Japan is an island country located in East Asia. It is made up of over 6,800 islands that stretch from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south. The main islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Tokyo is the capital city located on Honshu. Japan has a population of over 126 million people and is known for its culture including traditions like origami, gardens, castles, shrines, festivals, and cuisine like sushi and green tea. Shintoism and Buddhism are the main religions practiced in Japan.

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What I KNOW What I WANT to know What I LEARNED

4. Japan
United States

5. Japan is located in the North Pacific Ocean, to the east of Russia
and the Koreas, and is a part of the continent of Asia. Japan is
actually made up of four main islands and thousands of smaller
ones. The main islands are Hakkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and
Kyushu.

6. The capital of Japan is Tokyo and is located on
the island of Honshu.

7. The population
of Tokyo is
over 12 million
people.

8. •Hokkaido is the 2nd largest of the main islands.
•Population: 5,600,000
•Capital: Sapporo
•In the winter people ski in the mountains and in the
summer they enjoy the lakes and flowers.
Land of Flowers

9. The Seikan
Tunnel is a
34-mile
underground
tunnel that
connects
the island of
Hokkaido to
the island of
Honshu.

10. •Honshu is Japan’s largest island and has the largest
population.
•Population: 98,350,000
•Capital: None (because Honshu is divided into several
“states”
•Along with the capital of Tokyo, the biggest lake and
the tallest mountain are located on Honshu.

11. The largest lake in Japan is Lake Biwa. The
lake is 259 square miles and is thought to be
one of the oldest lakes in the world (5-6
million years old).
The structure in the lake is a Torii gate and is used at the
entrance to Japanese shrines.

12. The tallest peak in Japan is Mount Fuji. It is an
active volcano that last erupted in 1707-1708.
The peak is 12,388 feet high.

13. •Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands.
•Population: 4,140,000
•Capital: Takamatsu
•Shikoku is covered with many mountains and few
people live there. It is known for its vegetable farms.

14. •Kyushu is the 3rd largest of the four main islands.
•Population: 13,200,000
•Capital: Fukuoka
•Strips of farmlands have been cut into the mountainsides
and the steep mountains have many volcanoes.
•The plains have many cities and factories.

15. GOVERNMENT
United States Japan

16. Flag of Japan
The Japanese flag is a white banner with a red circle in the
center. The red circle represents the sun. The flag is
called “Hinomaru,” which means “Circle of the Sun.” It
officially became the flag of Japan on January 27, 1870.

17. Japanese Food
Japanese meals typically consist of rice,
noodles, and sushi. Meals are usually eaten
using chopsticks, not forks and spoons.

18. Meals are usually eaten at a table that is low
to the ground and people sit on mats called
tatami. The Japanese like their tables to
look fancy.
The Japanese drink lots
of green tea. The
server bows to the
guests when the tea is
served and the guests
slurp really loud to show
that the tea is good.

19. Japanese Clothing
The kimono has a very long
history in Japan and is still
worn today, however usually
only for special celebrations
and weddings.
Storing a kimono requires
wrapping it in rice paper and
lying it flat in a drawer.
Dust can be shaken off or
vacuumed off, but kimonos
are never dry cleaned nor
hung on hangers.

20. Japanese Holidays for Children
Girl’s Day
March 3rd
Boy’s Day
May 5th

21. Buddhism
*Temples are places of worship in
Japanese Buddhism. Temples store
and display sacred Buddhist objects.
Todaiji Temple
Kokedera (Moss Temple)
*Buddhism is a religion that
many people in Japan practice.
It is often combined with
Shintoism.
Kinkakuji (Golden Pavillion)

22. Shintoism
*Shinto shrines are places of
worship. People visit shrines in
order to pay respect to Shinto gods
or to pray for good fortune.
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Toshogu Shrine
*Shintoism is the largest
form of religion in Japan. It
is known for its respect for
nature.

23. Japanese Festivals
There are many local festivals in Japan because
almost every shrine celebrates one of its own.
Sapporo snow festival Kyoto Gion
Matsuri Festival
Chichibu Yomatsuri Festival

24. Things to see and places to visit in Japan
Fujita Memorial Garden
Kenrokuen Garden
Gardens
Furano Flower Fields

25. Things to see and places to visit in Japan
Himeji Castle
Matsumoto Castle
Castles

26. Things to see and places to visit in Japan
Shinkyo Bridge
Kintai-kyo Bridge
Bridges

27. Things to see and places to visit in Japan
Kegon Waterfall (Kegon No Taki)
Ryuzu Waterfall
Waterfalls

28. Japanese Koi Fish
Koi are ornamental, domesticated varieties of the common carp
that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor ponds and water
gardens. They are also called Japanese carp.
Koi Fish
Common Carp

29. Origami is the traditional
Japanese art of paper
folding. Each design is
made from a square piece
of paper that is only folded
and not usually cut.
The most well known design
is the crane. Japanese
legend says that a person
who makes 1,000 paper
cranes will have their
heart’s desire come true.

30. Japanese Language
Konnichiwa - hello
Sayonara – goodbye
The Japanese language is
written using symbols to
represent words and
phrases. There is also a
written version of
Japanese called Romanji
so that you can pronounce
Japanese without knowing
how to read the
characters.