JAPAN

JAPAN
● Island country lying off the east coast of Asia
● The entire land area is taken up by the country’s four main
islands; from north to south these are Hokkaido (Hokkaidō), 
Honshu (Honshū), Shikoku, and Kyushu (Kyūshū)
- Honshu is the largest of the four, followed in size by Hokkaido,
Kyushu, and Shikoku
● The national capital, Tokyo (Tōkyō), in east-central Honshu, is
one of the world’s most populous cities
FACTS
Also known as Nippon / Nihon

Head of Government Prime Minister: Kishida Fumio

Population (2023 est.) 124,285,000

Currency Japanese Yen (¥)

Language Japanese

Religion Shinto and Buddhism

Japan is known worldwide for its traditional arts, including
tea ceremonies, calligraphy and flower arranging. The
country has a legacy of distinctive gardens, sculpture
and poetry. Japan is home to more than a dozen
UNESCO World Heritage sites and is the birthplace of
sushi, one of its most famous culinary exports. The
country has developed many forms of martial arts. Its
most famous traditional sport is sumo wrestling, which
can trace its origins to the 8th century.
TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS
 Mount Fuji
Without a doubt Japan's
most recognizable landmark,
majestic Mount Fuji (Fuji-san)
is also the country's highest
mountain peak. Towering
3,776 meters over an
otherwise largely flat
landscape to the south and
east, this majestic and fabled
mountain is tall enough to be
seen from Tokyo, more than
100 kilometers away
 Imperial Tokyo

Tokyo's most famous

landmark,
the Imperial
Palace with its
beautiful 17th-century
parks surrounded by
walls and moats, is a
must-see when visiting
the nation's capital.
 Osaka Castle
Built in 1586 by famous
Japanese warrior and
politician Toyotomi
Hideyoshi, Osaka Castle
(Ōsaka-jō) was at the time
the largest and most
important fortress in the
country. Although
destroyed and rebuilt a
number of times since, the
present structure, built in
1931, remains true to the
original.
FESTIVALS
Gozan no Okuribi

Gozan no Okuribi is a traditional

Buddhist event that sends off the
spirits of the deceased that had
returned during Bon Festival. It’s
one of Kyoto’s 4 major events of
the year, Every August 16, the
mountains of Kyoto are lit with
fires spelling out huge Japanese
characters. One by one, 5 send-
off fires (okuribi) are lit, with
each burning for about 30
minutes.
Aomori Nebuta Festival
Aomori Nebuta Festival is
one of the most famous
summer festivals in Tohoku.
The highlights of this event
are the vibrant warrior-
shaped lantern floats
(nebuta). The festival began
by releasing lanterns into
the rivers or ocean as a way
to wash away sins and pray
for a healthy long life during
Tanabata (Star Festival).
Chichibu Night Festival
The Chichibu Night
Festival takes place at
Chichibu Shrine, which
was registered as a
UNESCO Intangible
Cultural Heritage in 2016.
This traditional event has
been held every
December for over 300
years.
Aokigahara: the Most Famous Suicide Forest
in Japan
Aokigahara is a forest located in the
foothills of Mt. Fuji in the
Yamanashi Prefecture. Before
obtaining the name of “Suicide
Forest”, this mysterious place was
called Jukai, meaning “the Sea of
Trees”. It’s known to be the most
well-known suicide destination in
Japan and also in the world. It’s the
number two place with the highest
number of suicide, after the Golden
Gate Bridge, in California.
 WEDDING TRADITION

At a traditional Japanese
wedding, the bride and groom
usually wear Japanese wedding
kimono. The bride wears a white
wedding kimono called
“shiromuku” with a white
headdress. It symbolizes purity
and that the bride will become the
color of her husband’s family.
The groom wears kimono,
hakama (trousers), and haori
(overcoat), which are usually
black or gray and has his family’s
symbol embroidered on it.
Traditions and etiquette rules

• Taking off shoes when entering someone’s house

• Making the slurping sound when eating noodles
• Bowing 45 degrees to show respect
• Bathing in the evening rather than in the morning
• Speaking on the phone while riding a train
• Passing food to someone by using chopsticks (this
act is a reminder of funerals)
• Writing someone’s name in red ink
Narita International Airport

Narita International Airport (formerly

also known as New Tokyo
International Airport), which handles a
large number of international flights as
well as domestic and international
flights by many low-budget airlines

Haneda Airport (HND)

- handles the city's main share of 

domestic traffic and an increasing
number of international flights