must be familiar with the different types of tea, flower arranging, calligraphy, kimono and incense. Even the guest of a tea ceremony requires knowledge about the religion.

Landmarks There are over 30 landmarks in Japan. Two that you may have seen before includes the Miyajima and the Matsumoto Castle. These are the two most visited landmarks in Japan. Others include; Tokyo DisneySea, Okinawa Churaumi, JigoKudani Snow Monkey Park and Todaji Temple.