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About Japan:

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun". Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, together comprising about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. Honshu's Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents. A major economic power,Japan has the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP and fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the world's fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer. Although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the sixth largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. After Singapore, Japan has the lowest homicide rate (including attempted homicide) in the world. According to Japan's health ministry, Japanese women have the second highest life expectancy of any country in the world. According to the United Nations, Japan also has the third lowest infant mortality rate.

Geography of Japan:

Japan has a total of 6,852 islands extending along the Pacific coast of East Asia. The country, including all of the islands it controls, lies between latitudes 24° and 46°N, and longitudes 122° and 146°E. The main islands, from north to south, are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. The Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa, are a chain to the south of Kyushu. Together they are often known as the Japanese Archipelago. About 73 percent of Japan is forested, mountainous, and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential use. As a result, the habitable zones, mainly located in coastal areas, have extremely high population densities. Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Japan has 108 active volcanoes. Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunami, occur several times each century. The 1923 Tokyo earthquake killed over 140,000 people. More recent major quakes are the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, a 9.0-magnitude quake which hit Japan on 11 March 2011, and triggered a large tsunami. On 24 May 2012, 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan. However, no tsunami was generated.

Japan Weather:

View Detailed 10 Day Weather Forecast for Tokyo, webcams, weather maps & more at Weather-Forecast.com

Japan Food:

Japanese cuisine is a feast for the eye as well as the palate. Although white rice is integral to the Japanese culture, the abundance of fresh seafood provides many suitable choices for people following a healthy eating plan.

Japanese chefs are trained to arrange foods beautifully and to display them with an eye for color, texture and balance with nature or the seasons. That sense of beauty, paired with natural ingredients at the peak of freshness and meticulous preparation, are what make Japanese cuisine an art. The most well-known Japanese specialties, sushi and sashimi, are based on seafood caught in the ocean surrounding this island nation, but you will find that vegetables, tofu and noodle dishes are also major menu options. Japanese cuisine also features one-pot meals, such as shabu-shabu (a kind of fondue consisting of paper-thin slices of beef and vegetables that diners dip into a simmering pot of broth). Vegetables are almost always served crisp. If cooked, they are merely blanched or grilled, except for the batter-dipped and fried vegetable tempura. Dining in a Japanese restaurant gives you an opportunity to experiment with delicious vegetables you may never have tried before. Try burdock, daikon (radish), lotus root and Japanese eggplant, as well as the wonderful variety of pickled vegetables (oshinko), which are eaten as snacks or light appetizers before a meal. Some of the flavors you are most likely to encounter as you enjoy Japanese food are shoyu (soy sauce), mirin (rice wine), dashi (a flavorful broth made from dried bonito [fish] flakes), ponzu (a dipping sauce made from soy sauce, rice-wine vinegar, dashi and seaweed), wasabi (extra-pungent horseradish), pickled ginger, miso (soybean paste) and both sesame seeds and sesame oil.

Japan Tourist Attractions:

Tokyo:

Tokyo is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area in the world. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family. Tokyo is in the Kanto region on the southeastern side of the main island Honshu and includes the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands. Tokyo Metropolis was formed in 1943 from the merger of the former Tokyo Prefecture and the city of Tokyo .

The Tokyo Metropolitan government administers the 23 special wards of Tokyo (each governed as a city), which cover the area that was the city of Tokyo, as well as 39 municipalities in the western part of the prefecture and the two outlying island chains. The population of the special wards is over 8 million people, with the total population of the prefecture exceeding 13 million. The prefecture is part of the world's most populous metropolitan area with upwards of 35 million people and the world's largest urban agglomeration economy with a GDP of US$1.479 trillion at purchasing power parity in 2008, ahead of New York City metropolitan area, which ranks second on the list. The city hosts 51 of the Fortune Global 500 companies, the highest number of any city.

Tokyo has been described as one of the three "command centers" for the world economy, along with New York City and London. The city is considered an alpha+ world city, listed by the GaWC's 2008 inventory and ranked fourth among global cities by A.T. Kearney's 2012 Global Cities Index. In 2012 Tokyo was named the most expensive city for expatriates, according to the Mercer and Economist Intelligence Unit cost-of-living surveys, and in 2009 named the third Most Liveable City and the World’s Most Livable Megalopolis by the magazine Monocle.The Michelin Guide has awarded Tokyo by far the most Michelin stars of any city in the world. Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics and is currently a Candidate City for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Shiretoko Peninsula:

Shiretoko Peninsula is located on the easternmost portion of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, protruding into the Sea of Okhotsk. It is separated from the Kunashir Island of Russia by the Nemuro Strait. The name Shiretoko is derived from the Ainu language word sir etok, meaning the end of the Earth or the place where the Earth protrudes. The towns of Rausu and Shari cover the peninsula. On July 14, 2005, in a meeting held in the Republic of South Africa, the Shiretoko Peninsula was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and on July 17 was officially registered as such. The reason is that in the Northern Hemisphere, the peninsula is the southern most point where sea ice usually forms.

Shirakami-Sanchi:

Shirakami-Sanchi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Honshu, Japan. This mountainous, unspoiled expanse of virgin forest straddles both Akita and Aomori Prefectures. Of the entire 1,300 km², a tract covering 169.7 km² was included in the list of World Heritage Sites in 1993. Siebold's beech trees make up a large portion of the forest. The Shirakami-Sanchi was one of the first sites entered on the World Heritage List in Japan, along with Yakushima, Himeji Castle, and Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area in 1993. The Shirakami-Sanchi is usually said to contain large areas of forest not covered by the World Heritage listing. However the level of preservation in these areas is not as high as in the central listed area. The World Heritage Site area has never been opened to human activity or trails other than mountain climbers' paths, and is planned to be protected in this state. Permission is needed from Forest Management to enter the heart of the Shirakami-Sanchi. Fishing requires permission from both the Fishing Cooperative and Forest Management.

Shrines and Temples of Nikko:

The UNESCO World Heritage Site Shrines and Temples of Nikko encompasses 103 buildings or structures and the natural setting around them. It is located in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The buildings belong to two Shinto shrines (Futarasan Shrine and Tosho-gu) and one Buddhist temple (Rinno-ji). Nine of the structures are designated National Treasures of Japan while the remaining 94 are Important Cultural Properties. UNESCO listed the site as World Heritage in 1999.

Shinjuku:

Shinjuku is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the busiest train station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration centre for the government of Tokyo. As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 312,418 and a population density of 17,140 persons per km². The total area is 18.23 km². Surrounding Shinjuku are six other wards: Chiyoda to the east; Bunkyo and Toshima to the north; Nakano to the west, and Shibuya and Minato to the south. In addition, Nerima is only a hundred meters away[citation needed]. The highest point in Shinjuku is Hakoneyama in Toyama Park at 1200 m.

Tokyo Disney Resort:

Tokyo Disney Resort is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo. It is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company with a license from The Walt Disney Company. The resort opened on April 15, 1983, as a single theme park (Tokyo Disneyland), but developed into a resort with two theme parks, three Disney hotels, six non-Disney hotels, and a shopping complex. Tokyo Disneyland was the first Disney theme park opened outside the United States. Tokyo Disney Resort has three main entertainment sections: Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea and Ikspiari, which is a variation of the Downtown Disney shopping, dining and entertainment area found at the Disney resorts in California and Florida. It also contains Bon Voyage!, which is the official Disney goods specialty shop of Tokyo Disney Resort.

Like the other Disney resorts, the Tokyo Disney Resort has 3 Disney-branded hotels; the Disney Ambassador Hotel, the Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta (the building in which the entrance to Tokyo DisneySea is located), and the recently opened Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. There are six other hotels located on the Tokyo Disney Resort property. These, however, are not Disney-branded hotels and are owned by other companies, similar to the Hotel Plaza Boulevard hotels at Walt Disney World.

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu:

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu is the most important Shinto shrine in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is at the geographical and cultural center of the city of Kamakura, which has largely grown around it. At the left of its great stone stairway stood a 1000-year old ginkgo tree, which was uprooted by a storm in the early hours of March 10, 2010. The shrine is an Important Cultural Property. This shrine was originally built in 1063 as a branch of Iwashimizu Shrine in Zaimokuza where tiny Moto Hachiman now stands and dedicated to the Emperor Ojin, (deified with the name Hachiman, tutelary kami of warriors), his mother Empress Jingu and his wife Hime-gami. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, moved it to its present location in 1191 and invited Hachiman to reside in the new location to protect his government.

Kotoku-in:

Kotoku-in is a Buddhist temple of the Jodo-shu sect in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The temple is renowned for its "Great Buddha", a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha which is one of the most famous icons of Japan. The statue is referred to as "The Buddha at Kamakura" in several verses that preface the initial chapters of the novel Kim by Rudyard Kipling (1901). The verses were taken from the poem of the same name the author wrote after visiting Kamakura in 1892. The poem appears in its entirety in "The Five Nations" of 1903.

Mount Fuji:

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan located on Honshu Island at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped several months a year, is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers. It is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains" (??? Sanreizan?) along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku; it is a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, a Historic Site, and has been submitted for future inscription on the World Heritage List as a Cultural (rather than Natural) Site.

Japanese Alps:

The Japanese Alps is a series of mountain ranges in Japan which bisect the main island of Honshu. The name was coined by William Gowland, the "Father of Japanese Archaeology," and later popularized by Reverend Walter Weston (1861–1940), an English missionary for whom a memorial plaque is located at Kamikochi, a tourist destination known for its alpine climate. When Gowland coined the phrase, however, he was only referring to the Hida Mountains. Today, the Japanese Alps encompass the Hida Mountains, the Kiso Mountains and the Akaishi Mountains. These towering ranges include several peaks exceeding 3,000 m (9,843 ft) in height, the tallest after Mount Fuji. The highest are Mount Hotaka at 3,190 m (10,466 ft) and Mount Kita at 3,193 m (10,476 ft). Mount Ontake in Nagano Prefecture, at 3,067 m (10,062 ft), is a destination for pilgrimages as well as an active volcano, having erupted most recently in 1979 and 1980.

Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama:

The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama are one of Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The site is located in the Shogawa river valley stretching across the border of Gifu and Toyama Prefectures in northern Japan. Shirakawa-go (???, "White River Old-District") is located in the village of Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture. The Gokayama area is divided between the former villages of Kamitaira and Taira in Nanto, Toyama Prefecture. These villages are well known for their houses constructed in the architectural style known as gassho-zukuri. The Gassho-zukuri, "prayer-hands construction" style is characterized by a thatched and steeply slanting roof resembling two hands joined in prayer. The design is exceptionally strong and, in combination with the unique properties of the thatching, allow the houses to withstand and shed the weight of the region's heavy snowfalls in winter.

Kamikochi:

Kamikochi is a remote mountainous highland in the western portion of Nagano Prefecture, Japan, which has been preserved in its natural state. It has been designated as one of Japan's National Cultural Assets. It is sometimes referred to as the "Japanese Yosemite," although it is considerably smaller than its American counterpart. The highlands reach an altitude of 1,500 m (4,900 ft). The kanji (Kami-ko-uchi) were also used to write "Kamikochi," but (Kami-ko-chi) has become the common way to write the name.

Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities):

The UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) encompasses 17 locations in Japan, within the city of Kyoto and its immediate vicinity. The locations are in three cities: Kyoto and Uji in Kyoto Prefecture; and Otsu in Shiga Prefecture; Uji and Otsu border Kyoto to the south and north, respectively. Of the monuments, 13 are Buddhist temples; 3 are Shinto shrines; and one is a castle. The properties include 38 buildings designated by the Japanese Government as National Treasures, 160 properties designated as Important Cultural Properties, 8 gardens designated as Special Places of Scenic Beauty, and 4 designated as Places of Scenic Beauty. UNESCO listed the site as World Heritage in 1994.

Byodo-in:

Byodo-in is a Buddhist temple in the city of Uji in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.[1] It is jointly a temple of the Jodo-shu (Pure Land) and Tendai-shu sects. This temple was originally built in 998 in the Heian period as a rural villa of Fujiwara no Michinaga, one of the most powerful members of the Fujiwara clan. This villa was changed to a Buddhist temple by Fujiwara no Yorimichi in 1052. The most famous building in the temple is the Phoenix Hall or the Amida Hall, constructed in 1053. It is the only remaining original building, surrounded by a scenic pond; additional buildings making up the compound were burnt down during a civil war in 1336. The main building in Byodo-in, the Phoenix Hall consists of a central hall, flanked by twin wing corridors on both sides of the central hall, and a tail corridor. The central hall houses an image of Amida Buddha. The roof of the hall displays statues of the Chinese phoenix, called hoo in Japanese.

Todai-ji:

Todai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu. The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", together with seven other sites including temples, shrines and places in the city of Nara. Sika deer, regarded as messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion, roam the grounds freely.

Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara:

The UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara encompasses eight places in the old capital Nara in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Five are Buddhist temples, one is a Shinto shrine, one is a Palace and one a primeval forest. The properties include 26 buildings designated by the Japanese Government as National Treasures as well as 53 designated as Important Cultural Properties. All compounds have been recognized as Historic Sites. The Nara Palace Site was designated as Special Historic Site and the Kasugayama Primeval Forest as Special Natural Monument. Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji and the Kasugayama Primeval Forest overlap with Nara Park, a Place of Scenic Beauty. UNESCO listed the site as World Heritage in 1998.

Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area:

The UNESCO World Heritage Site Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area includes a variety of buildings found in Horyu-ji and Hokki-ji in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. They were designated in 1993 along with the surrounding landscape, under several criteria. The structures inscribed are some of the oldest extant wooden buildings in the world, dating from the 7th to 8th centuries. Many of the monuments are also National Treasures of Japan, and reflect an important age of Buddhist influence in Japan. The structures include 21 buildings in the Horyu-ji East Temple, 9 in the West Temple, 17 monasteries and other buildings, and the pagoda in Hokki-ji.

Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range:

Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located on the Kii Peninsula in Japan. The locations and paths for this heritage site were based on their historical and modern importance in religious pilgrimages. It was also noted for its fusion of Shinto and Buddhist beliefs, and a well documented history of traditions over 1,200 years. The nature scenery on the Kii peninsula was also taken into consideration, with its many streams, rivers and waterfalls. Technically, independent structures at nominated temples and shrines were nominated for this distinction, and not the entire establishments. Sections of the trails were included for this nomination, but not the full length of their expanses. A total of 242 elements were selected from sites and pilgrimage routes for nomination.

Himeji Castle:

Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex located in Himeji, in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 buildings with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. The castle is frequently known as Hakuro-jo ("White Egret Castle") or Shirasagi-jo ("White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight. Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country. The area within the middle moat of the castle complex is a designated Special Historic Site and five structures of the castle are also designated National Treasures. Along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, Himeji Castle is considered one of Japan's three premier castles. In order to preserve the castle buildings, it is currently undergoing restoration work that is expected to continue for several years.

Itsukushima Shrine:

Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima) in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Japanese government has designated several buildings and possessions as National Treasures. The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto, Shinto deity of seas and storms and brother of the great sun deity, Amaterasu (tutelary deity of the Imperial Household). Because the island itself has been considered sacred, in order to maintain its purity commoners were not allowed to set foot on Miyajima through much of its history. In order to allow pilgrims to approach, the shrine was built like a pier over the water, so that it appeared to float, separate from the land, and therefore existed in a liminal state between the sacred and the profane. The shrine's signature red entrance gate, or torii, was built over the water for much the same reason. Commoners had to steer their boats through the torii before approaching the shrine.

Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu:

The Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu is an UNESCO World Heritage Site which consists of nine sites all located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The heritage sites include two groves or utaki, the mausoleum Tamaudun, one garden, and five gusuku castles sites, most of which are ruins. The sites were inscribed on the criteria that they were a fine representation of the Ryukyu Kingdom's culture, whose unique blend of Japanese and Chinese influence made it a crucial economic and cultural junction between several neighboring states.

Facts About Japan:

Government: Parliamentary with constitutional monarchy Capital: Tokyo

Population: 127,078,679 (July 2009 est.) Exports: Motor vehicles, semiconductors, and office machinery Currency: Yen Literacy Rate: 99% Raw horse meat is a popular entree in Japan. Sliced thinly and eaten raw it is called basashi – it is pictured above. GDP: 4.34 Trillion (2008) Industries: Consumer electronics, motor vehicles, machine tools, steel, and nonferrous metals Agriculture: Rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, fish

Japan Airlines:

Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), as well as Nagoya's Chubu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport. The airline and four of its subsidiaries (J-Air, JAL Express, JALways, and Japan Transocean Air) are members of the Oneworld airline alliance.

JAL group companies include Japan Airlines for international and domestic services; JALways for international leisure services; JAL Express for international and domestic low-cost services; Hokkaido Air System, J-Air, Japan Air Commuter, Japan Transocean Air and Ryukyu Air Commuter for domestic feeder services; and JAL Cargo for cargo and mail services. JAL group operations include scheduled and non-scheduled international and domestic passenger and cargo services to 220 destinations in 35 countries worldwide, including codeshares. The group has a fleet of 279 aircraft. In the fiscal year ended 31 March 2009, the airline group carried over 52 million passengers and over 1.1 million tons of cargo and mail. JAL was established in 1951 and became the national airline of Japan in 1953. After over three decades of service and expansion, the airline was fully privatized in 1987. In 2002, the airline merged with Japan Air System, Japan's third-largest airline and became the sixth largest airline in the world by passengers carried. Japan Airlines is currently an official sponsor of Japan Football Association and Japan national football team. Japan Airlines is seeking up to $8.4 billion dollars from its listing in September, the next biggest IPO in 2012 after Facebook.

Japan Hotels:

The Peninsula Tokyo Mandarin Oriental Tokyo The Capitol Hotel Tokyo

Ana Intercontinental Tokyo Pan Pacific Yokohama InterContinental The Grand Yokohama Park Hyatt Tokyo Imperial Hotel Osaka Rihga Royal Hotel Osaka Grand Hyatt Tokyo Ritz Carlton Tokyo Hotel Granvia Kyoto Kyoto Royal Hotel & Spa Swissotel Nankai Osaka Hotel Nikko Osaka The St. Regis Osaka Grand Hyatt Fukuoka Hotel Nikko Fukuoka Mori no Uta Hilton Nagoya