Mini-Facts

Japan is an island country in the North Pacific Ocean.  It lies just off the eastern coast of Asia and is made up of a narrow group of islands.  There are four large islands and over 3,000 smaller ones.  The four main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.  The Japanese call their nation Nippon, which means "Land of the Rising Sun."  That is because Japan is the first country to see the sun rise in the morning.

Mountains and hills cover most of the land.  Mount Fuji, the highest mountain, is also a volcano.  Because the mountains take up so much space, most of the people in Japan live in plains near the coasts.  Here there are farmlands and big cities. Tokyo is the capital and largest city.

Japan has very old customs and rules which must be followed by everyone.  For example, children must always respect their elders.  However, Japan has been changing  and the old ways are combined with the new ways of the Western world.  Japanese people enjoy baseball as much as Sumo wrestling, the ancient style of wrestling.  Most of the people wear the latest fashions.