Urbanization, industrialization, and modern transportation and communication rapidly changed the Japanese way of life, the effect of these developments being keenly felt not only in the cities, but also in the countryside. However, beneath Japan's "new look" lie the deep-seated customs and institutions of traditional Japanese culture--in religion, in politics, and especially in family life. The people of Japan largely continue to respect and honor their past. Their society as a whole continues to adhere to the concepts of personal loyalty and obligation that have been a tradition through the ages.
Japan ranks high in population density and eighth in population among the world's countries. Its capital, Tokyo, is one of the world's largest cities (see Tokyo, Japan). Japan's spectacular economic growth--the greatest of any country between 1955 and 1990--has brought the country to the forefront of the world economy. The phrase economic miracle has been used to describe the spectacular recovery from the ravages of World War II. By the early 1990s, however, that growth had slowed and was being challenged by other countries in the Far East.
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#82
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:05 AM
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#83
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Japan - Nippon
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: LAND
Japan comprises an island chain along mainland Asia's east coast. The four main islands--Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu--stretch some 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) from northeast to southwest. Including the more than 3,900 smaller islands, Japan is about 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) long. Its maximum width is about 200 miles (320 kilometers).
Japan has no land border with any other country. Across the Sea of Japan to the west are North and South Korea; across the Sea of Japan to the northwest and the Sea of Okhotsk to the north is Russia; across the East China Sea to the west is China; southwest of Japan's Ryukyu Islands are Taiwan and the Philippines. The open waters of the vast Pacific Ocean wash Japan's eastern and southeastern shores. Across the Pacific, more than 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) away, is the United States mainland.
Japan is 145,842 square miles (377,729 square kilometers) in area. Its largest island by far is Honshu, with about three fifths of the total area. On Honshu are most of Japan's principal cities and about four fifths of the country's more than 123 million inhabitants.
The islands of Japan are the exposed tops of massive undersea ridges that rise from the floor of the Pacific Ocean on the eastern edge of the Asian continental shelf. The islands lie between the Japan Deep--a north-south trench that plummets to a depth of 28,000 feet (8,500 meters) in the Pacific--and the Sea of Japan, which reaches depths of 10,000 to 12,000 feet (3,000 to 3,700 meters). The Japan Deep is east of the islands; the Sea of Japan, west of the islands.
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: LAND
Japan comprises an island chain along mainland Asia's east coast. The four main islands--Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu--stretch some 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) from northeast to southwest. Including the more than 3,900 smaller islands, Japan is about 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) long. Its maximum width is about 200 miles (320 kilometers).
Japan has no land border with any other country. Across the Sea of Japan to the west are North and South Korea; across the Sea of Japan to the northwest and the Sea of Okhotsk to the north is Russia; across the East China Sea to the west is China; southwest of Japan's Ryukyu Islands are Taiwan and the Philippines. The open waters of the vast Pacific Ocean wash Japan's eastern and southeastern shores. Across the Pacific, more than 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) away, is the United States mainland.
Japan is 145,842 square miles (377,729 square kilometers) in area. Its largest island by far is Honshu, with about three fifths of the total area. On Honshu are most of Japan's principal cities and about four fifths of the country's more than 123 million inhabitants.
The islands of Japan are the exposed tops of massive undersea ridges that rise from the floor of the Pacific Ocean on the eastern edge of the Asian continental shelf. The islands lie between the Japan Deep--a north-south trench that plummets to a depth of 28,000 feet (8,500 meters) in the Pacific--and the Sea of Japan, which reaches depths of 10,000 to 12,000 feet (3,000 to 3,700 meters). The Japan Deep is east of the islands; the Sea of Japan, west of the islands.
#84
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:08 AM
The islands of Japan are geologically young and unstable. They have been subjected to considerable folding, faulting, and volcanic activity. As a result, the land surface of the Japanese islands is rugged and is dominated by mountains and hills that cover more than 80 percent of the land surface and divide the islands into hundreds of subunits. This creates a landscape of great variety and beauty and gives Japanese life a small-scale compactness. The largest and highest mountain mass, part of which is known as the Japanese Alps, is in central Honshu. From it mountain chains extend northward to Hokkaido and southwest to Shikoku and Kyushu. These mountain chains are gouged by many short river valleys and interrupted by many small lowland plains.
Only one quarter of Japan's land surface has a slope of less than 15 degrees. Most Japanese plains have been formed by river deposits and lie along the seacoast. The largest lowland, the Kanto Plain of east-central Honshu, has an area of 6,000 square miles (15,500 square kilometers). In it sits the city of Tokyo. Among the nation's smaller, yet intensely utilized, plains are the Nobi Plain, the site of Nagoya, and the Kansai Plain, in the vicinity of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe.
The numerous rivers of Japan are short and have small drainage basins. Only two of them are more than 200 miles (310 kilometers) long--the Shinano and the Tone, both on Honshu. Of the two, the Shinano is the longest (228 miles; 367 kilometers), and the Tone drains the largest area (7,100 square miles; 18,400 square kilometers).
Only one quarter of Japan's land surface has a slope of less than 15 degrees. Most Japanese plains have been formed by river deposits and lie along the seacoast. The largest lowland, the Kanto Plain of east-central Honshu, has an area of 6,000 square miles (15,500 square kilometers). In it sits the city of Tokyo. Among the nation's smaller, yet intensely utilized, plains are the Nobi Plain, the site of Nagoya, and the Kansai Plain, in the vicinity of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe.
The numerous rivers of Japan are short and have small drainage basins. Only two of them are more than 200 miles (310 kilometers) long--the Shinano and the Tone, both on Honshu. Of the two, the Shinano is the longest (228 miles; 367 kilometers), and the Tone drains the largest area (7,100 square miles; 18,400 square kilometers).
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:09 AM
Japan's rivers generally have steep gradients and carry heavy loads of sediment from the mountains to the lowlands. On the lowlands they are usually shallow and braided and flow through gravel-filled beds. Often they have built-up natural levees and are elevated above the river plains. Their flow rates vary greatly with the seasonal rains.
Although of little use for navigation, the rivers of Japan are used intensively for irrigation, urban water supply, and the generation of electricity. Floods are common, especially during the typhoon season, and are highly destructive in the heavily populated river valleys and plains. Japan has few lakes. The largest is Lake Biwa, in west-central Honshu.
Japan's coastline is unusually long in relation to the nation's total land area. The Pacific coast has many deep indentations, among them Tokyo, Suruga, and Ise bays on Honshu and the Inland Sea between Honshu and Shikoku. The indentations are separated by rugged peninsulas and headlands. Among them are the Boso and Izu peninsulas. The west coast of Kyushu is also deeply indented, and there are many small offshore islands. The Sea of Japan coast of Honshu, however, is much straighter and has long stretches of sand dunes and beach ridges.
Japan's numerous volcanoes and frequent earthquakes are evidence of the instability of the rocks underlying the country. It has about 200 volcanoes and volcanic groups, of which about 60 have been active in recorded history. Some of the volcanoes are cone-shaped and rise to the highest elevations in Japan, while others are calderas, or craters where cones once stood.
Mount Fuji (12,389 feet; 3,776 meters), the famous volcanic cone, is the highest peak in Japan. It has been dormant since 1707. Mount Asama in central Honshu and Mount Sakurajima in southern Kyushu are well-known active volcanoes. Among the most notable calderas are Mount Aso in Kyushu and Mount Akan in Hokkaido. There are hot springs in the volcanic zones. (See also Fuji, Mount.)
Undersea earthquakes in the North Pacific basin stir up unusually large tsunamis, or "tidal waves," that are very destructive when they reach the Japanese coast. Severe earthquakes that do damage over small areas occur about every five or six years in Japan. One of the worst was the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which, combined with the ensuing fire, wiped out much of Tokyo and Yokohama. More than 140,000 lives were lost.
Although of little use for navigation, the rivers of Japan are used intensively for irrigation, urban water supply, and the generation of electricity. Floods are common, especially during the typhoon season, and are highly destructive in the heavily populated river valleys and plains. Japan has few lakes. The largest is Lake Biwa, in west-central Honshu.
Japan's coastline is unusually long in relation to the nation's total land area. The Pacific coast has many deep indentations, among them Tokyo, Suruga, and Ise bays on Honshu and the Inland Sea between Honshu and Shikoku. The indentations are separated by rugged peninsulas and headlands. Among them are the Boso and Izu peninsulas. The west coast of Kyushu is also deeply indented, and there are many small offshore islands. The Sea of Japan coast of Honshu, however, is much straighter and has long stretches of sand dunes and beach ridges.
Japan's numerous volcanoes and frequent earthquakes are evidence of the instability of the rocks underlying the country. It has about 200 volcanoes and volcanic groups, of which about 60 have been active in recorded history. Some of the volcanoes are cone-shaped and rise to the highest elevations in Japan, while others are calderas, or craters where cones once stood.
Mount Fuji (12,389 feet; 3,776 meters), the famous volcanic cone, is the highest peak in Japan. It has been dormant since 1707. Mount Asama in central Honshu and Mount Sakurajima in southern Kyushu are well-known active volcanoes. Among the most notable calderas are Mount Aso in Kyushu and Mount Akan in Hokkaido. There are hot springs in the volcanic zones. (See also Fuji, Mount.)
Undersea earthquakes in the North Pacific basin stir up unusually large tsunamis, or "tidal waves," that are very destructive when they reach the Japanese coast. Severe earthquakes that do damage over small areas occur about every five or six years in Japan. One of the worst was the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which, combined with the ensuing fire, wiped out much of Tokyo and Yokohama. More than 140,000 lives were lost.
#86
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:10 AM
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#87
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:12 AM
Japan - Nippon
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: CLIMATE
For a small country, Japan has a great variety of climatic conditions. This is because its islands have a long latitudinal spread and are in the zone where the conflicting air masses of the Asian continent and of the Pacific Ocean meet and interact. The continental air masses make for more extreme temperatures, both in winter and in summer, and result in large annual temperature ranges. But their effect is moderated by the strong marine influence, which also produces high humidity and abundant rainfall. Japan's rugged topography also causes many local variations in weather and climate.
During the winter, Japan is primarily under the influence of cold air masses moving out of Siberia, deep in the Asian interior. Biting northwest winds pass over the Sea of Japan and cross the islands of Japan. Moisture picked up over the Sea of Japan is deposited on Japan's west coast in the form of heavy snows that are among the deepest in the world.
During the summer, Japan is under the influence of air moving in from the Pacific Ocean. Southeast winds prevail, making the summer months hot and humid. The cycle of the seasons brings frequent, often sharp, changes in the weather, especially during the spring and autumn months.
Japan's climate, especially along the coasts, is also affected by two ocean currents--the warm Kuroshio, or Japan Current, from the south, and the cold Oyashio, or Okhotsk Current, from the north. The two currents meet off northeastern Honshu. The Kuroshio, on the lee--or sheltered--side of Japan in winter, has little warming effect on land temperatures. The Tsushima Current, a branch of the Kuroshio, passes into the Sea of Japan by way of Korea Strait and slightly warms offshore waters. The Oyashio reduces summer temperatures and creates dense fog banks off the coasts of northeastern Honshu and Hokkaido.
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: CLIMATE
For a small country, Japan has a great variety of climatic conditions. This is because its islands have a long latitudinal spread and are in the zone where the conflicting air masses of the Asian continent and of the Pacific Ocean meet and interact. The continental air masses make for more extreme temperatures, both in winter and in summer, and result in large annual temperature ranges. But their effect is moderated by the strong marine influence, which also produces high humidity and abundant rainfall. Japan's rugged topography also causes many local variations in weather and climate.
During the winter, Japan is primarily under the influence of cold air masses moving out of Siberia, deep in the Asian interior. Biting northwest winds pass over the Sea of Japan and cross the islands of Japan. Moisture picked up over the Sea of Japan is deposited on Japan's west coast in the form of heavy snows that are among the deepest in the world.
During the summer, Japan is under the influence of air moving in from the Pacific Ocean. Southeast winds prevail, making the summer months hot and humid. The cycle of the seasons brings frequent, often sharp, changes in the weather, especially during the spring and autumn months.
Japan's climate, especially along the coasts, is also affected by two ocean currents--the warm Kuroshio, or Japan Current, from the south, and the cold Oyashio, or Okhotsk Current, from the north. The two currents meet off northeastern Honshu. The Kuroshio, on the lee--or sheltered--side of Japan in winter, has little warming effect on land temperatures. The Tsushima Current, a branch of the Kuroshio, passes into the Sea of Japan by way of Korea Strait and slightly warms offshore waters. The Oyashio reduces summer temperatures and creates dense fog banks off the coasts of northeastern Honshu and Hokkaido.
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:14 AM
Virtually all of Japan except parts of eastern Hokkaido averages more than 40 inches (100 centimeters) of precipitation annually. Several coastal mountain areas in Honshu get more than 120 inches (300 centimeters). The area around the Inland Sea, eastern Honshu north of Tokyo Bay, and western Hokkaido average 40 to 60 inches (100 to 150 centimeters). The Sea of Japan coast gets more precipitation in winter, largely in the form of snow, than it does in summer. The reverse is true for the Pacific coast, where summer precipitation exceeds that of winter. In northern Hokkaido, snow falls an average of 130 days per year; along the Sea of Japan, 80 days; on the Pacific coast south and west of Tokyo Bay, only ten days.
Japan has rainy seasons in June and September, though there is some precipitation throughout the year. The main, June rainy season is called the baiu, or tsuyu, and has many days of continuous rain. The September rainy season is called the shurin. It is associated with occasional typhoons, tropical storms like the hurricanes of southeastern North America. These move to the north and northeast in a clockwise arc from their spawning grounds east of the Philippines. When they strike Japan, they cause destructive floods and landslides, but they also restore water levels, which drop during the dry days of late summer.
Typhoons bring roughly one third of the rain that falls annually on the Pacific coast of Asia. In 1959, one of the worst typhoons of modern times tore through the city of Nagoya and across central Honshu. Approaching typhoons are carefully watched by the Japan Meteorological Agency, and special radio and television bulletins are issued on their progress.
Japan has rainy seasons in June and September, though there is some precipitation throughout the year. The main, June rainy season is called the baiu, or tsuyu, and has many days of continuous rain. The September rainy season is called the shurin. It is associated with occasional typhoons, tropical storms like the hurricanes of southeastern North America. These move to the north and northeast in a clockwise arc from their spawning grounds east of the Philippines. When they strike Japan, they cause destructive floods and landslides, but they also restore water levels, which drop during the dry days of late summer.
Typhoons bring roughly one third of the rain that falls annually on the Pacific coast of Asia. In 1959, one of the worst typhoons of modern times tore through the city of Nagoya and across central Honshu. Approaching typhoons are carefully watched by the Japan Meteorological Agency, and special radio and television bulletins are issued on their progress.
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:15 AM
Seasonal temperatures in Japan increase from north to south. Average January temperatures are 15o to 20o F (-9o to -7o C) in Hokkaido; 35o to 40o F (2o to 4o C) in central Honshu; and 45o F (7o C) in southern Kyushu. There is little difference in winter temperatures between the west and east coasts, though the skies are more overcast on the west coast and clearer and sunnier on the east coast. Summers are sultry throughout Japan. July temperatures average 77o to 80o F (25o to 27o C) in Kyushu, Shikoku, and southern and central Honshu; 72o to 75o F (22o to 24o C) in northern Honshu; and a cooler 65o to 70o F (18o to 21o C) in Hokkaido.
The clear, hot weather of summer arrives in mid-July, following the baiu rains. It is ended by the shurin rains. The length of the frost-free, or growing, season ranges from 250 days or more along the Pacific coast south from Tokyo Bay to only 120 days in central Hokkaido. Early autumn frosts in northern Japan and late spring frosts in central and southern Japan pose a seasonal threat to farming.
The clear, hot weather of summer arrives in mid-July, following the baiu rains. It is ended by the shurin rains. The length of the frost-free, or growing, season ranges from 250 days or more along the Pacific coast south from Tokyo Bay to only 120 days in central Hokkaido. Early autumn frosts in northern Japan and late spring frosts in central and southern Japan pose a seasonal threat to farming.
#90
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:16 AM
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Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
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Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
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#91
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:17 AM
Japan - Nippon
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: Plant and Animal Life
The trees, shrubs, and flowering plants of Japan are as varied as its topography and climate. Forests cover most of the land surface that has not been cleared by humans. Coniferous, broad-leaved, and mixed forests are the three main types. Pine, cypress, hemlock, cedar, fir, and spruce are commercially valuable conifer. The numerous broad-leaved trees include oak, maple, ash, birch, beech, poplar, chestnut, and horse chestnut. Subtropical forms such as bamboo and palms grow as far north as central Honshu.
Many native plant species have been destroyed or reduced by humans, and new species from the Asian mainland have had to be introduced. Virgin forests have been preserved in limited areas.
Large mammals include bear, badger, otter, mink, deer, fox, and walrus. One monkey, the Japanese macaque, is found as far north as northern Honshu. Adjacent seas are the home of whales and porpoises. Japanese bird species include many water and wading birds, hawks, pheasants, doves, owls, and woodpeckers. Among the reptiles are sea turtles, tortoises, lizards, and snakes. The sea abounds with hundreds of fish species. Salmon, sardine, sea bream, tuna, squid, mackerel, cod, and mullet are among those caught by commercial fishermen. Tropical varieties accompany the warm waters of the Kuroshio as far north as Tokyo Bay. The raising of goldfish and colorful carp (koi) for decorative purposes is a Japanese specialty. Aquaculture, the commercial raising of certain fish, eels, and pearl oysters, is highly developed in Japan.
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Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: Plant and Animal Life
The trees, shrubs, and flowering plants of Japan are as varied as its topography and climate. Forests cover most of the land surface that has not been cleared by humans. Coniferous, broad-leaved, and mixed forests are the three main types. Pine, cypress, hemlock, cedar, fir, and spruce are commercially valuable conifer. The numerous broad-leaved trees include oak, maple, ash, birch, beech, poplar, chestnut, and horse chestnut. Subtropical forms such as bamboo and palms grow as far north as central Honshu.
Many native plant species have been destroyed or reduced by humans, and new species from the Asian mainland have had to be introduced. Virgin forests have been preserved in limited areas.
Large mammals include bear, badger, otter, mink, deer, fox, and walrus. One monkey, the Japanese macaque, is found as far north as northern Honshu. Adjacent seas are the home of whales and porpoises. Japanese bird species include many water and wading birds, hawks, pheasants, doves, owls, and woodpeckers. Among the reptiles are sea turtles, tortoises, lizards, and snakes. The sea abounds with hundreds of fish species. Salmon, sardine, sea bream, tuna, squid, mackerel, cod, and mullet are among those caught by commercial fishermen. Tropical varieties accompany the warm waters of the Kuroshio as far north as Tokyo Bay. The raising of goldfish and colorful carp (koi) for decorative purposes is a Japanese specialty. Aquaculture, the commercial raising of certain fish, eels, and pearl oysters, is highly developed in Japan.
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Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
#92
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:23 AM
Japan - Nippon
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: People
Japan is the world's eighth most populous country. Its population went beyond the 100 million mark in 1967, and at the 1990 census it had reached 123,612,396. Yet Japan has one of the lowest population growth rates in the world--about 0.3 percent per year.
Japanese population data are incomplete for the period before 1868, when the nation's modern era began. However, the population of Japan is believed to have reached 5 million in the 7th century and 10 million in the 14th century. Official estimates placed the number of Japanese in the mid-19th century at over 30 million. In 1920, when Japan's first census was taken, the country had a population of 55,963,000. In 1940, early in World War II, its population was 73,114,000.
Japan experienced a brief baby boom after World War II, but then the nation's birthrate dropped from a high of 34 per 1,000 in 1947 to about 11 per 1,000 by the end of the 1980s. This was one of the fastest declines ever observed in any country, though similar declines have taken place in other industrialized countries. Japan's death rate has also fallen--to about six per 1,000--largely because of improvements in public health measures, advances in medicine, and the greater availability of modern medical facilities. Average life expectancy in Japan reached 76 years for men and 82 years for women in 1990. A century earlier it was 43 years for men and 44 years for women.
The proportion of young people in Japan has been decreasing. Average family size has also been shrinking: it dropped from about five members in 1955 to about three members per family in 1990. This drop occurred in part because many young married couples were establishing their own households instead of living with their parents in the traditional fashion.
Another reason for this drop in family size was that young couples in Japan were having fewer children. In Japan, abortion is an accepted and widely used means of controlling family size. It is permitted under a 1950 law. Contraception, however, is not popular.
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: People
Japan is the world's eighth most populous country. Its population went beyond the 100 million mark in 1967, and at the 1990 census it had reached 123,612,396. Yet Japan has one of the lowest population growth rates in the world--about 0.3 percent per year.
Japanese population data are incomplete for the period before 1868, when the nation's modern era began. However, the population of Japan is believed to have reached 5 million in the 7th century and 10 million in the 14th century. Official estimates placed the number of Japanese in the mid-19th century at over 30 million. In 1920, when Japan's first census was taken, the country had a population of 55,963,000. In 1940, early in World War II, its population was 73,114,000.
Japan experienced a brief baby boom after World War II, but then the nation's birthrate dropped from a high of 34 per 1,000 in 1947 to about 11 per 1,000 by the end of the 1980s. This was one of the fastest declines ever observed in any country, though similar declines have taken place in other industrialized countries. Japan's death rate has also fallen--to about six per 1,000--largely because of improvements in public health measures, advances in medicine, and the greater availability of modern medical facilities. Average life expectancy in Japan reached 76 years for men and 82 years for women in 1990. A century earlier it was 43 years for men and 44 years for women.
The proportion of young people in Japan has been decreasing. Average family size has also been shrinking: it dropped from about five members in 1955 to about three members per family in 1990. This drop occurred in part because many young married couples were establishing their own households instead of living with their parents in the traditional fashion.
Another reason for this drop in family size was that young couples in Japan were having fewer children. In Japan, abortion is an accepted and widely used means of controlling family size. It is permitted under a 1950 law. Contraception, however, is not popular.
#93
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:25 AM
The Japanese are a fairly homogeneous people--both culturally and racially. They have a single language, and almost all are members of the Mongoloid race. Koreans, the largest alien group in Japan, number about 688,000 (1990 census). The Ainu, a native people of northern Japan, have been almost completely assimilated into the general population of the country. There are between 2 and 3 million burakumin. The term means literally "hamlet people," but this conceals their true status as descendants of outcasts--individuals who engaged in occupations that were declared ritually unclean, such as gravediggers, butchers, or leatherworkers. These people are ethnically Japanese, but they are often victims of discrimination because of their low status in society.
Japan is one of the world's most densely populated countries. By 1993 the population density of the country as a whole was about 855 persons per square mile (330 persons per square kilometer), but if only the urban land area is considered, the density becomes several times greater than it is for the entire land area. The bulk of Japan's people live on the coastal lowlands, which make up a relatively small part of the country's total area.
Japan is one of the most urbanized major countries in Asia. In 1920, more than four fifths of its people still lived in rural areas. In 1993, however, about 77 percent of the Japanese lived in cities.
Japan's greatest concentration of population is in a long belt that extends for 350 miles (560 kilometers) from Tokyo and the Kanto Plain, westward along the Pacific coast through Nagoya and Kyoto, to Osaka and Kobe on the eastern edge of the Inland Sea. Within this belt, called the Tokaido Megalopolis, live about 42 percent of Japan's people. The belt comprises the six of the seven largest cities and a large percentage of the 209 cities with more than 100,000 population. A western extension of the Tokaido Megalopolis has been developing along the Inland Sea and as far as the city of Fukuoka in western Kyushu.
Japan is one of the world's most densely populated countries. By 1993 the population density of the country as a whole was about 855 persons per square mile (330 persons per square kilometer), but if only the urban land area is considered, the density becomes several times greater than it is for the entire land area. The bulk of Japan's people live on the coastal lowlands, which make up a relatively small part of the country's total area.
Japan is one of the most urbanized major countries in Asia. In 1920, more than four fifths of its people still lived in rural areas. In 1993, however, about 77 percent of the Japanese lived in cities.
Japan's greatest concentration of population is in a long belt that extends for 350 miles (560 kilometers) from Tokyo and the Kanto Plain, westward along the Pacific coast through Nagoya and Kyoto, to Osaka and Kobe on the eastern edge of the Inland Sea. Within this belt, called the Tokaido Megalopolis, live about 42 percent of Japan's people. The belt comprises the six of the seven largest cities and a large percentage of the 209 cities with more than 100,000 population. A western extension of the Tokaido Megalopolis has been developing along the Inland Sea and as far as the city of Fukuoka in western Kyushu.
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:26 AM
The Tokaido Megalopolis includes the metropolitan clusters of Tokyo-Kawasaki-Yokohama, Nagoya, and Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. The largest and fastest growing of these is around Tokyo. Population is actually decreasing within the city limits of Tokyo, but in Tokyo's distant suburbs--where open land is available for the construction of new homes and apartments--the number of people is increasing rapidly. A two-hour commute to work is common for many residents of Greater Tokyo.
The Tokaido Megalopolis contains the principal Japanese centers of industry, business, and finance and Japan's major international ports. It provides most of the job opportunities for migrants from the farms and small towns of Japan. Virtually all leading educational institutions and cultural organizations are located within the Tokyo-Kobe belt. For this reason, perhaps, Japan's difficulties in providing adequate housing, transportation, and social services of all kinds are greatest in the Tokaido Megalopolis.
Many prefectures--political subdivisions, called ken in Japanese--outside the Tokaido Megalopolis and the few other large metropolitan centers have been losing population through out-migration, especially since 1950. The heaviest losses have occurred in Honshu along the Sea of Japan coast and in rural areas north and west of Tokyo, in western and eastern Kyushu, and on Shikoku. Hokkaido, the northernmost large island, was an area of pioneer settlement until the 1930s. It has the lowest population density of any Japanese prefecture.
Four fifths of Japan's people--99,254,000 in 1990--were living on the island of Honshu. Three other major islands of Japan--Kyushu, Hokkaido, and Shikoku--had populations of 13,296,000, 5,644,000, and 4,195,000, respectively.
The Tokaido Megalopolis contains the principal Japanese centers of industry, business, and finance and Japan's major international ports. It provides most of the job opportunities for migrants from the farms and small towns of Japan. Virtually all leading educational institutions and cultural organizations are located within the Tokyo-Kobe belt. For this reason, perhaps, Japan's difficulties in providing adequate housing, transportation, and social services of all kinds are greatest in the Tokaido Megalopolis.
Many prefectures--political subdivisions, called ken in Japanese--outside the Tokaido Megalopolis and the few other large metropolitan centers have been losing population through out-migration, especially since 1950. The heaviest losses have occurred in Honshu along the Sea of Japan coast and in rural areas north and west of Tokyo, in western and eastern Kyushu, and on Shikoku. Hokkaido, the northernmost large island, was an area of pioneer settlement until the 1930s. It has the lowest population density of any Japanese prefecture.
Four fifths of Japan's people--99,254,000 in 1990--were living on the island of Honshu. Three other major islands of Japan--Kyushu, Hokkaido, and Shikoku--had populations of 13,296,000, 5,644,000, and 4,195,000, respectively.
#95
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:27 AM
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Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
#96
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:27 AM
Japan - Nippon
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: Culture
For nearly 2,000 years an intimate relationship existed between Japan and China. During much of Japan's history this relationship to China was that of pupil to teacher. As early as the 1st century AD, Japanese travelers visited the Chinese imperial court. They brought back cultural treasures that enriched Japanese life--the Buddhist religion, Confucian ethics, written language, literature, art, architecture, music, and methods of government.
In the late 19th century the coming of the Industrial Revolution to Asia changed this relationship. Japan emerged from more than two centuries of self-imposed isolation, recognizing that industrialization was a means of gaining equality with the Western powers. Mastering Western techniques, it soon built factories and created a modern army and navy.
Japan has therefore modernized relatively rapidly. Yet there are still contrasts in the everyday life of the Japanese people. Especially striking are the contrasts between the more traditional countryside and the bustling urban centers. Perhaps less than five percent of the Japanese people live in small farming villages called buraku. The way of life of these people has changed, but the traditional patterns established centuries ago can still be observed.
Rural homes are generally small by Western standards, but compared to the cramped apartments and the tiny houses typical of Japanese cities, they seem spacious. The walls are made of a clay-and-straw plaster. Kitchens traditionally had earthen floors, while the floors in the other rooms were covered with wood or reed mats. The stoves used for cooking are made of clay or brick. They are heated with such materials as straw or with compressed natural gas, which has come into widespread use. The toilet facilities are separate from the house. Water is usually obtained from wells.
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: Culture
For nearly 2,000 years an intimate relationship existed between Japan and China. During much of Japan's history this relationship to China was that of pupil to teacher. As early as the 1st century AD, Japanese travelers visited the Chinese imperial court. They brought back cultural treasures that enriched Japanese life--the Buddhist religion, Confucian ethics, written language, literature, art, architecture, music, and methods of government.
In the late 19th century the coming of the Industrial Revolution to Asia changed this relationship. Japan emerged from more than two centuries of self-imposed isolation, recognizing that industrialization was a means of gaining equality with the Western powers. Mastering Western techniques, it soon built factories and created a modern army and navy.
Japan has therefore modernized relatively rapidly. Yet there are still contrasts in the everyday life of the Japanese people. Especially striking are the contrasts between the more traditional countryside and the bustling urban centers. Perhaps less than five percent of the Japanese people live in small farming villages called buraku. The way of life of these people has changed, but the traditional patterns established centuries ago can still be observed.
Rural homes are generally small by Western standards, but compared to the cramped apartments and the tiny houses typical of Japanese cities, they seem spacious. The walls are made of a clay-and-straw plaster. Kitchens traditionally had earthen floors, while the floors in the other rooms were covered with wood or reed mats. The stoves used for cooking are made of clay or brick. They are heated with such materials as straw or with compressed natural gas, which has come into widespread use. The toilet facilities are separate from the house. Water is usually obtained from wells.
#97
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:29 AM
The villagers usually live in households that include grandparents and grown sons with their families, as well as the farmer, his wife, and their younger children. When a farmer dies or grows old, his land is passed on to a son, traditionally the eldest. His other sons may inherit money and may stay on the farm. However, most enter occupations in the village or a city.
The chief family responsibilities involve work in the fields. Both men and women spend long days planting, tilling, and harvesting their crops. During the time in each growing season when the rice paddies are flooded, the people work knee-deep in water. Most farmers tend and harvest their crops using modern specialized farm machinery; nevertheless, intense hand labor practices are still widely employed.
The women often work in the fields after they have finished their usual household tasks of cooking, cleaning, and gardening. Children go to school, and schoolwork is their major responsibility. They may help take care of younger brothers and sisters. Grandparents no longer able to do field work look after their grandchildren.
After a hard day's work, the entire family enjoys an evening bath. The large earthenware or cedar bathtub stands in a bathhouse or in the kitchen near the stove. A fire kindled beneath the tub keeps the water hot. Then each family member in turn--beginning with the father--washes and rinses thoroughly before getting into the tub. The water in the tub is used only for soaking since it is shared by all members of the family. On winter days the hot bath gives the farm family its first chance to get really warm.
Japanese villagers are neighborly. The whole village may partake in a wedding or a funeral. All the women prepare food for a village celebration, and every family brings its share. Most village business is handled through agricultural cooperatives which help market the farmers' produce.
The chief family responsibilities involve work in the fields. Both men and women spend long days planting, tilling, and harvesting their crops. During the time in each growing season when the rice paddies are flooded, the people work knee-deep in water. Most farmers tend and harvest their crops using modern specialized farm machinery; nevertheless, intense hand labor practices are still widely employed.
The women often work in the fields after they have finished their usual household tasks of cooking, cleaning, and gardening. Children go to school, and schoolwork is their major responsibility. They may help take care of younger brothers and sisters. Grandparents no longer able to do field work look after their grandchildren.
After a hard day's work, the entire family enjoys an evening bath. The large earthenware or cedar bathtub stands in a bathhouse or in the kitchen near the stove. A fire kindled beneath the tub keeps the water hot. Then each family member in turn--beginning with the father--washes and rinses thoroughly before getting into the tub. The water in the tub is used only for soaking since it is shared by all members of the family. On winter days the hot bath gives the farm family its first chance to get really warm.
Japanese villagers are neighborly. The whole village may partake in a wedding or a funeral. All the women prepare food for a village celebration, and every family brings its share. Most village business is handled through agricultural cooperatives which help market the farmers' produce.
#98
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:30 AM
Source
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Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
#99
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:31 AM
Japan - Nippon
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: Inside a Traditional Japanese Home
Homes generally have a kitchen and three or four other rooms. The walls are lined with bamboo strips. The floors are covered with tatami, woven straw mats 6 feet by 3 feet (1.8 by 0.9 meters) in size. A room's size is stated as the number of tatami required to cover the floor. Among the most common sizes are 4 1/2- and 6-tatami rooms. To keep the tatami clean, the Japanese remove their shoes when entering a house.
Most houses perch on posts that are 2 feet (0.6 meter) high, set on rock foundations. A narrow porch on the sunny side serves as a hall onto which the rooms open. Permanent partitions are rare. Fusuma, or sliding screens made of paper-covered frames, may be closed to create separate rooms or opened to convert the entire house into a single room. Shoji, or sliding outer doors, are pushed back on summer days to let in air and are shut for protection at night.
The light, open construction of such Japanese houses is well suited to a warm climate and to a region where earthquakes destroy heavier structures. However, these houses do not keep out the damp chill of winter. A hibachi (charcoal brazier) serves mainly as a hand warmer. Sometimes a kotatsu (burner) is set into the floor and a table draped with quilts is placed over it. The family gathers around the table to warm their feet and legs under the table.
Furniture in the Japanese home generally consists only of storage chests and low tables. In most homes the family sits on zabuton (low cushions) and sleeps on futons (cotton-filled mattresses). However, many city families have replaced the futon with beds. Both the zabuton and the futon are stored in wall closets when they are not being used, although they must be aired frequently to prevent mildew during the hot, humid summers.
The most important spot in the house is the tokonoma, an alcove containing a low platform which holds a flower arrangement. Above the platform hangs a painted scroll. When callers come, the most honored guest is seated near the tokonoma. Except for the embellished parchment doors between rooms, scrolls and flower arrangements are usually the only decoration found in Japanese homes.
Carefully tended gardens demonstrate the Japanese love of nature. The rooms of a home often open onto a garden through a sliding door. Many Japanese gardens are actually miniature landscapes, with small trees, flowering bushes, pools, streams, and bridges.
---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: Inside a Traditional Japanese Home
Homes generally have a kitchen and three or four other rooms. The walls are lined with bamboo strips. The floors are covered with tatami, woven straw mats 6 feet by 3 feet (1.8 by 0.9 meters) in size. A room's size is stated as the number of tatami required to cover the floor. Among the most common sizes are 4 1/2- and 6-tatami rooms. To keep the tatami clean, the Japanese remove their shoes when entering a house.
Most houses perch on posts that are 2 feet (0.6 meter) high, set on rock foundations. A narrow porch on the sunny side serves as a hall onto which the rooms open. Permanent partitions are rare. Fusuma, or sliding screens made of paper-covered frames, may be closed to create separate rooms or opened to convert the entire house into a single room. Shoji, or sliding outer doors, are pushed back on summer days to let in air and are shut for protection at night.
The light, open construction of such Japanese houses is well suited to a warm climate and to a region where earthquakes destroy heavier structures. However, these houses do not keep out the damp chill of winter. A hibachi (charcoal brazier) serves mainly as a hand warmer. Sometimes a kotatsu (burner) is set into the floor and a table draped with quilts is placed over it. The family gathers around the table to warm their feet and legs under the table.
Furniture in the Japanese home generally consists only of storage chests and low tables. In most homes the family sits on zabuton (low cushions) and sleeps on futons (cotton-filled mattresses). However, many city families have replaced the futon with beds. Both the zabuton and the futon are stored in wall closets when they are not being used, although they must be aired frequently to prevent mildew during the hot, humid summers.
The most important spot in the house is the tokonoma, an alcove containing a low platform which holds a flower arrangement. Above the platform hangs a painted scroll. When callers come, the most honored guest is seated near the tokonoma. Except for the embellished parchment doors between rooms, scrolls and flower arrangements are usually the only decoration found in Japanese homes.
Carefully tended gardens demonstrate the Japanese love of nature. The rooms of a home often open onto a garden through a sliding door. Many Japanese gardens are actually miniature landscapes, with small trees, flowering bushes, pools, streams, and bridges.
---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
#100
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Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:32 AM
Japan - Nippon
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: Food
Most Japanese eat three meals a day. Boiled white rice (gohan), the mainstay of the Japanese diet for centuries, is eaten at almost every meal--though rice consumption per capita has declined markedly in favor of such Western staples as potatoes or bread. At breakfast rice is usually supplemented by misoshiru, a bean-paste soup, and tsukemono, pickled vegetables. In the cities, many Japanese have replaced these dishes with bread, butter, and eggs. Lunch is a light meal and may consist of tsukemono, salted fish, and tsukudani, seafood or vegetables cooked and preserved in soy sauce, in addition to rice or noodles.
The evening meal is the most important meal of the day. In most homes it includes vegetables and rice with fish, beef, pork, or chicken. Meat is usually cut into thin strips and fried. It has not been as central in the Japanese diet as in that of Western nations, but meat-eating increased in the late 20th century. Until the late 19th century, Buddhist practice discouraged eating the flesh of four-legged animals. Fish is often served raw. When served this way it is called sushi or sashimi.
The two most popular beverages in Japan are green tea and sake, although coffee is also widely consumed. Tea is drunk during and after meals. It is also served to guests with such snacks as soba, buckwheat noodles, and udon, wheat noodles. Sake, rice wine, is served with meals, at dinner parties, and especially at celebrations such as weddings or holiday feasts.
Chopsticks are the only eating utensils for a traditional Japanese meal, whether formal or informal. Food is served in china or lacquer bowls and on dishes. On important occasions, individual trays are provided. Usually a Japanese family sits around a low table for meals. Western-style breakfasts probably predominate in Japan today. Western fast-food establishments are widespread.
---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
InfoPedia Sources - Encyclopedia: Food
Most Japanese eat three meals a day. Boiled white rice (gohan), the mainstay of the Japanese diet for centuries, is eaten at almost every meal--though rice consumption per capita has declined markedly in favor of such Western staples as potatoes or bread. At breakfast rice is usually supplemented by misoshiru, a bean-paste soup, and tsukemono, pickled vegetables. In the cities, many Japanese have replaced these dishes with bread, butter, and eggs. Lunch is a light meal and may consist of tsukemono, salted fish, and tsukudani, seafood or vegetables cooked and preserved in soy sauce, in addition to rice or noodles.
The evening meal is the most important meal of the day. In most homes it includes vegetables and rice with fish, beef, pork, or chicken. Meat is usually cut into thin strips and fried. It has not been as central in the Japanese diet as in that of Western nations, but meat-eating increased in the late 20th century. Until the late 19th century, Buddhist practice discouraged eating the flesh of four-legged animals. Fish is often served raw. When served this way it is called sushi or sashimi.
The two most popular beverages in Japan are green tea and sake, although coffee is also widely consumed. Tea is drunk during and after meals. It is also served to guests with such snacks as soba, buckwheat noodles, and udon, wheat noodles. Sake, rice wine, is served with meals, at dinner parties, and especially at celebrations such as weddings or holiday feasts.
Chopsticks are the only eating utensils for a traditional Japanese meal, whether formal or informal. Food is served in china or lacquer bowls and on dishes. On important occasions, individual trays are provided. Usually a Japanese family sits around a low table for meals. Western-style breakfasts probably predominate in Japan today. Western fast-food establishments are widespread.
---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Infopedia: The Complete Reference Collection
Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
