Japan Facts for Kids

In this article we will take a look at some Japan facts for kids which will help them with some valuable information about this great nation...

The whole media attention has shifted to Japan in the past five days or so as it has been hit by a series of catastrophes. First an earthquake measuring 8.9 - 9.1 on the Richter scale rocked the nation setting up a Tsunami with a power of 1.3 pettawatts which caused huge loss to human life and property. If it wasn't enough, three explosions happened in the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Sendai and there is a possibility that more explosions can happen soon. The continuous media coverage has meant that your kids have watched a lot of disturbing news about Japan. So, to help kids see the brighter side of Japan and know the country in a better way, we have compiled a list of Japan facts for kids.

Interesting Facts About Japan

Japan is a country which has been able to preserve its ancient culture while making rapid strides in its economy. Although it is the second biggest economy in the world and stands tall among the richest nations of the world, the Japanese are very polite and hard-working. Let us know more by checking some interesting facts about Japan.

• Japan is made up of four main islands Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, but what is more interesting is that there are 4,000 smaller islands which lie in the north Pacific ocean!
• Japan is called "Nippon" by the people of Japan, which means the land of the rising sun. This is symbolized by red dot in the middle of their National flag.
• Japan is the 60th largest nation according to size and its population was around 127 million according to the 2009 census. The capital city of Japan is known as Tokyo and is home to some 75 million people.
• Around 70% of Japan is covered by mountains and many of these are active volcanoes. Mount Fuji, the highest peak in Japan is considered sacred by many Japanese.
• The Prime Minister of Japan is not elected by the people, but by the legislature.
• The Japanese people have a great affection for the beauty of the landscape like mountains, volcanoes, waterfalls etc. They believe that like human beings these things also have souls.
• Japan's national anthem is 'Kimigayo' meaning 'The Emperor's Reign' and the national flag is called 'Hinomaru'.
• Japan is located at such a place on earth that it has an average of 1500 earthquakes every year. There are about 200 volcanoes in Japan.
• Japanese are very hard working by nature. The children are taught to respect their parents and superiors and Japanese lay more emphasis on the achievement of society's good rather than the achievement of the individual.
• Japanese catch and consume more fish than any other country in the world. Fish is the main source of proteins and it is usually served with rice which is the staple food of Japan. Sushi which has become popular all over the world is a Japanese dish.
• The Japanese have many etiquette for almost all walks of life. Japanese aren't too comfortable with physical contact with each other and people greet each other by bowing instead of handshaking.
• Americans have grown up with the idea of "help yourself", but in Japan it is considered impolite to eat until the host offers the food.
• There are wild monkeys in Japan and the last thing they like is someone looking into their eyes!
• The kids in Japan love McDonalds as much as much as American kids and McDonalds in Japanese dialect sounds like Ma-ku-do-na-ru-do.
• The Gold Retriever is the most popular pet in Japan.
• Japanese drive on the left and have the steering wheels on the right side of their vehicles.
• Baseball and sumo are the most popular sports in Japan. Sumo wrestling has been prevalent in Japan since 500 A.D.
• Children's day is celebrated in Japan on the 5th of May. It is a day when families celebrate the joy of having a child.
• Japanese aren't too good at English, so you can find poorly written English everywhere in shops, discos and on T-shirts.
• Japan is world's largest producer of automobiles and many of the Japanese car brands like Nissan, Honda, Toyota are household names in US.
• Japanese men shave their heads as a mark of apology and women cut their hair after breaking up with their boyfriends.

These were some of the Japan facts for kids. We hope that these facts will help your kids to know this beautiful country, which is fighting hard to fend off a nuclear catastrophe, in a better way.

Posted in: Children N Family