10/16/20151 japan japan country profile – karen ostromecki land of the rising sun

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JAPAN

JAPAN Country Profile – Karen Ostromecki

Land of the Rising Sun

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Country Profile Language: Japanese Government: Parliamentary with

constitutional monarchy Prime Minister: Yukio Hatoyama

(2009) Capital: Tokyo Flag description:

White with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center

Population: 127,078,679 (2009 est.) 98.5% ethnic Japanese. 1.5 percent are mostly Korean considerable numbers of Brazilians,

Chinese, and Filipinos Population Growth Rate: -

0.191% (2009 est.), World Rank: 219th

GDP: 4.34 Trillion (2008) Industries: Consumer electronics,

motor vehicles, machine tools, steel, and nonferrous metals

Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Exports: Motor vehicles, semiconductors, and office machinery

Agriculture: Rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, fish

Currency: Yen Life Expectancy: Average: 82, Male:

78.8, Female: 85.6 GDP per Capita: $33,800 Literacy Rate: 99% Unemployment Rate: 5.5% Oil imports: 5.425 million bbl/day Internet Users: 87.5 million Environmental Issues: Acid rain;

Japan is the largest consumer of Amazon rainforest, timberdegrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber

Most popular sport: Baseball


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Demographics & Geography Japan is an island nation in East Asia comprising a large stratovolcanic archipelago

extending along the Pacific coast of Asia, off the coast of Russia &the Korean peninsula.

Japan consists of four main larger islands and more than 4000 smaller islands. The main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.

The area of Japan is 377,873km2, which makes it slightly smaller in land mass than California.

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous/ Highest pt: Mount Fuji 3,776,

Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis.

Disaster risks arising from population growth and climate change.

Japan is the 19th most densely populated country in the world


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Background & History

Japan history begins with the migration of people from the Asian mainland during a period in which the sea separating present day Japan from China and the Korean Peninsula was only partially formed. When the sea rose and the land bridges washed away, these first inhabitants of ancient Japan were left to settle the islands.

During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against Japan in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

10,000BC – 300BC: Jomon Period 300BC – 300AD: Yayoi Period 300AD – 710AD: Kofun Period or the Yamato Period 710 – 794: The Nara Period 794 – 1192: Heian Period 1191 – 1333: Kamakura Period 1333 – 1573: Muromachi Period 1600 – 1867: Edo Period 1868 – 1912: Meiji Period: 1926 – 1989: Showa Period 1926 – 1945: Expansionism Period 1952 – 1989: Post-occupied Japan: Japan entered a period of peace and great economic growth after

enacting the Treaty of San Francisco. 1989 - PresentHeisei Period: Japan's current period named by Emperor Akihito after the death of his

father, Hirohito, the Showa Emperor.

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Culture Technological sophistication and mass culture have not led to strongly rooted

individualism in Japan. Groups are still a very strong source of identity.

Japanese culture consists of the interaction between a strong original Jōmon culture and subsequent influences from the rest of the world. Culture of China was first mostly influential, starting with the development of the Yayoi culture from around 300BC.

After several waves of immigration from the continent and nearby Pacific islands (see History of Japan), the inhabitants of Japan experienced a long period of relative isolation from the outside world under the Tokugawa shogunate until the arrival of "The Black Ships" and the Meiji era.

Japan is one of the world's largest exporters of popular culture. Japanese cartoons, comic books, fashion, films, literature, and music have gained popularity around the world, especially in the other countries of Asia.


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Society Japan is an extremely homogeneous society with non-Japanese, mostly Koreans

and Chinese, making up only about 1% of the population.

The vast majority of the population live on the crowded coastal plains of the main island of Honshū.

The Japanese people are primarily the descendants of various peoples who migrated from Asia in prehistoric times; the dominant strain is N Asian or Mongolic, with some Malay and Indonesian admixture.

One of the earliest groups, the Ainu, who still persist to some extent in Hokkaido, are physically somewhat similar to Caucasians. Japanese is the official language.

Of major concern to Japanese government policy planners are the expected steady decline in the population during the 21st cent. (the population decreased for the first time in 2005) and the large and growing portion of the population that is elderly.


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Art Japan developed a unique original culture in various mediums;

Arts

Crafts

Performances

Traditions

Ikebana

Origami

Ukivo-e

PotteryLacquer ware Dolls

Noh BunrakuKabuki

Traditional Tea Ceremony

Onsen Sento


Origami

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Language and Dialects Japanese is the sixth most spoken language in the world

Japanese is believed to be linked to the Altaic language family, which includes Turkish, Mongolian and other languages, but also shows similarities to Austronesian languages like Polynesian.

Dozens of dialects are spoken in Japan

Japanese uses four different writing systems; Kanji (Chinese characters), Hiragana (phonetic alphabet for native words), Katakana (phonetic alphabet for foreign words), and Romaji (western alphabet used to write Japanese)

Dialects are used in areas, particularly in Kyoto and Osaka, but standard Japanese, based on the speech of Tokyo, has become more popular through the use of television, radio and movies.

In newspapers, the words of Chinese and origin number greater than the Japanese native words.

Japanese is written using two systems of orthography, Chinese characters and syllabifies.


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Religeous Practices

There are two principal religions in Japan, Shintoism and Buddhism, officially followed by 54% and 40% of the population respectively.

The Japanese people's concern towards religion is mostly related to mythology, traditions, and neighborhood activities rather than as a source of morality or a guideline for one's life.

The largest new religion is Soka Gakkai, a Buddhist sect, founded in 1930. Its declared motto is peace, culture and education.

Religion in Japan tends to be synergetic in nature, and this results in a variety of practices such as parents and children celebrating Shinto rituals, students praying before exams, couples holding a wedding at a Christian church and funerals being held at Buddhist temples.

Miyajima is universally recognized as being among the top three scenic places in

Japan. A short ferry ride from Hiroshima, Myajima island is home to the beautiful Itskushima Shrine, a World Heritage Site, and home to the famous "floating" Torii gate.


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TourismCenturies of excitement await throughout Japan. Experience the beauty and splendorof ancient shrines, temples, and traditions as you explore Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and othercities throughout the country.

Cherry blossoms frame a pagoda on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima. This is a solar-powered,

illuminated rooftop garden at the top of the legendary Tokyo landmark, 115-year-old Imperial Hotel.

The famous floating torii at Itsukushima Shrine

Sunrise on Mt. Fuji

Himeji castle

Great Buddha of Kotokuin

10/16/20151 japan japan country profile – karen ostromecki land of the rising sun

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