Japan i/dʒəˈpæn/ (Japanese: 日本 Nippon or Nihon; formally 日本国

Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, literally "[the] State of Japan") is an

island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the
east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and
Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East
China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up
Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes
referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
 Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of
the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by
the constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people".
Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected
members of the Diet, while sovereignty is vested in the Japanese
people. Akihito is the current Emperor of Japan; Naruhito, Crown Prince of
Japan, stands as next in line to the throne.
 Japanese sculpture,
largely of wood,
and Japanese painting are
among the oldest of the
Japanese arts, with early
figurative paintings dating
back to at least 300 BC.
The history of Japanese
painting exhibits synthesis
and competition between
native Japanese
aesthetics and adaptation
of imported ideas.
 The music of Japan includes a wide array of performers in
distinct styles both traditional and modern. The word
for music in Japanese is 音楽 (ongaku), combining the kanji 音
("on" sound) with the kanji 楽 ("gaku" music).[1] Japan is the second
largest music marketin the world, with a total retail value of
4,096.7 million dollars[2] and most of the market is dominated by
Japanese artists.
 Mount Fuji (富士山 Fujisan?, IPA: [ɸɯꜜdʑisaɴ] located on Honshu Island, is the
highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft).[1] An active strato
volcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometers (60 mi)
south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's
exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped several months a year, is
a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and
photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers. It is one of Japan's
"Three Holy Mountains."
 A cherry blossom is the
flower of any of several trees of
genus Prunus, particularly the
Japanese Cherry, Prunus
serrulata, which is sometimes
called sakura after the
Japanese.
The Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple is located in Eastern Kyoto
and can be traced back as far as the year 798. An indoor
waterfall fed from the outside river keeps the temple in
harmony with nature and not one nail was used in
construction. While locals used to jump off the edge to have a
wish granted (with a survival rate of 85.4%), modern visitors can
enjoy the shrines and talismans and artwork on display without
risking life and limb.
 The Emperor of Japan makes his home at
the Tokyo Imperial Palace. It also functions as
an administration center and museum to
showcase Japanese art and history.
Kinkaku-ji or the Temple of the Golden Pavilion is the most popular tourist
attraction in Japan and Kyoto. The pavilion was originally built as a retirement
villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the late 14th century. Unfortunately, the
pavilion was burnt down in 1950 by a young monk who had become obsessed
with it. Five years later, the temple was rebuilt as an exact copy of the original.
Emphasis is placed on the building and surrounding gardens being in harmony
with one another. The pavilion is covered in gold leaf which highlights the
reflection of the pavilion in the pond and the pond’s reflection on the building.
 Yakitori (焼き鳥, やきとり, ヤキトリ?), grilled
chicken, is commonly a Japanese type
ofskewered chicken. The term "yakitori" can also
refer to skewered food in general.
Sōmen (素麺?) are very thin—less than
1.3 mm in diameter—
white Japanese noodlesmade of wheat
flour. The noodles are usually served cold.
The noodles' diameter is the chief distinction
between sōmen and the thicker wheat
noodles hiyamugi and Japanese wheat
noodles udon. Sōmen noodles are stretched
when made, as are some types of udon
noodles. The dough is stretched with the
help of vegetable oil to make very thin strips
and then air dried.
 Ramen (ラーメン rāmen?, IPA: [ɽaːꜜmeɴ]) is a
Japanese noodle dish. It consists ofChinese-style wheat
noodles served in a meat- or (occasionally) fish-
based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and
uses toppings such as sliced pork (チャーシューchāshū?),
dried seaweed (海苔 nori?), kamaboko, green onions, and
occasionally corn.
 Sushi (すし, 寿司, 鮨, 鮓, 寿斗, 寿し, 壽司?) is a Japanese
food consisting of cooked vinegared rice sushi-meshi (鮨飯,
"sushi rice") combined with other ingredients (neta [寿司ネタ
]), usually raw fish or other seafood. Neta and forms of sushi
presentation vary widely, but the ingredient which all sushi
have in common is vinegared rice. The rice is also referred to
as (shari [しゃり]) and "sumeshi" (酢飯, "vinegared rice").
 With the vision of The Peninsula Tokyo as a
traditional Japanese lantern, the hotel is a
shining landmark superbly located in the
prestigious Marunouchi financial district,
opposite the Imperial Palace and a three-
minute walk from the shopping capital of Ginza.