Japan is a 15 million year old country in the north-west Pacific Ocean. It is known as Nihon or Nippon in the local language. People first came to Japan about 30,000 years ago. Emperors controlled this country until the 12th century. Europeans first arrived here in 1543, bringing guns and Christianity.
An Archipelago of Volcanoes
Japan is an archipelago of some 6,852 islands located in a volcanic zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire. More than a thousand earthquakes hit Japan every year. It also has about 200 volcanoes, 60 of which are active. Boasting of having the sixth longest coastline of the world, Japan has four main islands-Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. They make up 97 percent of the country’s total land area. The greater Tokyo area is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 37 million people.
Culture
The Japanese are famous for their willingness to work very hard. Right from a young age, children are taught to show respect for others, especially parents and authority. They learn to do what’s best for their family or company and worry less about their own needs. Japan is known worldwide for its traditional arts, including tea ceremonies, calligraphy and flower arranging. The country has developed many forms of martial arts. Its most famous traditional sport is sumo wrestling.
Traditions
There is almost no immigration in Japan. The population is 98.5% ethnic and the most favoured language is Japanese.
The traditional clothing worn in Japan is known as the kimono. The kimono is a T-shaped, front-wrapped garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body. There are different types of kimonos for men, women and children, with variations for different occasions, seasons, the wearer’s age, and the wearer’s marital status. Sushi is one of the best known Japanese foods and has become extremely popular around the world. It is generally eaten with soy sauce and wasabi.
World War 2
During World War I, Japan fought on the side of the U.S. But during World War-2, on December 7, 1941, Japan bombed the United States navy fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and made the U.S. their enemy. In August 1945, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing about 115,000 people- an incident that has gone down in history as one of the most gruesome crimes against humanity. It was the most tragic times in Japan as economy crashed and crisis followed. But the country soon took hold of itself.
Just 18 seconds delay!
Japan carries the label of being one of the oldest countries in the world. Yet, it is one of the most technologically advanced nations in the current times. It has one of the most developed railway systems in the world. The Shinkansen or The Bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Over the Shinkansen’s 50-plus-year history, carrying over 10 billion passengers, there has not been a single passenger fatality due to train accidents. Japanese trains are among the world’s most punctual: their average delay is just 18 seconds!
These and many more reasons attract many people to this LAND of the RISING SUN. If given an opportunity, I would definitely like to visit Japan and immerse myself in its beauty, tradition and modernity.
Writer : Jiyah Nair
Grade : 5 (Year 2022)
Place : Sydney, Australia
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