Land of the Rising Sun Made up of more than 1,000 islands, the geography of Japan has been compared to a sea horse. Japanese people call their country Nippon which means "land of the rising sun" and this symbolism is depicted on the national flag. Japan's north islands are hilly and cold - cold enough to host the 1972 Winter Olympic Games. The southern islands curve towards Taiwan and are full of white sand beaches and coral reefs. Japan sits on the ring of fire, a circle of lands that border the Pacific Ocean where many volcanoes are located and earthquakes occur. In Japan alone there are nearly 250 volcanoes including the largest volcano in the world, Mount Aso. Folklore says that earthquakes happen when catfish flap their tails, and Japan has over 1,500 of the "tail flappings" each year. Japan's original people arrived nearly 10,000 years ago by crossing land bridges that have since disappeared into the ocean. Emperors have ruled the country for the last 1,500 years. Beginning in the 1630's Japan was closed to foreigners and trade to other countries was not permitted. In 1853, the U.S. Navy sailed into Japan's harbor and pressured the country to begin trading again. Today, Japan is now the second largest economy in the world and manufactures more automotive vehicles than any one else - 11 million cars, trucks and busses a year! Ancient Traditions In the country's early days, Japan imported many of its arts from China and Korea. Over time as these arts mixed with the local culture, they became uniquely Japanese. Many of these art forms involve meditation and reflection. These include ikebana, the 1,400 year old tradition of flower arranging. The idea is to represent harmony among heaven, earth and humans through these arrangements and then present them at a shrine. Another kind of arrangement is a Zen rock garden where white pebbles are racked to look like the wavy patterns of the sea. The art of paper making has been going on in Japan for thousands of years. Using both rice and wood fibers, the beautiful and sturdy papers are used to make umbrellas, lanterns and fans. Folding paper in a very precise way to get a very special shape is called origami. Children learn to fold origami cranes, frogs, fish and helmets. Handmade papers are also used to make kites. During the 1700's kite flying was a popular activity among Japanese royals. It was thought that fluttering kites sent up prayers for good health, good luck and protection from evil. There are many festivals today where kites are flown that are designed to make whistling or roaring sounds. And grown ups especially like clam kites, tiny little kites that are placed inside a clamshell and the shell is then put on hot coals. The heat causes the shell to burst open and out shoots the kite! Music and theater have long been a part of Japanese culture. The emperor's orchestra was made of instruments that each had their own mythical role: the sho, made of 17 bamboo tubes, sheds light from the heavens and a flute called ryuteki was a dragon dancing in the sky. Kabuki plays were popular among everyday people. The plots were based on both historical tales and everyday life and featured elaborate costumes, make up and wigs. In traditional kabuki theater, men play all the roles from princesses to warriors. Puppet theater has also been practiced for hundreds of years. The puppets used in bunraku are not hand puppets or string pulled marionettes ­ they are so large that it can take 3 people to move just one puppet. Everyday Living Japan is about the same size as the state of California, and one of the ways people move from city to city is on the Shinkansen trains, also known as the bullet trains. These are the fastest trains in the world as they reach speeds of 180 miles an hour. The bullet trains run between Japan's major cities and most big cities have underground subways like New York. Places like Tokyo, Japan's capital, offer a mix of both old-fashioned and 21st century fun. You can visit Tokyo Disneyland or check out a virtual-reality theme park with video games and cartoons. If you prefer something more traditional, you can go to a sumo wrestling match to watch Japan's national sport. For something quieter, you can visit a shrine (some are 1,400 years old!) or take part in the ancient ritual of a tea ceremony where tea and cakes are served following very elaborate rules. If you are hungry for something more than tea, how about sushi? This style of serving raw fish is very popular outside Japan though Japan alone eats 1/16 of the world's seafood. If sushi doesn't sound good, there's miso soup made from soybeans that's usually served at breakfast. Many Japanese restaurants are cook-it-yourself where you can fry up a mix of ingredients in batter (okonomiyaki), grill your own vegetables (robatayaki) or swirl beef in hot broth and then dip it in sauce (shabu-shabu). Of course, you'll want to eat all this good food with chopsticks, but remember your chopstick etiquette: never lick them, wave them in the air or leave them in a rice dish. Japan offers much in the way of natural beauty for those who want to escape city living. Mount Fuji is Japan's highest peak and was once an active volcano. Nearly one million people climb the always snowcapped peak each year. Many rain filled craters of inactive volcanoes are now crater lakes. Japan's mountains and forests are home to deer, bears, and macaques snow monkeys. These monkeys like to sit in steaming hot springs to warm up during the winter. You can hike in Kirishma National Park and enjoy hot springs yourself or take in a waterfall and spring flowers. If you prefer indoor activities, you can visit the Seagaia Ocean Dome, a white sand beach that has been built inside a dome complete with ocean waves and a blue sky. And strangely enough, the Ocean Dome is not far from a real beach! Festivals for Everyone It's said that every week somewhere in Japan a festival is going on. Some honor historical people or events; others are religious festivals and still others celebrate holidays. During Golden Week, 3 festivals are celebrated: Green Day, Constitution Day, and Children's Day. What once was Boy's Day, Children's Day occurs on May 5 when the cherry blossoms are in bloom and people fly carp-shaped windsocks in the breeze. March 3 is the Doll Festival where girls dress in kimonos and display dolls of the emperor, empresses and court attendants. Coming-of-Age Day is January 15. Young adults who are 20 mark this day when they officially become adults and can vote, marry, and make other decisions without asking their parents' permission. If you like to scream, then you'll like Yah-Yah Matsuri, the screaming festival. People shout samurai chants and try to look fierce, and then after all that shouting, take their clothes off and jump into the ocean. Want to learn more about Japan? Check out some of the websites listed below. Please note, when you first enter many of these sites you will get a message box asking if you want to install a Japanese language pack. You can just keep hitting CANCEL until the site comes up. All these sites are in English so you won't need a language pack. Enjoy! This is really cool site for kids - check out the virtual Japanese culture page! http://jin.jcic.or.jp/kidsweb/index.html A link to all things Japanese http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/3211/japan.html See pictures of modern day sumo wrestlers http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/lmartres/Sumo_gallery.html#Anchor_mage http://www.wnn.or.jp/wnn-t/nyumon/beginner/nyumon.html#raigoro The official site of the Ocean Dome http://www.seagaia.co.jp/inf/infj/infj_e.htm See Mount Fuji live! http://www.city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp/info/div/admin/html/english/index.htm Want to make sushi at home? http://nmd.hyperisland.se/studentzone/crew2/martin_ragnevad/