Geography and Life in Japan Adapted from Jinghua Ye ( 叶靖华 ) Jenks Public Schools, OK, Revised by Susan Kershner

Geography has a great influence on how people live, the way they think and how they behave. This presentation will help give students an idea of how to understand and appreciate a different culture.

Japan is called the “Land of the Rising Sun.” Its flag is a red circle on a white background. The circle represents the sun. The white background represents honesty and purity.

Teachers: Have everyone sit in lines, shoulder to shoulder, side by side. Then have someone in the middle try to get up and move out of the line. Have someone else try to get out of line. Then ask the students: How do you feel? How would it be to live like this every day? How would you have to act if it was always this crowded?

People in Japan live like this every day. It is a very small country with many, many people. Everyone needs to cooperate and be considerate since there are so many people in the country.

You see pagodas all over Japan. Pagodas are part of Japanese temples.

The cherry blossom is the national flower of Japan.

The cherry blossom is a symbol for the people of Japan. When one cherry tree blossoms it isn’t very impressive. But when the whole forest blossoms at the same time, it’s amazing! The Japanese think this shows the way all people in Japan should all work together and cooperate for the beauty of the country. When the cherry blossoms fall off the trees there are so many that the children of Japan have cherry blossom fights.

Japan is a small country with many, many people. Japan is 1/25 th the size of the United States

Japan has many natural resources. Some are forests, gold, zinc, copper, coal and pearls.

Japan has many raw materials. Some are tea, rice, and livestock.

They eat a lot of seafood in Japan. Why? If you lived on an island that was surrounded by oceans what kind of food would you eat?

Japan is surrounded by water.

Bodies of Water Sea of Japan Ishikari R. Korean Straits Pacific Ocean Tone R. Shinano R. Since Japan is surrounded by water there is lots and lots of seafood. Inland Sea

Kitani Mts. Kitakami Mts. Mikuni Mts. Chugoku Mts. Kyushu Mts. Mt. Fuji The islands of Japan are really the tops of mountains, sticking out of the ocean. Almost all of Japan is covered with mountains, which makes it hard to live there or grow crops. Hokkaido Honshu Shikuku Kyushu Okinawa

Kanto Plain Nobi Plain Ishikari Plain Osaka Plain Most of the people in Japan live in the plains, which is a small area in Japan. This is also where most of the crops are grown.

Japan sits on or near the boundary of four tectonic plates: the Pacific, North American, Eurasian and Filipino plates. These huge slabs of earth's crust are endlessly creeping, slipping, locking up and then jolting again. “Tectonic plates are large plates of rock that make up the foundation of the Earth's crust and the shape of the continents. The tectonic plates make up the bottom of the crust and the top of the Earth's mantle.”

When these plates shift it causes earthquakes. Japan has had many earthquakes. The worst earthquake in Japan happened on March 11,2011.

Earthquakes can cause huge waves called tsunami. The waves of a tsunami crash into the land and cause much damage.

These pictures show damage done by the tsunami on March 11, Thousands of people died in the tsunami.

Japan is the setting of the opera Madame Butterfly. It is a story of an American Naval officer that visits Japan and falls in love with a beautiful woman, nicknamed Butterfly.

Madame Butterfly is one of the most famous operas in the world. It was composed by Puccini.

Japan is beautiful country. Madame Butterfly is a beautiful opera.