Japan Overview

Japan, like any country, isn't something you can describe in just a few sentences. Below we have presented just some basic facts about the country, just to get things started.

Japan (Nippon or Nihon)

The four major islands of Japan are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, covering a total area of 377,829 square kilometers (or 145,880 square miles). There is also another island, Okinawa, but Japanese people count that as part of Kyushu. According to the National Census of 2007, the total population of Japan was 126.154million, and there were ten prefectures with more than 3 million residents. The average size for households is approximately 2.7 persons, with the average life expectancy for males being 77.64 years, and 84.62 years for females. Refrer to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Site.

Natural Features of Japan

The chief feature of the Japanese archipelago is its geological instability, resulting in frequent volcanic activity and earthquakes. Another distinctive characteristic of the topography is the fact that the Japanese archipelago is made up almost entirely of steep mountain districts with very few plains. Mountains and hills account for 73% of the land area, making Japan a very mountainous island country.

Major Mountains

Mountains	m	Prefecture
1. Fuji-san(Kenga-mine)	3776	Yamanashi, Shizuoka
2. Kita-dake (Shirane-san)	3192	Yamanashi
3. Okuhotaka-dake	3190	Nagano, Gifu

Major Lakes

A small number of large rivers, such as the Ishikarigawa, Shinanogawa, Tonegawa, Kisogawa, Yodogawa, and Chikugogawa, have large deltas at their mouths. A lake is defined as having an area of 10 kms2 or more and according to a 2007 survey; the lakes listed below are three of Japan's largest:　

lakes	km	Prefecture
1. Biwa-ko	670.3	Shiga
2. Kasumi-gaura	167.6	Ibaragi
3. Saroma-ko	151.9	Hokkaido

Facts in Brief

National Symbols

Although Japan does not have an official national anthem, "Kimigayo" (His Majesty's Reign) is considered to be the 'de facto' anthem. Similarly, the "Hinomaru" ("the sun disk") has gained worldwide recognition as the 'national flag' of Japan, although it has never been officially designated as such. There is also no national flower of Japan, although many people believe it to be the cherry blossom for its overwhelming popularity or the chrysanthemum for its association with the Imperial Household. Japan has, however, officially recognized national entities such as the national butterfly (oomurasaki), national bird (pheasant), and the national sport (sumo). The national currency of Japan is the yen (¥).

Japanese Language

The Japanese language (known as Nihongo in Japanese) has a complex writing system, comprised of Kanji and Kana. Kanji is derived from Chinese characters, with each character holding specific meaning, while Kana is a phonetic syllabry of characters, each character containing no inherent meaning in abstract. Hiragana and Katakana, two types of Kana, are used for locally derived Japanese words, and words initially 'imported' from other languages, respectively. It is not uncommon for students of the language to reach a level of fluency in spoken and written Japanese only after several years of dedicated study.　 In addition to Yakushima and Shirakami-Sanchi, which were both awarded World Natural Heritage status in December 1992, Japan also boasts nine World Cultural Heritage landmarks, including several well-known temples and shrines (see below).

World Cultural Heritage

1. Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (listed in Dec. 1993) 
2. Himeji-jo (Dec. 1993) 
3. Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities: Dec. 1994) 
4. Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama (Dec. 1995)
5. Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome: Dec. 1996) 
6. Itsukushima Shinto Shrine (Dec. 1996) 
7. Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (Dec. 1998) 
8. Shrines and Temples of Nikko (Dec. 1999) 
9. Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu (Dec. 2000) 
10. Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. (July. 2004) 
11. Shirakami-Sanchi Mountain Range(Aomori and Akita Prefectures, 1993) 
12. Yakushima Island (Kagoshima Prefecture) 
13. Shiretoko (Hokkaido July,2005)