United Kingdom
Japan Travel and Destination Guide
BACKGROUND INFO
Full Name
Japan (Nihon)
Capital City
Tokyo
Area
377,835 sq km
Population
127,000,000
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +9
Daylight Saving Start
not in use
Daylight Saving End
not in use
Weights Measures System
Metric
Geography
Japan floats like a dismembered seahorse along the eastern rim of the Asian continent. Around 10,000 years ago, during the last big melt, sea levels rose enough to flood the land bridge connecting Japan with the mainland. Today Japan consists of a chain of islands (four major ones and some 3900 small ones) riding a 3000km (1860mi) arc of mountains, the tallest of which is the perfectly symmetrical Mt Fuji (3776m/12,385ft). Many of these mountains are volcanic, blessing the islands with some spectacular scenery, but causing havoc when they blow their tops. The upside of all this geothermal activity is the abundance of hot springs, which dot the landscape. Japan has the dubious distinction of being one of the most seismically active regions of the world. It is calculated that the country gets around 1000 earthquakes a year, most of them too small to notice without sophisticated seismic equipment or a very elaborate hairstyle.
Languages
• Japanese (official)
Set aside several years if you want to learn to read Japanese. Japan has one of the most complex writing systems in the world, using three different scripts (four if you include the increasingly used Roman script romaji). Fortunately, for visitors to Japan, it's not all bad news. Unlike other Asian languages, Japanese is not tonal and the pronunciation system is fairly easy to master. In fact, with a little effort, getting together a repertoire of travellers' phrases should be no trouble - the only problem will be understanding what people say back to you.
People
Japanese (including indigenous Ainu & Okinawans), Korean
Religion
Shintō, Buddhism, Christianity
Government Type
Constitutional Monarchy
Government Leaders
Akihito
Emperor (head of state)
Country Dialing Code
81
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