1. Japan by Mrs. Striggow’s Class 2014-2015

2. Contents Introduction1 What is the land of Japan like?2 What is Japanese language like?3 What are some Japanese holidays and celebrations?4 What are Japanese food and clothes like?5 What Japanese animals are unique?6 What do Japanese do for entertainment?7 What are Japanese schools like?8 Conclusion9 Bibliography 10

3. Introduction Japan is a land of contrast. There is much that is modern, and there is much that is traditional. 1

4. What is the land of Japan like? Japan is a land of almost 4,000 islands in Asia. There are four big main islands: Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Hokkaido. Four-fifths of Japan is mountains. Mount Fuji, a dormant volcano, is the highest mountain. There are 200 volcanoes in Japan, and 60 are active. Each year there are more than 1,000 earthquakes in Japan. The capital city is Tokyo. 2

5. Japanese people speak and write Japanese. Kanji stands for characters, and there are two thousand kanjis. They have forty-six characters in the alphabet. There are three different ways to write Japanese. They are Katakana and Hiragana and Kanji. Good day = kon-ni-chi-wa Japan = Nip-pon Good bye = sa-yo-na-ra What is Japanese language like? 3

6. What are some Japanese holidays and celebrations? Japanese people celebrate many holidays and celebrations. Japanese people celebrate Children’s Day on May 5 th. January 1 st is New Year’s Day. They celebrate with fireworks. On January 15 th is Adults Day. The Emperor’s birthday is celebrated on April 29. In Japan the people love their traditions. They have a tea ceremony when they drink tea. 4

7. What are Japanese food and clothes like? Japanese people have traditional and modern clothes. Japanese people take off their shoes because they have expensive mats and the mats tear. In Japan sometimes they wear kimonos. Kimonos are made of colored silk. Japanese people’s food is different from American food. Japanese people use chopsticks. Seafood in Japan is popular. Before eating any meal Japanese people say “itadakimasu” which thanks the cook. In Japan rice is the most important food. 5

8. What Japanese animals are unique? There are many unique animals in Japan. Snow monkeys live on Honshu Island. They go in hot springs in the winter to stay warm. Japanese goldfish are used to be pets. Some of the Japanese goldfish types are bubble eye, celestial, and black moor. Cranes’ Japanese name is “Tancho”. They also dance in the snow. 6

9. Japanese people do many sports and activities. Sumo wrestling has been around for about 1,000 years. In Japan kids play soccer, baseball, tennis, and volley ball. Japanese people jog and ski a lot. Baseball is very important to Japanese people. Kendama started in Japan, but kids all over the world play it. A kendama has a ball on a string with a stick. Japanese people watch a lot of things, like other Japanese people doing plays, dancing and sumo wrestling. Japanese people like to watch anime, or animated shows. What do Japanese do for entertainment? 7

10. What are Japanese schools like? Japanese schools are different and similar to U.S. schools. The students don’t just clean inside the school, they clean on the playground too. Kids are divided into small teams for many activities. They go on many trips to interesting places. Most school kids wear uniforms. They even go to school on some Saturdays. Some of their activities are how to learn origami and Japanese characters too. Japanese schools are different and similar to the United States of America’s schools. 8

11. Conclusion In Japan, people are always thinking about the past and looking to the future. Japan is a land of contrasts. 9

12. Bibliography Bobbie Kalman, Japan the Land, 1989 Karen Jacobsen and Richard Tames, Journey Through Japan, 1982 Kunio Ekiguchi and Ruth S. McCreery, Japanese Crafts and Customs, 1987 Judith Elkin, A Family in Japan,1987 National Wildlife Federation, Ranger Rick’s Special Japan Issue, November 1976 National Geographic Kids.com, 1996-2015 Kids Web Japan.com, 2014 10