Japan

1. Japan A report by Mrs. Striggow’s class 2013

2. Table of Contents Land of Japan 1 Language and Writing 2 Animals 3 Entertainment 4 Holidays and Celebrations 5 Schools 6 Bibliography 7

3. The Land of Japan Japan’s land is different from other countries. There are more than 4,000 islands in Japan. Mt. Fuji is a volcano. It has not erupted in 300 years. There are over 127 million people and little space. Japan is a very long country. 1

4. Japanese Language In Japan people speak and write Japanese. “Konnichiwa” means hello. ‘’Sayonara” means goodby. ‘’Arigato” means thank you. ‘’Otomodachi” means friend. Japanese read top to bottom. They bow to people to show respect. They write in Japanese and English. Japanese kids need to learn four different ways to write. 2

5. Japanese Animals Some Japanese animals are different from those of other countries. The Mandarin male duck has colorful feathers. The female has less color. The female’s feathers are brown. The Mandarin ducks are a wedding present. The cranes can live as long as a human. The snow monkeys go in warm water in the winter. 3

6. JapaneseEntertainment Japanese entertainment is different from other countries. Sumo wrestling is when two big people try to push each other out of the circle and try to throw each other on the ground. Origami is when they use paper and fold it into animals or other shapes Video games is when they play a game on the electronics. Anime is they watch movies with animation. 4

7. Japanese Holidays Some Japanese holidays are different from other countries. O-shogotsu is Japanese for New Year’s Day. The Japanese light fireworks. O-Bon is the festival of souls. They light lanterns and float them in the water to call back the spirits of ancestors. May 5 is Children’s Day. Children are celebrated on Children’s Day. 5

8. Japanese Schools Japanese schools are different from U. S. schools. Japanese kids wear uniforms and take off their shoes. They study for hours. They have Juku school for extra studying. Kids serve lunch. They study Japanese, English , and art. They clean outside and in the bathroom and the gym. 6

9. Bibliography • Roop, Peter and Connie, A Visit to Japan, 1998. • Moore, Willamarie, All About Japan, 2011. • National Wildlife Federation, Ranger Rick Magazine, Nov. 1976. • Schlessinger Media, “Japanese-American Heritage” video, 1997. 7