Japan has a population of about 127 million people.
Japan consists of 5 main groups of islands; Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa.
Japan has four seasons and each season has a different climate.
In Japanese, there are three types of written characters; kanji, hiragana and katakana.
The kimono is the traditional Japanese national costume. These days not many Japanese people wear kimonos every day.
Recently, foreign tourists enjoy wearing kimonos in Kyoto. It's fun and allows them to vividly experience a piece of Japanese culture.
Japanese take off their shoes when entering a house.
Rice is a staple food of the Japanese.
Japanese sake is brewed from rice grains.
Japanese cuisine was registered as World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013.
Generally, Japanese people say «Itadakimasu» before eating, and «Gochisousamadeshita» after finishing, to show appreciation for the food and the cook.
Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan.
Altitude: 3,776 m
Many people visit shrines or temples to pray for a happy New Year during the New Year’s holiday.
The Shinkansen is a high-speed train network in Japan that allows you to travel quickly.
Hot springs are very common in Japan, and Japanese people have enjoyed them for hundreds of years.
In Japan, it is more common to bow instead of shaking hands. Japanese are taught to do so as a gesture of showing respect to others. For example, bowing is also an integral part of traditional martial arts such as Kendo and Karate.
Traditional Japanese arts include kabuki, noh, rakugo, tea ceremony, ikebana, calligraphy, and origami.
Kyoto is the most popular tourist destination in Japan which attracts many visitors from far away. Kyoto contains roughly 2,000 temples and shrines.
There are many other things about Japan, we'll introduce them little by little. : )
