Introduction to Japan

Japan

Japan is a country in East Asia with its capital being the highly populated city of Tokyo. Japan, one of the world’s most literate and technically advanced nations, is an East Asian archipelago country made up of four primary islands and more than 6,800 others. While most of Japan is covered by mountains and heavily wooded areas, the country’s people lead a distinctly urban lifestyle. Japan is home to incredibly unique traditions, making it a well-established destination for tourism and exploring. The country has many traditions and rituals which make them unique, these include:

• Tea ceremonies- these are heavily influenced by Buddhist practices and people who are invited should feel honoured.
• Gift Giving- when meeting business associates or arriving at someone's home, it is important to show respect or gratitude with a gift and it should be nicely presented. 
• Not tipping- when visiting restaurants or cafés, it is important not to tip as it is seen as insulting in the sense that you are perceiving the person as not well-off and that they need extra money. (Textappeal, 2019)

map: Google search (2019)

More than 99% of Japan's population speaks the national language which is Japanese. The economy of Japan is the third largest in the world after the United States and the People's Republic of China. Japan's currency is the Yen, with one Yen being the equivalent to 0.0076 in Pounds Sterling. (Google search, 2019)

Image obtained from: Bing image search (2019)

Japan is in the spotlight at the minute with the rugby world cup being at the forefront of events occurring in Japan at present, however it is not the most popular sport in Japan. Sumo is the national sport of Japan. It originated from the Japanese Shinto ritual that depicted a human wrestling a god. Sumo tournaments gained popularity in the late 17th century in Tomioka Hachiman-gu Shrine in Tokyo. Six major sumo tournaments are held across the country each year with each tournament spanning 15 days. The highest-ranking sumo wrestler is known as “Yokozuna,” and surprisingly no Japanese wrestler held the title at the global level between 2000 and 2016 with Mongolia producing several Yokozuna athletes. (WorldAtlas, 22^nd August 2019)

Tokyo Skytree is one of the most famous landmarks in Tokyo. The towering tower standing 2 080 feet (634 meters) tall and was completed in 2012. Since then tens of millions of locals and tourists have visited the impressive structure.

Tokyo Skytree took four years to build and cost over ¥65 billion ($600 million). Its primary function is to broadcast radio and TV signals to the Kanto region, but it’s most famous for its observation deck. From there you get a unique view of one of the greatest cities in the world. (The Tokyo Tourist, 2019) image obtained from: Japananalytic, 15^th October 2017