Lesson 1: Introduction to Japan...3. Lesson 2: Resources of Japan...9. Lesson 3: People of Japan Lesson 4: Religions of Japan...

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Pamela Sparks
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1 CONTENTS: Lesson 1: Introduction to Japan Lesson 2: Resources of Japan Lesson 3: People of Japan Lesson 4: Religions of Japan Lesson 5: Major cities of Japan Lesson 6: History of Japan Lesson 7: Holidays, Festivals & Art forms of Japan Appendix A: Glossary Appendix B: Hands-on Activities Appendix C: Final Test Appendix D: Parent/Teacher Guide Copyright Notice If you have purchased this country unit study, parents may print copies for their children and teachers may print one copy for each of their students. Any other use is unauthorized. Please visit my country unit study website at to find out what other units I have available. 2005, 2006, 2008 Christine Ajayi

2 LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO JAPAN Questions to ask yourself: How did Japan get its name? What are the three types of volcanoes? How were the islands of Japan formed? Objective: You will be able to locate Japan on a world map and recognize important landmarks within the country. You will have a better understanding of Japan s geography and climate. GEOGRAPHY Japan is made up of about 3,900 islands off the northeast coast of Asia. Almost as large as California put together, they stretch across 1,200 miles. The four largest islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku make up 95% of Japan. With 124 million people, Japan is the seventh most populated country in the world. Thousands of years ago when they noticed the sun rising over the islands, the Chinese named the islands to the east Jih-pen, which means the source of the sun. The English-speaking world began calling it Japan, but the Japanese call their country Nippon, which means land of the rising sun. The sun is an important Japanese symbol, represented on their flag. Across the Sea of Japan to the west of the islands lies Russia, North and South Korea. China is to the southwest, beyond the East China Sea. To Japan s north is the Sea of Okhotsk and two Russian-owned islands Sakhalin and Kuril. Japan is part of the Pacific Rim, which also includes the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, Chile, California and Alaska. These places share geological features. Using a world map, locate Japan and identify these major landmarks: Sea of Japan Hokkaido Mount Fuji Honshu Shikoki Tokyo Kyushu

3 COUNTRY UNIT STUDY - JAPAN 4 CLIMATE The distance between Japan s islands spans about the same distance as the United States from north to south. Thus, climate varies as much as that in the United States. The far northern islands have cool summers and bitterly cold winters, while the far south is subtropical year round. Northwest Honshu is known as snow country. A warm current along the south and east coasts sweeps as far as Tokyo. Currents along the Sea of Japan warm the winter air, changing it to heavy snow. The Pacific Coast is windy and cold, but dry. Coming of spring is marked by Sakura Zensen, the cherry blossom front. The first blossoms appear in the south during late March and in northern Hokkaido in mid May. Baiu, plum rains, begin early in June in the south and move northward. Rains last for a month. Kyushu island has its heaviest rain during June. Then summer turns hot and humid. Late in August the shurin rains begin, lasting through September. Typhoons, which is Chinese for great wind, come in September. They begin over the ocean like a hurricane, gathering strength and speed. On land, they uproot trees and houses and cause landslides in coastal areas. Three or four strike Japan each year. During a typhoon warning, everyone goes home immediately. October is cool and crisp. Leaves change color. Autumn is short with winter beginning in November. Asahikawa, Hokkaido has the lowest temperature on record for Japan at -42 F. Warmer air begins drifting in late February. ISLANDS Hokkaido island has 5% of Japan s population and its main ethnic group the Ainu. It is hilly and cool and skiing and other winter sports are popular. The interior has national parks. Ishikari Plain is its best farming region and Sapporo is the largest city. Honshu is the largest island of Japan, making up 60% of its land. Most of the people live there and half of all Japan s population is located on a thin strip of coastal land that makes up only 3% of Japan s total land mass. The northern region is made of rich farmland. Rice fields grow along the northeast coast in Sendai Plain. Kanto Plain in east central Honshu has the largest population, farming and industry. Both Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan s two largest cities are on the Kanto Plain and flow together as one gigantic metropolis. The Tokai region is in the southeast and is a tea-producing region. Nagoya is its largest city. Kinki Plain lies on the southern part of Honshu. Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe together form a large metropolis area. Okayama and Hiroshima are also located in Kinki Plain.

4 COUNTRY UNIT STUDY - JAPAN 5 Shikoku island is connected to southern Honshu by the Inland Sea. Heavy traffic passes between the islands. Takamatsu and Matsuyama are its biggest cities. Bridges and tunnels running across Kammon Strait connect Kyushu island to Honshu. Kyushu is heavily populated and industrialized. Northern Kyushu has coal and steel industries. Fukuoka and Kitakyushu are important northern cities. On the west coast lie the cities of Nagasaki and Sasebo. Kyushu is known as the silicon island because of the semiconductor industries around Kumamoto. This island has active volcanoes and onsen, steaming-hot mineral springs. The Ryukyu islands are a chain of islands that curve southwest toward Taiwan. The main island in this chain is Okinawa which was occupied by the United States during World War II and not returned to Japan until The United States still keeps military bases there. It is a tropical island with white-sand beaches, coral reefs and lush jungle foliage. Sugarcane and tourism are the backbone of its economy. The Bonin islands run along the southeast of Honshu. Minamitori is Japan s easternmost island far out in the Pacific Ocean. The Kuril islands run along northeast Hokkaido. These four islands are claimed by Japan, but occupied by Russians. RIVERS & LAKES Japan has short, swift rivers, many with waterfalls. Many people kayak down the white waters. Kiso, Hozu, Tneryu, Kuma, Kurobe, Soun, Takachiho are some of Japan s rivers. Shinano River is the longest. None are suitable for navigation, but provide irrigation and hydroelectric power. Rain and melting snow sometimes make the rivers overflow. The five Fuji Lakes formed when volcanic lava damned a river. Lakes Towada and Tazawa are crater lakes in northern Honshu. Lake Mashu is the clearest lake in the world. Japan s largest lake is Biwa near Kyoto. Thousands of years ago the Sea of Japan was a lake. Two isthmus connected Japan to Asia, one attached to Siberia and the other attached to Korea. These land bridges are now under water. MOUNTAINS & VOLCANOES Mountains divide Japan into inner and outer zones. The outer zone faces the Pacific Ocean and gets hit by tidal waves and typhoons. The inner zone faces the Sea of

5 COUNTRY UNIT STUDY - JAPAN 6 Japan. The Japanese Alps in central Honshu island are the highest mountain range in Japan. Most Japanese climb its highest peak, Mount Fuji (12,388 ft), at least once during their life. Mount Fuji is snowcapped almost all year. Japanese call it Fuji-san or Fujiyama. Its last eruption was in Japan has more than two hundred and fifty volcanoes and is part of the Pacific regions Ring of Fire. There are three types of volcanoes, active, dormant and extinct. Active volcanoes have erupted in recent history, while dormant volcanoes, such as Mount Fuji, haven t erupted in a while but may still. Extinct volcanoes are those that haven t erupted for thousands of years. Japan s sixty-seven active volcanoes make up 10% of the active volcanoes in the world. Mount Unzen on western Kyushu erupted in 1792 killing 15,000 people. It erupted again in 1991, killing thirty people. Mount Aso in Kyushu is the largest volcano in the world. Its crater is so big that several villages are scattered inside it. EARTHQUAKES & TSUNAMI In addition to volcanoes, Japan suffers from earthquakes and tsunami every year. Japan sits on four tectonic plates. The islands formed millions of years ago when the plates smashed together. The pressure caused enormous heat and volcanoes to erupt and spew ash and molten rock. These tectonic plates continue to cause violent phenomena in Japan. According to Japanese folklore, an earthquake comes when catfish flap their tails and disastrous ones come every seventy years. The Kanto earthquake was the most devastating in Japanese history, killing 143,000 people in The Kobe earthquake occurred in 1995, killing 5,500. Japanese has around fifteen hundred tremors a year. Another Japanese legend tells of a sleeping dragon with Japan as its back. When it stirs in its sleep, earthquakes occur. Earthquakes can start on land or at sea. Tsunami are massive waves caused by earthquakes. In 1703, a massive tsunami killed over 100,000 people in Awa, Japan. Onsen or hot springs are also caused by movement of the earth s plates. They are natural pools of water heated deep within the earth. Beppu has one of the most popular spas built around a natural hot spring used for bathing. Japan has developed high-technology equipment for detecting earthquakes, but they are not always reliable. Some people trust animal behavior more. Fish swim unusually close to the surface and crows fly in bizarre patterns, squawking madly when an

6 COUNTRY UNIT STUDY - JAPAN 7 earthquake is about to strike. Tsunamis often accompany earthquakes. Although they are often called tidal waves, they re actually caused by underwater volcanoes and offshore earthquakes. They can crash into the coast at one hundred miles an hour. LEARNING ACTIVITY: Draw a map of Japan: Materials: World map, posterboard, color pencils or paints. Map should include all the major landmarks as well as a legend. If you want to study more about Japan, try these activities: Using the library and internet, find out about technology that scientists use to determine when a volcano will erupt or when an earthquake will strike. Through the internet, learn more about one or more of Japan s smaller islands. How many are uninhabited? Share your findings with friends and family.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Wednesday, April 4, 2018 Physical Geography of Japan Objective: Outline the countries and territories that are included in East Asia. Describe the main physical features and climate types of each country.