The country of Japan - ( ni.ho.n-ko.ku)
Japan (general) - ( ni.ho.n)
Japan (native name) - ( nip.po.n)


The flag (pictured below) symbolises the rising sun.




Approximately 128 million people (2006 estimate)
This makes Japan the 10th most populous nation in the world.


The Emperor's Reign ( ki.mi.ga.yo)
Translated to English as:
May The Emperor's reign
Continue for a thousand,
eight thousand generations,
Until the pebbles
Grow into boulders
Lush with moss.

Press the play button to hear the Japanese national anthem (if you see a white square below, it could still be loading or you may need to install the Flash plug-in).



Total: 377,835 km²
Land: 374,744 km²
Water: 3,091 km²


Tokyo is the capital and the most populous city in Japan. It is made up of twenty-three 'wards', and is one of the largest cities in the world with a total population of over 8 million people.


Japanese.


Japan is a constitutional monarchy, a system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state. It is a democratic state that normally elects a Prime Minister every four years.
Emperor: Akihito
Prime Minister: Shinzo Abe


Yen (International , Japanese e.n) (JPY)
The current exchange rate (as at 7.09.07) is NZ$1 = JPY78.52




Japanese Standard Time (JST) is UTC+9
New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) is UTC+12.
So when it is midday (12pm) in New Zealand, it is 9am in Japan.


Shinto and Buddhism are Japan's two major religions.
Although religion does not play a big role in everyday life, most Japanese consider themselves Buddhist, Shinto or both. A normal Japanese person follows the religious rituals at ceremonies for births, weddings and funerals, or events like visiting a shrine or temple on New Year’s day or during local festivals.