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General Information

Geographic Location

Japan is situated in northeastern Asia in between the North Pacific and the Sea of Japan. The area of Japan is 377,873 square kilometers, the equivalent of Germany and Switzerland combined or slightly smaller than California. Japan consists of four major islands and is surrounded by more than 4,000 smaller islands.

Area

Total: 377,835 sq km
Land: 374,744 sq km
Water: 3,091 sq km

Climate

The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate but varies greatly from north to south. Japan's geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones namely Hokkaidō, The Sea of Japan, the central highlands, the Seto inland sea, the Pacific Ocean and the southwest islands.

Japan is home to nine forest eco-systems reflecting the climate and geography of the islands. They range from subtropical broadleaf forests in the Ryūkyū and Bonin islands, to temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in mild climatic regions of the main islands, to temperate coniferous forests in cold, winter regions of the northern islands.

The main rain season begins in early May in Okinawa. The frontal rain works its way north until it dissipates in northern Japan before reaching Hokkaidō in late July. In most of Honshū, the rainy season begins before the middle of June and lasts about six weeks. In late summer and early autumn, typhoons often bring heavy rain.

Average Daily Temperature & Four Seasons in Tokyo

	Spring			Summer			Autumn			Winter
	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December	January	February
Max C°	12	17	22	24	28	30	26	21	16	11	8	9
Min C°	2	8	12	17	21	22	19	13	6	1	-2	-1

In Spring, the temperatures are mild. Summer brings high temperatures, humidity, the rainy season (mid-June), and typhoons season (late July through September). Typhoons usually form in the Philippine Sea and hit the southern part of Japan, including Okinawa, from July to September, with an average of 20 occurrences a year. The fall/autumn is a little warmer than spring. The clear skies and sunny days make October a great time to travel around Japan to take in all the fall harvest festivals. The first snow usually comes in late November.

Population

Japan's population is over 126 million. Most people reside in densely populated urban areas. Japan's capital city is Tokyo. The population of the Tokyo metropolitan area and its surrounds is approximately 12 million people.

Major cities of Japan and their approximate populations
City	Population
Tokyo	12,059,000
Yokohama	3,426,000
Osaka	2,598,000
Nagoya	2,171,000
Sapporo	1,822,000
Kobe	1,493,000
Fukuoka	1,290,000
Sendai	1,008,000

Ethnic Groups

Japanese 99%, others 1%

Religions

Observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

Languages

There is only one official language spoken in Japan, which is of course Japanese. However, many Japanese speak some English as English is the foreign language that everyone learns as part of compulsory education.

However, some Japanese will take you a long way. Here are some useful phrases:

Useful Japanese Phrases:
Japanese	English
Ohayou gozaimasu	Good morning
Kon'nichiwa	Good afternoon
Kon'banwa	Good evening
Oyasumi nasai	Good night
Sayōnara	Good-bye
Sumimasen	Excuse me
Gomen nasai	I am sorry
Wakarimasen	I don't understand
Arigatō	Thank you
Hai	Yes
Iie	No

Literacy Rate

99.8% of total population
Definition: People over 15 who can read and write

Natural Hazards

see Earthquake and Typhoon in Emergency Procedures