Capital: Tokyo
Currency: Yen (JPY)
Borders: 0 km
Japan lies in North East Asia and is an archipelago of islands off
the shores of Russia and Korea. It occupies a landmass of 374,744 sq
km, of which some 80% is mountainous terrain, including amongst
other landmarks, the legendary Mt Fuji. The capital of Japan is
Tokyo, where a large proportion of Japan’s population
works and resides. Japan has its own, very strong currency and its
own language, although a lot of its cultural influences come from
the west, namely music, fashion and other elements of youth culture.
The Japanese really respect their past and tradition and certainly
some fine examples prevail. It was in Japan that Samurai warriors
once walked the streets. Emperors lived in luxury within their Royal
Palaces and Geishas attended to their attendees.
Modern Japan, despite being levelled in WWII, has
risen to become one of the world’s most successful countries in
terms of manufacture and hi-tech expertise. There is no doubting the
buzz of Japan’s big cities and the youth’s ambition to succeed at
the top, although beneath the surface, an old Japan still exists.
The climate of Japan is temperate with all four seasons falling at
some stage in various different parts of the country. Japan’s close
proximity to Siberia ensures a very cold winter, especially in the
northern island of Hokkaido where snowfall is great during winter.
In summer, most of Japan experiences monsoon and even typhoons. The
highest recorded temperature in Tokyo was 38°C and the coldest was
-8°C. |
