Japan
The Land of the Rising Sun  |  Ring of Fire  |  Shinto  |  Homogeneity

The Land of the Rising Sun

     Japan is an archipelago, or a group of islands, about 100 miles east of theAsian mainland. The ancient Japanese knew about China and Korea, but they did not know of any land east of their islands. They believed theirs was the first land awakened by the rising sun. The Japanese call their land Nippon, meaning "Land of the Rising Sun." The Europeans learned of Japan from the Chinese, who mispronounced the name as Zipango. That word eventually evolved into Japan.

     Japan consists of thousands of islands, many of which are too small for people to live. Most people live on four islands: Honshu is the largest, and and most populated island. Shikoku and Kyushu are smaller islands south of Honshu, and Hokkaido is north of Honshu. Japan is smaller than California, but because of the shape of the nation, it experiences almost as many climates as the United States. In fact, the northernmost part of Hokkaido is at the same latitude as Montreal, while the southernmost tip of Kyushu is parallel to Pensacola, Florida.

     Japan is smaller than California, but is home to more than 120 million people, making it more than four times as crowded as California. Additionally, three-quarters of the Japanese people are crowded into the narrow plain on the southeast coast of Honshu between Tokyo and Hiroshima.

     The crowded conditions influence how the Japanese people live. Land prices are very high, so most Japanese cannot afford to purchase individual houses. They instead live in danchi, small apartments that are no larger than a large room in an American home. A danchi is divided into very small sleeping and living rooms, and an even smaller kitchen and bathroom. One third of Japanese danchi measure less than eleven feet by eleven feet.

 

The Land of the Rising Sun  |  Ring of Fire  |  Shinto  |  Homogeneity

Ring of Fire

To cite this page:
Dowling, Mike., "The Electronic Passport Homework to Japan," available from http://www.mrdowling.com/616japan.html; Internet; updated Wednesday, May 1, 2002 . ©2008, Mike Dowling. All rights reserved.