JAPAN
Official Name: Historical Title:
Japan Nihon or Nippon means “Origin of the Sun”
Japan – “Land of the Rising Sun”
BASIC FEATURES OF JAPAN
Boundaries Four Major Islands
North: Sea of Okhotsk
South: Pacific Ocean
West: Korean Strait and Sea of Japan North: Pacific Ocean and
East China Sea
Hokkaido
Honshu
Kyushu
Shikkkoku
A. Land
Land Use: Area:
Arable Land: 11%
Permanent Crops: 1%
Permanent Pastures: 2%
Forest & Woodland: 17%
Other: 19%
Land- 374,744 km2
Water- 3,091 km2
TOTAL: 377,835 km2
A. Land
T O KY O - F i n a n c i a l a n d c o m m e r c i a l c e n t e r ; J a p a n ’ s c a p i t a l a n d l a r g e s t c i t y .
Y O KO H A M A - L e a d i n g s e a p o r t a n d s h i p b u i l d i n g ; i n d u s t r i a l c e n t e r o f c h e m i c a l s , m a c h i n e r y, m e t a l a n d p e t r o l e u m p r o d u c t s .
O S A KA - I m p o r a n t s e a p o r t a n d a i r l i n e t e r m i n u s ; O n e o f J a p a n ’ s l a r g e s t fi n a n c i a l c e n t e r s .
N A G O YA - M a n u f a c t u r i n g c e n t e r o f l a c q u e r w a e , t e x t i l e s a n d p o e t r y.
KY O T O - H i s t o r i c a l c a p i t a l , f a m o u s m a n u f a c t u r i n g c e n t e r o f a r t g o o d s i n c l u d i n g s i l k b r o c a d e s a n d t e x t i l e s C e n t e r o f h e a v y i n d u s t r i e s .
KO B E - L e a d i n g s e a p o r t a n d s h i p b u i l d i n g .
Principal Cities
Tokyo
Yokohama
Osaka
Nagoya
Kyoto
Kobe
Mountains: Water Forms:
Mt. Fuji Japan’s highest peak.
Japanese Alps One of the longest chains of mountains.
Mt. Yanga Highest elevation in the mountain Alps
Total # of Mountains = 200 Total # of active Mountains = 50
Shinano Longest river.
Ishikari Second largest.
Biwa Largest lake.
B. TOPOGRAPHY
Mt. Fuji
Mt. Fuji
Japanese Alps
Shinano River
Ishikari River
Ishikari River
KantoPlain
Nobi Plain
Kinai Plain
Plains
Kanto Plain Kanto Plain
Plains
Nobi Plain
CLIMATE
J apan be l ongs to a t empera te zone w i th f our d i s t i nc t seasons , bu t i t s c l imate var i e s f r om coo l t o t empera te i n the nor th to sub t rop i ca l i n the sou th .
NORTH JAPAN has warm summers bu t l ong co ld w in te r s w i th heavy snow.
CENTRAL JAPAN has ho t , humid summers and shor t w in te r s .
SOUTH WESTERN JAPAN has l ong , ho t humid summer and mi ld w in te r s .
TWO PRIMARY FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE JAPAN’S CLIMATE:
A. MONSOONSB. MAJOR OCEANIC CURRENT
The ho t te s t t empera ture eve r measured i n j apan 40 .9 c (105 .6 F ) occur red i n t a j im i ,g i fu on augus t 16 ,2007 .
THE JAPANESE PEOPLE
Most J apanese a re c l ass ifi ed as Mongo lo ids ( l i ke Mongo l i ans ) because o f the i r phys i ca l charac te r i s t i c s .
They have a s t ra igh t b l ack ha i r and dark a lmond - shaped eyes .
They a re shor te r i n he igh t than presen t -day Wes teners .
The i r sk in co l o r r anges f r om fa i r t o ye l l ow i sh t o b rown .
JAPANESEAre un i ted by a common spoken l anguage . Th i s has made i t eas i e r f o r the Japanese to ach i eve po l i t i ca l and cu l tu ra l un i t y more qu i ck l y than o ther As i an na t i on .
The Japanese l anguage i s ma in l y POLYSYLLABI C (mos t words a re composed o f severa l s y l l ab l e s . )
J apanese i s no t d iff i cu l t t o speak and pronounce and spe l l i ng i s s imp le r than Eng l i sh o r French .
LANGUAGE
The mos t impor tan t aspec t i n J apan as the b l end ing o f the o ld and the new. A l though w i l l i ng to adopt be t te r ways o f do ing th ings f r om o ther cu l tu res , the Japanese re ta in much o f tha t i s t r ad i t i ona l .
Apprec i a t i on o f the beau ty and grea tness o f na tu re has been a par t o f J apanese l i f e s i nce ear l i e s t t ime .
LIFE IN JAPAN
A. SHINTOISM-”S h i n t o ” m ea n s “ t h e w a y ”
- i s ba s ed o n t h e w o r s h i p o f n a t u r e a n d go o d s p i r i t s ca l l ed KA MI .
- t h ey h a d N O b i b l e .
- a bo u t 9 3 % o f J a pa n es e peo p l e p r a c t i ced S h i n t o i s m .
- S h i n t o r epr es en t s 3 s y m bo l s : S WO RD, S T RI N G O F J E WE L , M I RRO R.
RELIGION
B. BUDDHISM AND ZEN BUDDHISM
- I t was b rough t to J apan by the Ch inese abou t 1500 year s ago , and spread rap id l y among nob les and the upper
c l asses .
-Zen Buddh i sm be l i eves tha t p rayer and re l i g i ous worsh ip a re a was te o f t ime . Pe r sona l charac te r and d i sc ip l i ne a re more impor tan t . Med i ta t i on ( th ink ing ) i s the ma in f o rm o f worsh ip .
RELIGION
JAPANESE
ARTS
TEA CEREMONY
The tea ceremony is designed to make a person one with nature, to see beauty in simplicity and economy of movement.
It is an art, not a means of offering refreshment.
JAPANESE ARTS
IKEBANA
BONSAI
KABUKI
BUNRAKU
Manyoshu
Kokinshu
Suim-e
Ukiyo-e
Haniwa
The End!!Thank You
For Listening!!
