Japan is located in the Pacific Rim seismic belt. The East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk are bordered by China, Korea and Russia to the west and north, and the Pacific Ocean to the east. The territory consists of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and more than 3,900 small islands. Since the late 1960s, Japan has been regarded as the second largest capitalist economic power in the world. It is a constitutional monarchy and is called "the rising sun country". Japan is a nation-state, and the main cities in China are Tokyo, Osaka and Kobe.
Chinese name: Japan
English name: Japan
Abbreviation: Japan
Mainland: Asia
Capital: Tokyo.
Major cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto
National Day: February 1 1 (National Day).
National anthem: "Dai Jun"
Country code: JPN
Official language: Japanese
Currency: Japanese yen
Time zone: UTC+9 (no daylight saving time)
Political system: constitutional monarchy
State leaders: Emperor Akihito (Emperor Heisei) and Naoto Kan (Prime Minister of the Cabinet)
Population:127,767,944 (2009)
Population density: 337 people/km2 (2009)
Main ethnic group: Yamato ethnic group.
Main religions: Shintoism and Buddhism.
Land area: 377,835 square kilometers
Water area ratio: 0.8%
Gross domestic product: US$ 5.07 trillion (2009)
Per capita GDP: US$ 42,480 (2008)
International area code: +008 1
International domain abbreviation:. Sheriff
Road traffic: drive on the left or drive on the left.
geographical position
Japan is located in the east of Eurasia and the northwest of the Pacific Ocean. It consists of thousands of islands, and the islands are curved. The eastern and southern parts of Japan are the endless Pacific Ocean, bordering the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea in the west, the Sea of Okhotsk in the north, and facing North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia, the Philippines and other countries across the sea. Hokkaido, Japan has one of the most famous fishing grounds in the world-Hokkaido Fishing Ground, which is formed by the confluence of Thousand Island Cold Current and Japanese Warm Current.
Regional and regional divisions
Japan includes Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and more than 6,800 other small islands.
Japan has a total area of 377,835 square kilometers, of which the land area is more than 370,000 square kilometers, the water area is 309 1 square kilometer, and the territorial sea area is 3 1 10,000 square kilometers. Japan is the country with the most land reclamation in the world, with an area of 1600 square kilometers. Topography, topography
There are many mountains in Japan, which are distributed in the center of Japan in a ridge shape, dividing Japan's territory into one side of the Pacific Ocean and one side of the Sea of Japan. Mountains and hills account for 7 1% of the total area, and the national forest coverage rate is as high as 67%. Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, with an altitude of 3776 meters. Mount Fuji is revered by the Japanese as the Holy Mountain.
The plains in Japan are mainly distributed in the downstream coastal areas of rivers, mostly alluvial plains, with a small scale. The larger plains include Kanto Plain, Shikai Plain, Yuehou Plain, Houwei Plain and Shi Sheng Plain. Japan's plain area is small, the cultivated land is very limited, and its population physiological density is as high as 3,054 people /km2, ranking second in the world, second only to Egypt (3,503 people /km2).
Japan is located in the Pacific volcanic earthquake zone, where the Pacific plate and the Eurasian plate collide. Frequent volcanic activities have brought great trouble to the lives of local people. There are more than 200 volcanoes in China, of which more than 50 are active volcanoes, making it a world-famous earthquake zone. In the volcanic distribution area, with beautiful scenery and rich hot spring resources, it has become a famous tourist attraction.
Rivers, plains and lakes
Japan has short rivers and abundant water resources, and the longest Shinano River is about 367 kilometers long. The largest lake is Lake Biwa, with an area of 672.8 square kilometers.
Most rivers in Japan originate in the central mountainous areas and flow eastward and westward into the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. Because Japan is long and narrow from east to west, the mountains are steep and the rivers are short and urgent. In rainy season and typhoon season, the amount of water increases, which is easy to form floods. To this end, Japan has built a large number of flood control dams and reservoirs. River water is widely used for domestic water, agricultural and industrial water and hydropower generation.
Coastline and ocean
Japan's coastline is 33,889 kilometers long. As Japan is an island country, its coastline is very complicated. There are many cliffs in the Sea of Japan in the west, few ports, and many estuaries in the Pacific Ocean in the east, forming many natural ports.
In the East Pacific Ocean, it is surrounded by the Japanese warm current (Kuroshio) from south to north, and the Kuroshio cold current (pro-tide) forms in the northeast. In the West Sea of Japan, there are warm currents and Riemann cold currents flowing to Malaysia. At the intersection of cold current and warm current, there are abundant fish resources and become natural fishing grounds. Because it is surrounded by the sea, it has a temperate maritime monsoon climate, which is mild and humid all year round, with no severe cold in winter and no heat in summer. There are many typhoons in summer and autumn, and it rains in June. 1 Monthly average temperature is -6℃ in the north and16℃ in the south; In July, it was 17℃ in the north and 28℃ in the south. The annual precipitation is 700-3500mm, and the maximum is over 4000mm. In recent years, El Nino, which has caused the sea water to warm, has also had an impact on Japan, mainly because the duration of plum rains is prolonged, and it is easy to form Leng Xia and warm winter.
Geomorphologic geology
Japan is located at the extinction boundary between the Asia-Europe plate and the Pacific plate, and it is a part of the combination of island arc, coastal mountains and trenches in the western Pacific. 68% of this country is mountainous. The highest mountain in Japan is the famous Mount Fuji, with an altitude of 3776 meters. Because there are few plains, crops are planted on many mountains in Japan, and the largest plain is Kanto Plain. Japan is located in the volcanic seismic belt around the Pacific Ocean. One tenth of the world's volcanoes are located in Japan, and volcanic activities often occur all over the country. There will be several major earthquakes every century; The Hanshin Earthquake and the Sino-Vietnamese earthquake in Niigata Prefecture in recent years are both strong earthquakes with magnitude above 6 on the Richter scale, which have attracted the attention of all countries in the world. There are many hot springs in Japan, which have developed into tourist attractions.
Because Japan's islands extend to the northeast for a long time, and the north and south span about 20 degrees latitude, there are many climate types. Most of the climate types are temperate monsoon climate, while Kyushu, Shikoku and Ryukyu Islands in the south are subtropical monsoon climate. The northern islands are warm in summer, long and cold in winter, and often have a lot of snowfall. In the central and western regions, it is dry in winter, seldom snows, and humid in summer.
Japanese climate
Japan spans 25 degrees latitude, and the temperature difference between north and south is very significant. The plateaus of Hokkaido and Honshu belong to the sub-frigid zone, the native land belongs to the temperate zone, and the southern islands such as Okinawa belong to the subtropical zone. In addition, Japan's geographical position makes it influenced by the intersection of monsoon and ocean current, so it has four distinct seasons and abundant precipitation.
Japan can be divided into six climatic zones, namely:
The climate of Hokkaido
Hokkaido is not affected by plum rains, and the rainfall is less than that in other parts of Japan. Summer is short and cool; Winter is long and cold.
Japan's coastal climate
It covers the western coastal area of Honshu Island. Winter is controlled by Siberian high, and the northwest wind blows. At the same time, because the warm current in winter brings a lot of water vapor to the horse current passing through the Sea of Japan, it often snows heavily. There is less precipitation in summer, and sometimes there is abnormal high temperature due to foehn.
Central plateau climate
Typical inland climate. It is cold in winter and cool in summer. There is a great temperature difference between winter and summer and day and night. Low rainfall
Pacific coastal climate
Including the east coast of Honshu, Shikoku and most parts of Kyushu. Influenced by the southeast monsoon in summer, there are many strong typhoons in Meiyu period. In winter, there is less snowfall.
Seto inland sea climate
Including parts of Yang Shan, Shikoku, Feng Jingen and Kyushu. The weather here is often sunny, with little rainfall and suffering from drought from time to time.
Climate of Nanxi Islands
The scope is Ryukyu Islands. It belongs to subtropical climate, with hot summer and warm winter. Rainstorm. Typhoons often strike in summer.
The precipitation in Japan is the highest in the world. The main reasons include winter snowfall in Japan's coastal areas; Continuous plum rains in June-July (May-June in Okinawa and Amami); And typhoons that landed in or near Japan from summer to autumn. The highest recorded temperature in Japan is 40.9 degrees, which was measured on August 16, 2007 in Kumagaya City, saitama and Tojima City, Gifu Prefecture. The lowest recorded temperature is -4 1 degree, which was 10+degree measured in Asahikawa, Hokkaido on October 25th.
Culture:
Sakura, kimono, haiku and samurai, sake and Shinto constitute two aspects of Japanese tradition-chrysanthemum and knife. Japan has a famous "three paths", namely, Japanese folk tea ceremony, flower path and book path.
Japanese tea ceremony
Tea ceremony, also known as tea soup (tea tasting), has been loved by the upper class as an aesthetic ceremony since ancient times. Tea ceremony is a unique tea ceremony and social etiquette. Japanese tea ceremony was first introduced to Japan during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty in China. In ancient times, Japan had contacts with China. During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, a large number of Japanese envoys came to China and were deeply influenced by China. The Japanese say that "China is the hometown of Japanese tea ceremony", which is somewhat similar to Chaoshan congou in China.
The flower path was born as a technology to replicate the flowers in the wild in the teahouse. Because of the different rules and methods of exhibition, pattern science can be divided into more than 20 schools, and there are also many schools in Japan that teach various schools of pattern science techniques. In addition, in hotels, department stores and other places, you can enjoy the beautifully decorated art of flower arrangement. Taboo lotus, think lotus is a funeral flower. Avoid camellia, chrysanthemum is a symbol of the royal family.
Sumo originated from the religious ceremony of Japanese Shintoism. In Nara and heian period, sumo was a court sport, but in Kamakura and the Warring States period, sumo became a part of samurai training. Professional sumo began in the18th century, which is very similar to the present sumo competition. Shinto ceremony emphasizes sumo, and the purpose of stamping before the game is to drive away the evil spirits in the field and also to relax the muscles. Salt should be sprinkled on the site to achieve the purpose of purification. Sumo is played on the table. The whole table is square, with a circle in the middle and a diameter of 4.55 meters. In the competition, two lux stood almost naked on the stage with their hair in a bun and pocket belts. In the competition, Lux must not touch the table or cross the circle except the sole of his foot. The highest rank of Hercules is "Yokozuna". Here are the Grand View, Guan Wei, Summary and Neck Front. These four levels are called "in-screen" and belong to the upper level of Lux. Again, there are twelve scenes, in addition to which there are three subordinate items and three sequences. Students in the preface and the second paragraph can only do odd jobs such as fetching water and sweeping the floor. Only after the third paragraph, the master will teach some skills, while the students in the twelfth paragraph are all professional sumo wrestlers, known as "Lux", who not only have wages, but also can participate in various competitions to win bonuses. Once a sumo wrestler arrives in Yokozuna, he can almost be said to be at the apex of the Japanese sumo world, and will have the supreme glory for life.
Kimono is the name of traditional Japanese national costume. It is also called "persistence" in Japan. Kimono is modeled after China Sui and Tang Dynasties and Wufu, so it is called "Wufu" in Japan.
"Fu" and "Tang Yi", kimono is the western name for five clothes. Now the Japanese have accepted this name, but many shops selling kimono still write "five clothes". In the 8th and 9th centuries, Tang Feng was once popular in Japan. Although it changed later and formed a unique Japanese style, it still contains some characteristics of ancient Chinese clothing. The different styles and colors of women's kimonos are the signs that distinguish age and marriage.
Morning Musume, the earliest Japanese girl group.
Judo enjoys a high reputation all over the world. The basic principle of judo is not to attack, but to use the opponent's strength to protect the body. The grade of judo players is expressed by the color of their belts (primary: white/advanced: black). Judo is the development of boxing in China, which originated from Shaolin. Chen Yuanzan, a martial arts expert from China in the late Ming Dynasty, introduced China traditional martial arts into Fusang (modern edition) and became the forerunner of modern judo in the world.
Kendo refers to Japanese swordsmanship, which originated from samurai's important martial arts fencing. According to strict rules, the contestants wear special protective equipment and stab each other's head, body and fingertips with bamboo knives.
Karate is a combination of ancient fighting techniques 500 years ago and boxing techniques introduced from China. Karate does not use any weapons, only fists and feet. Compared with other fighting sports, karate is a practical form of sports.
Calligraphy, when it comes to calligraphy, I believe many people will think it is a unique art in China. In fact, calligraphy is not only popular in Japan, but also one of the ways people cultivate their temperament. In ancient Japan, calligraphy was called "Tathagata" or "calligraphy", and the word "calligraphy" did not appear until the Edo period (17th century). In Japan, the popularity of writing Chinese characters with a brush should be after the introduction of Buddhism. Monks and Buddhists copied scriptures with a brush, imitating China.
Noko is a traditional Japanese drama and one of the oldest extant dramas in the world. Nengju originated from ancient dance drama forms and various festival dramas held in Japanese shrines and monasteries in the12nd century or13rd century. "Neng" means talent or skill. Actors hint at the essence of the story through facial expressions and body movements, rather than showing it. Now this kind of drama still has tenacious vitality in Japan.
Aikido is a Japanese martial art that wins by skill.
Japanese food:
Generally, westerners think that the only food in Japan is beef chafing dish or odd-looking sushi. In recent years, many tourists in Japan also know how to taste fresh fish and sauteed shrimp. The main course in Japan is fish. "Sashimi" and "Sushi" were introduced to Japan from China in the Tang Dynasty. After improvement by the Japanese, they are now very popular in Japan. Raw food is also a very healthy way to eat, which can reduce the loss of nutrients in fish more than cooking. The methods of Japanese cooking fish are mostly low-temperature cooking and steaming.
Places of interest:
Mount Fuji: Mount Fuji is the highest peak in Japan and a symbol of the Japanese nation. It is called "holy mountain" by the Japanese people.
Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji is located in the south-central part of Honshu, with an altitude of 3,776 meters. Since written records in Japan, Mount Fuji has erupted 18 times, and the latest one was 1707. Since then, it has become a dormant volcano. Fujina originated from the Shai language, and now it means "eternal life". Its original pronunciation comes from the language of Ainu, a Japanese minority, which means "the mountain of fire" or "Vulcan". This mountain is a beautiful cone, which is world-famous and a sacred symbol of Japan. There are "Fuji Eight Peaks" around the jagged crater edge, namely Jianfeng, Baishan, Jiusu Zhiyue, Dariyue, Yidou Yuet, Chengjiayue, Juyue and Sanyue.
Tokyo Tower: Tokyo Tower is the tallest tower in Japan. Located in Tokyo, it was built in 1958. It is modeled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, with a height of 333 meters. This tower is a pyramid with three colors: yellow, white and red.
Kinkaku Temple: Originally a villa of minister Xiyuan Temple, it was built in the 4th century A.D./KLOC-0, and was later owned by ashikaga yoshimitsu, the shogunate, and was extensively renovated and expanded. Up to three floors, the second and third floors are covered with gold foil. Looking from a distance, it is resplendent and magnificent, so it is called "Golden Pavilion Temple". The first layer is the aristocratic style in Heian period, the second layer is the samurai style in Muromachi period, and the third layer is modeled after the "formal roof" in Tang Dynasty in China. In front of the temple is a garden centered on Jinghu Lake, and the splendid pavilions are reflected in Jinghu Lake, which is a representative landscape of Kyoto.
Silver Tower: The Silver Tower is located at the foot of Dongshan Mountain in Kyoto. It was built by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the grandson of Muromachi shogunate general Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, in the shape of Kinkaku Temple on 1482. This is an exquisite two-story attic.
Tang Zhaoti Temple (located in Wujiao Street, Xijing, Nara Prefecture) was built in 759 AD by Jian Zhen, a monk of the Tang Dynasty in China. )
Tianshou Pavilion in Osaka: Architecture in the Age of Antu Taoshan. At present, there are precious historical materials about Catholicism in Tianshou Pavilion, which are of great historical value.
Asu Volcano: Toda Temple, Yandao Shrine and Ping An Shrine (dedicated to Emperor Kanmu and Emperor Xiaoming, one of the must-see attractions in Kyoto). ), Nazhi Waterfall, Kiyomizu Temple, Dongxunfang, Sakurajima, Himeji City.
Kangcheng (or Yu Kangcheng), located on artificial land in Tokyo Bay, southeast of Tokyo, is the latest entertainment center in Tokyo. )
Sensoji Temple (built in 628) is the oldest temple in Tokyo. Tokugawa Ieyasu, a general in the Edo era, designated this place as a place of prayer for the shogunate. )
Baishan Village with a long history is an example of the complete preservation of Japanese traditions. This village lives by planting mulberry trees. In order to reduce the pressure of snow in cold winter, residents increased the inclination of the roof and built a unique double-decker thatched cottage with a steep slope. Because the shape of the roof is very similar to the Japanese people's hands folded when they worship God, it is called "palm-folded house" or "triangle house". )