Japan is an East Asian island country.

It is located between the Pacific Ocean and the

Sea of Japan, east of China, Russia and the Korean peninsula. Known as "The Land of the
Rising Sun", it is one of the world’s greatest economic powers. Japan is made up of four
main islands: Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, which make up 97 per cent of the
country’s total area, and another 6.848 adjacent smaller islands. It has a population of
127 million people, the tenth largest in the world. The metropolitan area of Tokyo, which
includes the capital city of Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures, is the largest urban
area in the world in terms of population, housing more than 30 million inhabitants. It is
the second most populous country in East Asia, after China.

History

Within the history of Japan highlights the episode where it attacked the American
naval base of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, which led the American country to
declare war on the Japanese Empire in the framework of World War II. After a long
campaign in the Pacific, Japan lost Okinawa and was forced back to the four main islands.
The US military attacked Tokyo, Osaka and other cities with conventional strategic
bombardments and Hiroshima and Nagasaki with two atomic bombs. Japan finally
accepted unconditional capitulation to the US army on August 15, 1945, thereby ending
the war.

At the end of the conflict, the US military occupied Japanese territory until 1952,
after which Japan would begin a very important economic recovery that would restore
prosperity to the archipelago. Okinawa remained occupied until 1972, and the US
military currently maintains a hundred bases in this country.

Organización Territorial

Japan is made up of 8 regions (Hokkaidō, Tōhoku, Kantō, Chūbu, Kinki, Chūgoku, Shikoku
and Kyūshū and Okinawa) which comprise 47 prefectures: a metropolitan district (ᘕ;
Hokkaidras; ᘕ (Tokyo; 䍕 (to Okinawa), Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 rural prefectures (県;
Ken). In Japanese, this territorial division is usually called Todōfuken (都 道 府 県).

This division was established by the Meiji government in 1871 and is known as the
abolition of the Han system. Although some 300 prefectures were initially created, this
number decreased to a total of 47 in 1888. The Local Government Act 1947 gave more
political power to the prefectures, providing them with the capacity to elect governors
through local elections. In 2003, Prime Minister Jun’ichirō Koizumi proposed the union
of prefectures in 10 regions that would have more autonomy than the current
prefectures.
Geografía

Japan is a stratovolcanic archipelago consisting of 374.744 km² of islands and 3.091

km² of water and consisting of more than six thousand islands stretching along the east
Asian coast of the Pacific Ocean and in the Ryukyu archipelago, Izu and Ogasawara.
According to the 2005 census, it has 127,55 million inhabitants. The country is located
northeast of China and Taiwan (separated by the East China Sea), slightly east of Korea
(separated by the Sea of Japan) and south of Siberia, Russia. The four main islands,
from north to south, are Hokkaidō, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. The island of Okinawa
(600 km southwest of Kyushu) follows in magnitude. About 73% of the country is
mountainous, each island has its mountain range. The highest mountain is Mount Fuji
(Fujisan), 3.776 m

of height and Kitadake, with 3.193 m of height. Because there is so little flat land in
Japan, many hills and slopes are fully used for cultivation. Since it is located in an area
of high volcanic activity, small earthquakes and occasional volcanic activity for which
the country is highly prepared are common.

Clima

It is a rainy country with a high humidity, it has a temperate climate with 4 distinct
seasons, thanks to the distance to which it is in relation to the equator.

Fauna y flora

The fauna includes 132 species of mammals, 583 species of birds and 66 species of
reptiles, batrachians and fish. There are still black and brown bears, foxes and deer.
The only primate is the red face ape (the monkey of Japan) that populates the entire
Honshu territory.

The great variety of Japanese vegetation (about 17.000 species) is due to the climate
and the relief. Forests cover 67 per cent of the country’s surface and consist mostly of
leafy and coniferous trees: chestnuts, beeches, maples, yours, red pines and larks, along
with birch and ash trees. To the west it dominates a forest of conifers that grow next
to bamboos, magnolias and green chestnuts. White and red plums, early flowering
cherry trees, bamboo and pine trees have become traditional symbols of the country

Demografía
Japan is currently experiencing a decline in its birth rate (1,3 children per woman),
caused, inter alia, by the high cost of raising and educating a child. Add to this the fact
that it ranks third in the world’s longest population (82,07 years), the combination of
fewer births with later deaths, makes it fear for the viability of its pension system and
the future availability of sufficient labour. In 2005, for the first time, the number of
Japanese decreased, with fewer births recorded than deaths

Shoshika (少 子 化) is a newly minted word (1990’s), the translation of which could be "a
decrease in the number of children" and which is now being used to refer to this
growing lack of infants in Japanese society.

Cultura

Japanese culture has evolved considerably in recent years, from the original country of
the Jōmon culture to its contemporary culture, which combines the influences of Asia,
Europe and the United States. Traditional arts include crafts (ikebana, origami, ukiyo-e,
dolls, lacquers, pottery), performances (bunraku, Kabuki, Noh, rakugo), traditions (tea
ceremony, Budō, architecture, gardens, swords) and cooking.

The fusion between traditional wood printing and Western art led to the creation of
manga, a Japanese format of popular cartoon in and out of Japan. The manga has
influenced the animation for the television and the cinema giving origin to the anime and
the so called live action movie, usually films or teleseries embodied by actors and based
on popular animation series. Japanese video game consoles have flourished since the
1980s.

Religión

The Japanese incorporate the features of many religions into their daily lives in a
process known as syncretism. Japanese streets are decorated at the parties of
Tanabata, Obon, Halloween and Christmas. A popular prayer when you have problems is
"Kami-sama, Hotoke-sama, dōka otasuke kudasai." (‘God and Buddha, help me somehow,
please’) , which seems to imply a syncretist belief. Many people, especially those from
young generations, feel that religions are part of traditional culture.

Buddhism is the majority religion; Shinto was the official religion of the country until
the seventh century and is now the second religion in number of followers. Due to the
historical influence of China, there are also Confucians, Taoists, etc. Christianity is also
practiced, mainly in its forms of Protestantism and Catholicism, although it is a minority
religion.

Deportes

Traditionally, it is considered the ultimate fighting style as the national sport since it is
one of the most popular sports among spectators. Martial arts such as judo, Kendō and
karate are also widely practiced

Sociedad

Young people have suffered an intense revolution as a result of pressure from school,
family, and the very strict education code. Thus, some imitate the young people of
Western culture and their appearance tries to be similar to manga and anime.

Gastronomía

Japan’s gastronomy as a national cuisine has evolved over the centuries due to many
political and social changes. In the Old Ages most of the cuisine was influenced by
Chinese culture.