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LAND OF THE RISING SUN

Japan is an archipelago, or a group of islands, about 100 miles east of theAsian mainland. The ancient Japanese knew about China and Korea, but they did not know of any land east of their islands. They believed theirs was the first land awakened by the rising sun. The Japanese call their land Nihon, meaning "Land of the Rising Sun." The Europeans learned of Japan from the Chinese, who mispronounced the name as Zipango. That word eventually evolved into Japan.

Japan consists of thousands of islands, many of which are too small for people to live. Most people live on four islands: Honshu is the largest, and and most populated island. Shikoku and Kyushu are smaller islands south of Honshu, and Hokkaido is north of Honshu. Japan is smaller than California, but because of the shape of the nation, it experiences almost as many climates as the United States. In fact, the northernmost part of Hokkaido is at the same latitude as Montreal, while the southernmost tip of Kyushu is parallel to Pensacola, Florida.

Japan is smaller than California, but is home to more than 120 million people, making it more than four times as crowded as California. Additionally, three-quarters of the Japanese people are crowded into the narrow plain on the southeast coast of Honshu between Tokyo and Hiroshima.

The crowded conditions influence how the Japanese people live. Land prices are very high, so most Japanese cannot afford to purchase individual houses. They instead live in danchi, small apartments that are no larger than a large room in an American home. A danchi is divided into very small sleeping and living rooms, and an even smaller kitchen and bathroom. One third of Japanese danchi measure less than eleven feet by eleven feet.

Homogeneity

Japan is a homogeneous society with few minority groups. Outsiders number less than one percent of the Japanese population. A small group Koreans comprise the only significant group in Japan, and they often complain that they are treated unfairly, even if their family has lived in Japan for generations. While newcomers in U.S.A are potential citizens, the Japanese view them as foreigners who will eventually leave.

The Burakumin are a curious exception to the homogeneity of the Japanese people. The Burakumin probably descended from people who were defeated in war, or from people who ignored the traditional Buddhist prohibition of working with leather or butchering animals. The burakumin look like other Japanese, but they are an underprivileged minority in Japan. Discrimination against the burakumin has been illegal since 1871, but many Japanese avoid contact with them, and are careful to check marriage records to avoid intermarriage.

<> Japan has borrowed ideas from other cultures, but they often adjust the ideas to suit their needs. The Japanese are passionate baseball fans, but Japanese besuboru is very different from its American counterpart. The Japanese believe in the concept of wa, which prizes team spirit over personal achievement. Many major leaguers have moved to Japan, but most are uncomfortable with Japanese baseball. One American player commented that in Japan a perfect ballgame would end in a tie.

Ring of Fire

Japan is part of the Ring of Fire, a narrow zone of active volcanoes that nearly encircles the Pacific Ocean. Japan consists of a series of volcanic mountains that thrust from the Pacific Ocean millions of years ago, and continue to reshape the land. Japan has about 170 volcanoes, 75 of which are active.

There are more earthquakes in Japan than in any other nation. The Japanese people feel about 1500 tremors every year. Most are harmless, but about once every two years, an earthquake causes serious damage and loss of life. When the epicenter of the earthquake is on land, buildings, farmland, and whole villages can be destroyed. An offshore earthquake can cause a tsunami. A tsunami is an enormous ocean wave that can devastate coastal lands.

A 1923 earthquake in Tokyo and Yokohama killed more than 130,000 people and destroyed most of the cities. 27 million people, more than one-fifth of all Japanese people, are crowded into the area that includes Tokyo and Yokohama. The area is filled with towering buildings, modern subways, and traffic jammed streets. A severe earthquake in Tokyo would be more devastating than anything that has ever happened before.

Japan's climate is affected by monsoons, or winds that change direction with the season. In the summer, the monsoon blows onto Japan from the east, bringing heavy rain from the Pacific Ocean. Late summer is the season for typhoons, violent tropical hurricanes that bring floods and landslides. The winter monsoon brings in cold dry air from the Asian mainland.

Japan's steep, mountainous terrain presents a stunning landscape, but is difficult to farm. Only 13% of Japan consists of arable land. The chief crop is rice, because Japan's mild climate and plentiful rainfall make the crop easy to grow. The Japanese people eat little meat; the rely on the sea as a food source. A dinner in Japan often includes rice along with fish, squid, or octopus.

Shinto

    Earthquakes, volcanoes, and typhoons make Japan a land of many violent forces. The ancient Japanese developed a great respect for nature. Their beliefs are called "Shinto," or the "way of the gods."The ancient Japanese believed the gods created Japan as a special group of islands. They sent many kami, or lesser gods, to govern the land. Kami were supernatural forces with power over the mountains, the forests, the winds, and the sea. Shinto teaches that the world is filled with spirits that reside in nature.

    Amaterasu was the goddess of the sun, and her brother, Susano-o, was the storm god. The two quarreled often. Amaterasu sent her grandson, Ninigo, to rule over the Japanese islands. Ninigi was assisted by the kami, whose children became the Japanese people. The Japanese people believed they were the children of supernatural forces, and their emperor descended by Amaterasu. These beliefs helped to bond the Japanese as a culture that kept outsiders away. They were also a factor in Japan's entry into World War II.

    The Japanese borrowed many ideas from other cultures and adapted them for their own use. Buddhism is an example of this Japanese trait. Buddhism was founded in northeast Nepal about 600 BC. It reached Japan about seven hundred years later, and became very popular with upper class Japanese. The most popular Buddhist sect was Zen, a term that means concentration. Zen Buddhists taught that everyone could become enlightened, but they needed to concentrate deeply and look within themselves to achieve "Buddha-hood." The primary western faiths, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, believe in a God that is external. The focus of Zen is not on an external force, but on self-understanding and self-reliance. Zen Buddhists meditate by sitting very still with their back straight, their legs crossed, and their minds concentrated in order to achieve tranquility and insight.

Religion is no longer a big factor of daily life for most Japanese people. When Japan lost World War II, the American army forced the Japanese emperor to declare that he was not a god. Many Shinto shines remain, but they are not visited as often as they were before the war.