Japan facts
Bustling cities, delicious food, fascinating culture and a seriously explosive landscape! Get ready for the trip of a lifetime with our facts about Japan…
Facts about Japan
Official Name: Japan
Form of Government: Constitutional monarchy with parliamentary government
Capital: Tokyo
Population: 126, 048, 450
Official Language: Japanese
Money: Japanese yen
Area: 377,835 square kilometres
Major Mountain Ranges: Japanese Alps
Major Rivers: Biwa, Inawashiro, Kasumigaura
Japanese flag
Map of Japan
Japan: geography and landscape
Japan is an archipelago, or string of islands, on the eastern edge of Asia. There are four main islands – Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. There are also nearly 4,000 smaller islands, too! Japan’s nearest mainland neighbours are the Siberian region of Russia in the north, and Korea and China farther south.
Almost four-fifths of Japan is covered with mountains. The Japanese Alps run down the centre of the largest island, Honshu. The highest peak and Japan’s most famous mountain is Mount Fuji, a cone-shaped volcano considered sacred by many Japanese.
Japan can be a dangerous place. Three of the tectonic plates that form the Earth‘s crust meet nearby and often move against each other, causing earthquakes. More than a thousand earthquakes hit Japan every year. Japan also has about 200 volcanoes, 60 of which are still active.
Japan’s wildlife and nature
The Japanese people have a deep affection for the beauty of the landscape. The ancient Shinto religion says natural features like mountains, waterfalls and forests have their own spirit or soul.
Japan is home to some wonderful wildlife! Some of the country’s most incredible creatures include the sika deer, red-crowned crane, stellar’s sea eagle and one of the coolest critters on the planet…the Japanese macaque monkey!
Most of Japan is covered by countryside – but with more than 100 million people living in such a small place, sadly, wildlife has suffered. Although pollution is now tightly controlled, over the years, road building and other human activities have harmed natural habitats. Today, about 136 species in Japan are listed as endangered.
Off the coast of this incredible country, the warm Tsushima Current flows from the south into the Sea of Japan, where it meets a colder current from the north. As a result of the mixing of different waters, the seas around Japan are very rich in fish and other sea life. Cool!
The history of Japan
People first came to Japan about 30,000 years ago. At the time, the main islands were connected to Siberia and Korea by bridges of dry land, allowing people to cross on foot. The first society, called the Jomon culture, arose about 12,000 years ago. Around the same time, the Ainu people arrived by boat from Siberia. The Jomon and Ainu survived for thousands of years, hunting, fishing and gathering plants.
In 300 B.C., the Yayoi people came to Honshu Island from Korea and China. The Yayoi were skilled weavers, tool makers and farmers, and they were the first people in Japan to cultivate rice in flooded paddy fields.
In 660 B.C., Japan’s first emperor, Jimmu Tenno, came to power. For many years following, Japan was governed by a string of emperors, until the 12th century A.D. when military rulers, called shoguns, took control by force.
Europeans first arrived in Japan in 1543, bringing with them a range of new technologies and cultural practices, including the Christian religion. But in 1635, the ruling shogun closed Japan to foreigners and forbade Japanese to travel abroad, beginning a state of isolation that would last more than 200 years. In 1868, the shoguns were overthrown and emperors returned. This was a time of great change and modernisation for Japan.
During World War I (1914-1917), Japan fought on the side of the Allies (Britain, France, Belgium, Russia and the USA). But in World War II, Japan’s military leaders sided with the Axis powers, joining forces with Germany and Italy.
Japanese people and culture
The Japanese are famous for their willingness to work very hard. Children are taught to show respect for others, especially parents and bosses. They learn to do what’s best for their family or company and worry less about their own needs.
Japanese cuisine consists of lots of rice, fish and vegetables. With little fat and lots of vitamins and minerals, their food is very healthy. It’s believed their nutritious diet is what makes the Japanese, on average, one of the longest living populations in the world!
Japan’s government and economy
Japan is the only country in the world with a reigning emperor. Emperors have no real power, but they are still respected as a symbol of the country’s traditions and unity.
World War II devastated Japan’s economy, but the Japanese people’s hard work and clever innovation turned things around. Today, Japan has the third largest economy in the world. The country’s high-tech industry makes some of the most popular electronic products and vehicles in the world.
What did you make of these cool facts about Japan? Let us know in a comment, below!
Image credits: Japanese garden: Pod666, Dreamstime. People in a busy shopping district: Sean Pavone, Shutterstock. Japanese Shinto shrine: Sean Pavone, Dreamstime. All other images: Getty Images UK
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COMMENTS1
Sasa
WOW LOT'S OF FACTS ABOUT JAPAN!
Hi
Very Detailed. :) Will help a lot on my poster!
good work
Kai
Amazing work. ☺️
Charlie
Helped a lot for my school project thanks ;)
ayla carroll
wow these are amazing facts!Very mind blowing.
Anouk
great information it really helped me with my assignment id definitely recommend!
manchester untied
cool
Claudia
Ye, pretty good!
Su_Myat
Wow
Kenuli
It was helpful
Katy
mylee
I like noodles
Wow!
charlotte
Thanks for the facts
Sophia
it was amazing facts
k
Japan is cool
Hridhaan
This is an awesome website. I learned heaps of stuff. I recommend this to every child who is studying on Japan.
amy
Very inderesting info never new that japan could be so big and with lots of people
ok
Wow
livi
OMG SO MUCH INFO LOVE IT
livi
love
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WOW
Mason dyer
wow this is so cool thanks
it helped out alot thank you
April
cool
Elijah. s
i love it
Savvy
Wow I never knew all that amazing
suzie
muse
hi
jet.walmsley
Pop
hello
He
So cool
sienna
So cool
SO SO SO COOL
alice.jarygreen
you are the best
furrytinaaa
thanks for the facts keep your hard work up!
cool/cats
WOW
kyle
cooooooool
zapppy
really good
htet sithu win
this give me general knowledge and make me to go there .thank you very much for give me the knowledge.
kitty
this was cool
i h
so cool
sussy deku
Bear
Hi
Aizzy
billy-bob
hi
cool website, helped me with exams
Ivy
Cool! I love Japan!
Us
Destiny
pennkill0346
hi
Hi
Pens
hi
hi
Hi
This is ery good
jabklkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
cool
:))))))
Eli
Cool let’s take action wow lol
Fantabulous!!!!!!!!
HI
Skylar
Had to make a report this made it very fun!
Athi
Nice facts!!! but we should take action!!! the less endangered animals the better!
Nobody
NOICE!
NOICE!!
Cool
cool
...
This is very help full!
Hi
Hi
Pices
this really helped me thankyou sooo much
hi
michael
wow cool
Micheal smithy
cool
Jenifer
Japan sounds fun.
salam
sirdan
i love japan!
Reagan McGinley
that was very helpful to learn cultrue
hi
uwu
n i c e
hi
hi
cool
miaa
hello
Pau
cool
Mia
cool
penelope
i like it
Jeff
interesting
Paula
lol
jeffrey
awesome
Jeff
i want to go
sergio
cool
Jeff
Cool
diego
wow
kylan
???
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awsome
kylan
awesome!!!!!!
kylan
awesome!!!!!!!
no
kylan
cool
chloe
so cool
Radical
jeff
lollipops
Wow!
Habib Bother
nice
sugar
i like china more
LOL
japan
Cool!
This was INTERESTING!
tyler and hayden
it was very helpful
hi
funny
lmiolnky
sooo cool
colliewollie543
i lovejapan
Riya kumari
Wow! Explanation
Victoria
Cool!
Jesse
I never knew about this many facts about japan. I knew some though.
apatitehappymouse
interesting!
WOW
Vishnu
Cool
turtle shark
japan is my favourite country!
Georgia
Cool!! The only thing I’d say is there isn’t enough info...
aditya
woo hoo
aditya
woo hoo
Nintendo@Mario
I am Japanese. I was very happy because there were people who wanted to go to Japan.
seinakan
i love japan
Angelina
I love this!
hi
g'day mate
Smart Guy
These facts are quite intriguing. I think I’ll add them to my personal research folder!! P.S I LOVE school!!
Onako
Japan is so interesting
Kilo
I never knew Japan had the 3rd largest economy. Amazing!
Hiba
I learned so much about Japan, a number one go to about anything
jPAN
i LOVE Japan
taco elephant
this is very helpful because me and my class are learning about japan this term and we are making paper cranes for a girl named sadako who tried to make 1000 paper cranes to make a wish to cure herself but she only made 644 then pasted away
Hayley
The facts about Japan on this website are very good and I think that Japan is a great place
Lulu
I am doing a project about japan and this is helpful
lulu
wow i love japan
jack
cool
Apple
My dad knows how to speak Japanese because we have a friend in Japan
Elly
Cool!
Charlotte
I never thought researching could be so fun! With the click of my mouse great facts and information appeared on my screen and I very pleased with the quality of this website. :)
Charlie
I am working on a information report about Japan and it was very helpful and it had great facts
Mandeep
I love facts!!!!!!!!!
Someone
Thank you for the info!
lollipop
it was really cool now i know about japan
heaven
this is so cool!
peter
it is good
Pete
I want to go to Japan
poppypanda
i love japan
Lizzie-Hearts
Am Chinese Its Close To Japan
catmac1
that is really interesting!! what is the animal of Japan?
FirelordZuko
I really want to go to Japan
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