Japan – Land of the Rising Sun

Country name: Japan

Local name: Nippon

Old name: Nippon Koku

Nickname: Land of the rising sun

Continent: Asia

National Foundation Day: 11th February 660 BC

Area: 377,944 square kilometers

Capital: Tokyo

Share border with: Japan is an island country and its closest neighbors in sea are China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia.

Other major cities: Nagoya, Toyohashi and Okazaki

Population: 126,659,683 (Estimated in 2012)

Currency: Yen

Official Language: Japanese

Other major language: Ryukyuan, Korean, Chinese and English

Religions: 49% non-religious, 34% Buddhism, 3% Shintoism and 14% other religions

5 Amazing and interesting facts about Japan:

• Japan is an island chain of 6,852 islands located in the Pacific ocean. 97% of the country’s land area is covered by 4 large islands while rest of 6,849 islands cover only 3% of the land.

• Japan suffered one of the deadliest earthquakes of history in 2011. It was the strongest recorded earthquake in it’s history. More then 1,500 earthquakes are recorded in Japan every year which means there are about 4 earthquakes daily.

• Tashirojima which is commonly known as Cat Island, is popular for the population of cats. The population of this island is only 100 while there are about 4 times more cats than people. Dogs are not allowed on Cat Island.

• Fugu is one of the most popular foods in Japan. It’s a poisonous fish which is full of taste. Only certified chefs are legally allowed to cook this fish and the chef must have to taste it before serving it to the customers to make sure that the dish is not poisonous.

• While in Japan, you’ll find vending machines everywhere. In fact, you’ll find at least one in every block. These vending machines offers, beverages, tea, coffee, milk and many other unusual items like noodles, eggs, bananas, cigarettes, flowers, umbrellas and much more.