• Japan’s land area is approximately 378,000km2.

• It is often said that Japan is a small country.

• Which country is similar in area to Japan?

a) France b) Germany c) Italy

Germany 357,000 km

2

• Japan can be described as a mountainous country.

Although it is a little smaller than California, 67% of its land surface is covered with mountains, and plains account for only 13%.

a)6,800

b)4,300

c)8,000

• Japan has 6,800 islands, some of which are not inhabited.

• The largest island is Hokkaido, which is where my city is located.

• It is the famous Mt. Fuji, which is 3,776 meters high.

It can in no way be compared with the world’s highest peaks such as Mt. Everest (Chomolungma, 8,848 meters) in terms of height.

• There are about 80 active volcanoes.

It is said that about 10% of the world’s volcanoes are concentrated in Japan.

• The climate of most of Japan is characterized by four distinct seasons.

• In the beginning of summer, all areas except Hokkaido have a rainy season, which usually lasts from early June to mid-July.

Autumn is also a time of substantial precipitation. From the end of summer to the beginning of autumn, typhoons generated in the western part of the North Pacific Ocean hit the country, sometimes causing extensive damage.

a) 3 meters

b) 5 meters

c) 8 meters

• Three meters of snow is not unusual and the heaviest snowfall on record is eight meters.

• The Japanese archipelago is situated along the North American Plate and the Eurasian plate.

Squeezed in under these plates are the Pacific Plate and the Philippines Sea Plate, which makes the landforms unstable, causing a lot of earthquakes in and around the area.

• A tsunami is a high tidal wave generated by a shift in the ocean floor, which is in most cases caused by earthquakes.

Most parts of the Japanese seacoast have experienced a tsunami.

• Typhoons = tropical cyclone from the North Pacific with winds up to 17m/second

• Hurricane = tropical cyclone from the North Atlantic with winds up to 33m/second

• In 1893 (26th year of Meiji), the ministry of Education decreed that kimigayo would be incorporated into primary education as the anthem to be sung at ceremonies honoring national holidays.

• As with the national anthem, there were no laws designating the Rising Sun as the national flag until the National Flag and Anthem Law made it official in August 1999.

• There is no legally designated national flower.

However, the chrysanthemum, the crest of the imperial family, and the beloved cherry blossom are commonly regarded as the national flowers of Japan.

• The pheasant is now regarded as the national bird of Japan.

It originally was

designated as such in 1947 at the 81st meeting of the National Bird Society of Japan.

• There are said to be some 50,000 kanji, most of which have been adopted into Japanese.

However, many kanji are

not necessarily used in daily life, and today, 1,945 characters have been designated as joyo kanji, or “kanji in common use.”

Of course it is impossible to know with historical accuracy, but if we begin with Emperor Jimmu chronicled in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, the current emperor would be the 125th reigning monarch.

• In 1989, the crown prince succeeded the Showa emperor to become the current Heisei emperor.

He can be described

as a man of a gentle disposition who stands firmly for peace.

The Japanese prime minister is chosen by the Diet, but not everyone can run for prime minister.

Because of the nature of the Japanese government, which is party-based, a candidate for prime minister must be a member of the Diet.

And he or she must be a civilian.

• As of October 2006, Japan had a population of 128 million, the tenth largest in the world after China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria.

Japanese people havethe longest life expectancy

in the world

men 78+

years

women 85+ years

Back in 1935, the average life span was 46.92 for males and 49.63 for females.

According to the 2000 National Census, the average number of people per Japanese household is 2.67.

Buddhism and Confucianism have had a profound influence on the Japanese spirit and world view.

• The following is a list of schools and length of study:

Kindergarten (1 to 3 years) Elementary school (6 years, from 6 to 12) Junior high school (3 years, from 13 to 15) High school (3 years) Technical college (5 to 51/2 years) Junior college (2 years) University (4 years) Graduate school (more than 2 years) Specialized training school (more than 1 year) Vocational school (more than 1 year) Specialized education school

Elementary and junior high schools are compulsory.

• rock• hip hop• reggae• Eurobeat• techno pop

Using personal computer ~ 75.3 times Listen to music ~ 69.9 times Stretching exercises ~ 55.5 times Muscular training ~ 51.6 times Study ~ 51.2 times

area: 1,121.12 km2

weather: summer --- 20c~30c

winter --- 0c~-5c

population: 1,850,000

Flower --- a lily of the valley Tree --- Lilac

Bird --- Cuckoo

• It is commonly held that about 1,000 years ago the Ainu ethnic group established the “Satsumon culture,” which encompassed a region spanning Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Hokkaido, and northern Honshu.

My dad His name is Keiji. His work is painting sign designs for businesses. My mom Her name is Tamiko. She is a Kindergarten teacher. She loves children. And she likes to sing.

My sister Her name is Mitsuko. She is 13 years old. She loves

Cartoons.

• My class is a study class, which is advanced to prepare us for university.

• My classmates are very hard workers and study long hours. (class beginning 8:40 AM – ends 6:00 PM)

• In Japan, the teachers move classes not the student.

In Canada, the students move

to different classes, and teachers stay in same class.