Japan is sometimes called the “land of the rising sun.

” The Japanese themselves

call their country Nihon or Nippon, which means “origin of the sun.” You can see
an image of the sun on Japan’s flag: a red circle on a plain white background.

In many ways, Japan is old and traditional. It’s also one of the world’s most
modern, and densely populated, countries.

Facts About Japan

Capital Tokyo
Official language Japanese
Population 127,000,000 people
Rank among countries in population 10th
Major cities Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya
146,000 square miles
Area
378,000 square kilometers
Rank among countries in area 61st
Fuji
Highest point
12,387 feet/3,776 meters
Currency Yen

ISLANDS AND MOUNTAINS

Japan is an island nation located off the northeast coast of the mainland of Asia.
The Japanese islands lie in the North Pacific Ocean. They’re separated from Asia
by the Sea of Japan (East Sea). Japan has thousands of tiny islands, but there are
four main ones: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku.

Mountains cover about three-fourths of Japan, giving the country rugged and
spectacular scenery. The most famous mountain is the majestic Fuji, a dormant
volcano on Honshu. For many people, Fuji is sacred. It’s often shown in Japanese
paintings.

EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES

The Japanese islands are actually the summits of an underwater chain of

mountains. The forces that lifted the mountains are still at work. Japan has
hundreds of earthquakes every year. Sometimes they are powerful and cause
severe damage. Underwater earthquakes can cause destructive tidal waves called
tsunamis.
There are more than 150 major volcanoes in Japan. About 40 of these are still
active. Japan is home to 1 out of 10 of the world’s active volcanoes.

FOOD FROM THE SEA

The Japanese islands have thousands of miles of coastline. That’s why fishing is a
big industry in Japan. The traditional Japanese diet includes lots of seafood.
Sashimi is a Japanese specialty of raw fish. Sushi is a cold rice dish often served
with sashimi or with dried seaweed called nori.

CROWDED CITIES

Japan is home to about 127 million people. Most of them live in towns and cities in
the narrow plains along the coasts. This makes Japan one of the most crowded
countries in the world. How crowded? In Tokyo, some people work as people
pushers. They push people onto crowded subway trains!

The people of Japan are almost all Japanese. There is little ethnic diversity. One
exception is the Ainu. They are the native people of Japan. The Ainu once nearly
disappeared, but today they are reviving their traditions. Most Ainu live on
Hokkaido.

TOKYO

Japan has many big cities such as Yokohama, Osaka, Sapporo, and Kyoto. But
Tokyo, on the island of Honshu, is by far the biggest. How big is Tokyo? It’s the
biggest city in the entire world! There are more than 26 million people living in
and around Tokyo. The city is the capital of Japan and the nation’s economic and
cultural center.

Tokyo has something for everyone. It has more than 100 universities. It has
museums such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Museum
of Science. It has theaters for modern plays as well as traditional Japanese theater.
It has old religious sites such as the Meiji Shrine and the Kanda Shrine. It even has
an imperial palace. That’s where the emperor of Japan, the nation’s symbolic
leader, still lives.

Tokyo is very modern. High-speed trains, called bullet trains, connect Tokyo to
other parts of Japan. Tokyo is a center for services such as banking and insurance,
new technology, and manufacturing.
SHOGUNS AND SAMURAI

For many centuries Japan was a feudal state. In feudalism, some people were given
land in return for military service to a nobleman. Many common people had to
work a noble’s land as servants called serfs.

By the 12th century, Japan was led by an emperor who shared power with strong
military rulers called shoguns. Each shogun was supported by loyal noblemen
called daimyo. The daimyo relied on the famous samurai warriors to fight for and
protect them.

The samurai were much like the knights of Europe. They followed a code called
bushido, or “the way of the warrior.” This meant a samurai had to be honest, polite,
and brave, and be loyal to his nobleman.

The shogun and samurai disappeared in 1871, when Japan changed its political
system. The changes opened up Japan to the modern world. But the shogun and
samurai remain an important part of Japanese history. They are often the subject of
Japanese art, novels, and films.

BASEBALL AND SUMO WRESTLING

Did you know that the most popular team sport in Japan is baseball? Baseball was
first brought to Japan in 1872. It quickly caught on. Today Japan has its own
professional league. In recent years, Japanese players such as Hideo Nomo and
Ichiro Suzuki have become star players in the United States.

A popular traditional sport in Japan is sumo wrestling. In sumo, two large, heavy
men try to shove each other out of a small ring. Sumo wrestlers follow a difficult
training program and strict way of life. Each tournament begins with a ritual
performed by all the wrestlers. Tradition even determines a wrestler’s dress and
hairstyle.

A WEALTHY COUNTRY

Today, Japan is one of the richest countries in the world. After 1945, following
Japan’s defeat in World War II, the Japanese embraced modern technology and
manufacturing. Japan’s economy grew rapidly for decades.
Japanese technology remains on the leading edge, even as Japan maintains many of
its traditions. Today, many of the world’s great makers of automobiles, electronics,
and computer games are Japanese.

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