Introduction to Japan Basic features A. Land Principal Cities B. Topography C. Climate D. The Japanese People E. LAnguage F. Life in Japan G. Religion and Beliefs H. Japanese Arts

3. BASIC FEATURES OF JAPAN
Official Name: Historical Title:
 Japan  Nihon or Nippon
means “Origin of the
Sun”
 Japan – “Land of the
Rising Sun”

4. A. Land
Boundaries Four Major Islands
 North: Sea of Okhotsk  Hokkaido
 South: Pacific Ocean
 Honshu
 West: Korean Strait
and Sea of Japan  Kyushu
 North: Pacific Ocean and East
China Sea
 Shikkkoku

7. A. Land
Land Use: Area:
 Arable Land: 11%  Land- 374,744 km2
 Permanent Crops: 1%  Water- 3,091 km2
 Permanent Pastures: 2%  TOTAL: 377,835 km2
 Forest & Woodland: 17%
 Other: 19%

8. Principal Cities
T O K Y 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
city.
Y O K O 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
chemicals, machinery, metal and petroleum products.
O S A K A - 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
largest financial centers.
N A G O Y A - 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 .
K Y O T O - H i s t o r i c a l c a p i t a l ,
famous manufacturing center of art goods
includingsilk brocades and textiles Center of heavy industries.
K O 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 .

15. B. TOPOGRAPHY
Mountains: Water Forms:
 Mt. Fuji  Shinano
 Japan’s highest peak.  Longest river.
 Japanese Alps  Ishikari
 One of the longest chains of mountains.  Second largest.
 Mt. Yanga
 Biwa
 Highest elevation in the mountain Alps
 Largest lake.
 Total # of Mountains = 200
 Total # of active Mountains = 50

22. Plains
KantoPlain
Nobi Plain
Kinai Plain

23. Plains
Kanto Plain Kanto Plain

26. CLIMATE
J a p a n b e l o n g s t o a t e m p e r a t e z o n e w i t h f o u r d i s t i n c t s e a s o n s ,
but its climate varies from cool to temperate in the north to
subtropical in the south.
N O R T H J A P A N h a s w a r m s u m m e r s b u t l o n g c o l d w i n t e r s w i t h
heavy snow.
C E N T R A L J A P A N h a s h o t , h u m i d s u m m e r s a n d s h o r t w i n t e r s .
S O U T H W E S T E R N J A P A N h a s l o n g , h o t h u m i d s u m m e r a n d
mild winters.

27. TWO PRIMARY FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE JAPAN’S
CLIMATE:
A. MONSOONS
B. MAJOR OCEANIC CURRENT
 The hottest temperature ever measured in japan 40.9 c (105.6
F) occurred in tajimi,gifu on august 16,2007.

28. THE JAPANESE PEOPLE
M o s t J a p a n e s e a r e c l a s s i f i e d a s M o n g o l o i d s ( l i k e Mongolians)
because of their physical characteristics.
T h e y h a v e a s t r a i g h t b l a c k h a i r a n d d a r k a l m o n d - s h a p e d e y e s .
T h e y a r e s h o r t e r i n h e i g h t t h a n p r e s e n t - d a y W e s t e n e r s .
T h e i r s k i n c o l o r r a n g e s f r o m f a i r t o y e l l o w i s h to brown.

32. LANGUAGE
JAPANESE
A r e u n i t e d b y a c o m m o n s p o k e n l a n g u a g e . T h i s h a s m a d e i t
easier for the Japanese to achieve political and cultural unity
more quickly than other Asian nation.
T h e J a p a n e s e l a n g u a g e i s m a i n l y P O L Y S Y L L A B I C ( m o s t w o r d s
are composed of several syllables.)
J a p a n e s e i s n o t d i f f i c u l t t o s p e a k a n d p r o n o u n c e a n d s p e l l i n g
is simpler than English or French.

33. LIFE IN JAPAN
T h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t a s p e c t i n J a p a n a s t h e b l e n d i n g o f t h e o l d a n d
the new. Although willing to adopt better ways of doing things from
other cultures, the Japanese retain much of that is traditional.
A p p r e c i a t i o n o f t h e b e a u t y a n d g r e a t n e s s o f n a t u r e h a s b e e n a p a r t
of Japanese life since earliest time.

34. RELIGION
A. SHINTOISM
-”Shinto” means “the way”
-is based on the worship of nature and good spirits called KAMI.
-they had NO bible.
-about 93% of Japanese people practiced Shintoism.
-Shinto represents 3 symbols: SWORD, STRING OF JEWEL,
MIRROR.

38. RELIGION
B. BUDDHISM AND ZEN BUDDHISM
-It was brought to Japan by the Chinese about 1500 years
ago, and spread rapidly among nobles and the upper
classes.
-Zen Buddhism believes that prayer and religious worship
are a waste of time. Personal character and discipline are
more important. Meditation (thinking) is the main form of
worship.

42. J A
A R
P T
A S
N
E
S
E

43. 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.

44. IKEBANA

45. BONSAI

46. KABUKI

47. BUNRAKU

48. Manyoshu

49. Kokinshu

50. Suim-e

51. Ukiyo-e

52. Haniwa