Japan

created by Defiler
(place) by Segnbora-t (15.1 hr) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Tue Feb 22 2000 at 2:38:58
Archipelago off the eastern coast of Asia. The four biggest islands are Honshu (where Tokyo is), Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. Fairly crowded due to its mountainous terrain and need to use as much arable land as possible for agriculture to feed its large population. The CIA World Factbook says Japan is slightly smaller than California and has a population of 126,182,077 as of July 1999. California has only 32,667,000 people as of 1997 (this last from a study at http://www.investorshq.com/pattison/files/calgen/capopulation.htm).
(idea) by sensei (6.7 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 5 C!s Tue May 16 2000 at 2:35:43
Japanese refer to their country as 'Nippon' or 'Nihon.' These two names have their origin in the words 'the place from where the sun rises' which were used by Prince Shotoku, the famous early seventh-century Japanese ruler, in speaking of his country in a letter he sent to China. The meaning of 'place from where the sun rises' was translated into a pair of Chinese characters that came to be used to indicate the name of the country in writing. At first the characters were read in the Japanese way as 'Yamato.' The words 'Nippon' and 'Nihon' used today were adopted in the Nara period.

Presently, either of these two ways of reading is used. There are no legal basis or general rule to distinguish them. However, 'Nippon' is used for example, at international sport games and for postage stamps. There are two widely held explanations regarding the origin of 'Japan' and similiar names used in the European languages.

According to one of these, these names come from 'Zipangu' or 'Jipangu,' which are Portuguese attempts at pronouncing 'Jihpenkuo,' the name used for Japan in northern China.

The other has it that they come from the Dutch 'Japan' taken from 'Yatpun,' the name of Japan used in Southern China.

'Japan' has been chosen as the formal name designating the country in the English Language. I don't know by who or when. Or why.

hemos sez: Theories also say that the name Japan came from the Italian name, Zipangu, given to the country by Marco Polo in the 1200's.

(idea) by Myrmidion (10.9 mon) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Sat Dec 23 2000 at 12:44:00
Westerners may be bewildered at the propensity of far easterners to refer to their own country by different names. Here are just a few for Japan.

Wa (倭) is the earliest recorded name for Japan, found in Chinese treatises on geography. This name is found in the San1 Guo4 Yan3 Yi4 (三国志), or the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Another wa (和) is still in used today, and means "harmony".

Yamato (大和), is the name of the ancient seat of Japanese government at Nara, and is sometimes used as the name of Japan. The onyomi of the kanji, daiwa, means great Japan, using wa from above.

Chinese names for Japan that were assimilated into Japanese culture include fusou (扶桑), which means Hibiscus. This name comes from Sung dynasty records. In Chinese legend, the hibiscus grows on the island in the east where the sun was supposed to originate. Another word is Yamatai, which is a Chinese approximation of Yamoto (and therefore not used by Japanese).

Nihon (日本) is also one of the earliest names. The official history of the Zui dynasty (During the 5 kingdoms period I think) records this event: the Prince Shotoku, Regent of Japan, sent a letter along with his envoy to the Emperor of China.:

Hi iduru tokoro no Tensei, sho o hi bossuru no Tensei ni itasu. Tutu ga nakiya?

"The Emperor of the land where the sun rises sends a letter to the Emperor of the land where the sun sets. Are you well?"

The history books also say that the Emperor of China became angry and ordered such "barbarian" things not to be shown to him.

Nippon is an alternative onyomi of Nihon. It does not comes from the Portuguese. Hinomoto is the kunyomi version of Nihon. Marco Polo used the word "Chipangu" to describe Japan, and may be the origin of the western word "Japan". Chinese dialectical pronunciation of Nihon come close to "Jippun", or "Ngippun".

Hou (邦) is a word that is used in Kanji compounds to mean Japan.

(place) by bobbb21 (6.9 mon) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Thu Aug 09 2001 at 11:27:04
This nation comprises of a number of small islands but the principal ones are Hokkaido to the North, Kyushu to the South, Honshu and Shikoku. All four islands are populated but as Honshu is the largest and centrally placed among the four, it has the largest population. The largest of the cities are situated there, including Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka.

Japan has often been described as "Asia's Britain", according to a BBC guide. Though at the time this had much to do with the fact that Japan was one of the most economically successful of the Asian states, even now with Japan's stagnating economy, she fits that description. Both are island nations situated off a large continent, Europe in Britain's case. It is larger than Britain, more the size of Sweden but both nations have a great number of parallels. Firstly both have had to fight off concerted attacks from large empires on their respective continents, Japan from China and Kublai Khan, and Britain from the Napoleonic Empire, the Spanish Empire and so forth. Both nations sought to gain territory on the continent but never established any long-term presence there, Britain with the Aquitaine Empire and Japan with Korea and Manchuria. Their religions were at one time joined to the continent but they became independent due to too much interference. Britain's Christian Church broke away from the Pope and the Catholic Church, while Japan's Buddhist faith became independent from China.

Japan has a colourful history, mainly due to a vast amount of political intrigue. Examples of this can be seen through novels such as Shogun by James Clavell and Murasaki by Liza Dalby. Whether it was courtiers or daimyo, both strove to gain power at any cost. Much of Japan's internal conflicts were caused by ambitious men (no surprise there), such as the Sengoku Era.

Modern Japan is a very thrilling place to be. Regardless of its economic problems, it has a wonderful fusion of past and present. Tradition is still a key part of Japanese culture but the younger generations are pushing forward new ideas. In cities such as Tokyo, it is possible to go shopping for the latest gadgets and computer games, then go and visit an ancient Buddhist shrine, or a samurai castle. Another point is that in Japan, historical treasures such as castles are very well maintained. This means a visitor can get a great idea of what it was like to live there centuries ago. Much better than the grass-covered ruins here in Britain.

(place) by tongpoo (4.2 mon) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Sat Aug 10 2002 at 5:07:55
The four types of prefectures in Japan are to, do (or dō), fu, and ken. The differences between the four types aren't much, however to is unique because it is reserved for Tokyo, a.k.a. Tokyo Metropolis. Prefectures are further separated into municipalities - shi, ku, cho (or chō), and son, which are cities, wards, towns, and villages respectively. The 23 wards of Tokyo are more like cities within Tokyo rather than only being named areas of the city, since each ward has an elected mayor and a certain degree of autonomy from the main Tokyo Metropolitan Government. 
prefecture type  capital    population  area(km^2)   density  shi   ku   cho  son
Hokkaido   do    Sapporo     5,683,062   78,516.84     72.38   34   10   154   24
Aomori     ken   Aomori      1,475,728    9,606.33    155.84    8         34   25
Iwate      ken   Morioka     1,416,180   15,278.40     93.06   13         29   16
Miyagi     ken   Sendai      2,365,320    7,285.07    322.19   10    5    59    2
Akita      ken   Akita       1,189,279   11,612.11    103.13    9         50   10
Yamagata   ken   Yamagata    1,244,147    9,323.34    133.15   13         27    4
Fukushima  ken   Fukushima   2,126,935   13,782.48    154.79   10         52   28
Ibaraki    ken   Mito        2,985,676    6,095.58    491.44   22         45   17
Tochigi    ken   Utsunomiya  2,004,817    6,408.28    312.61   12         35    2
Gunma      ken   Maebashi    2,024,852    6,363.16    317.41   11         33   26
Saitama    ken   Saitama     6,938,006    3,797.25  1,816.64   41         40    9
Chiba      ken   Chiba       5,926,285    5,156.09  1,148.23   33    6    42    5
Tokyo      to    Shinjuku   12,064,101    2,187.05  5,404.01   26   23     5    8
Kanagawa   ken   Yokohama    8,489,974    2,415.41  3,488.34   19   25    17    1
Niigata    ken   Niigata     2,475,733   12,582.37    196.85   20         56   35
Toyama     ken   Toyama      1,120,851    4,247.22    264.74    9         18    8
Ishikawa   ken   Kanazawa    1,180,977    4,185.22    281.13    8         27    6
Fukui      ken   Fukui         828,944    4,188.75    197.68    7         22    6
Yamanashi  ken   Kofu          888,172    4,465.37    198.43    7         37   20
Nagano     ken   Nagano      2,215,168   13,585.22    162.27   17         36   67
Gifu       ken   Gifu        2,107,700   10,598.18    199.07   14         55   30
Shizuoka   ken   Shizuoka    3,767,393    7,779.46    483.85   21         49    4
Aichi      ken   Nagoya      7,043,300    5,155.84  1,345.08   31   16    47   10
Mie        ken   Tsu         1,857,339    5,776.40    321.81   13         47    9
Shiga      ken   Otsu        1,342,832    4,017.36    332.21    8         41    1
Kyoto      fu    Kyoto       2,644,391    4,612.94    555.67   12   11    31    1
Osaka      fu    Osaka       8,805,081    1,892.86  4,558.50   33   24    10    1
Hyogo      ken   Kobe        5,550,574    8,392.03    659.84   22    9    66     
Nara       ken   Nara        1,442,795    3,691.09    392.44   10         20   17
Wakayama   ken   Wakayama    1,069,912    4,725.55    230.16    7         36    7
Tottori    ken   Tottori       613,289    3,507.17    175.95    4         31    4
Shimane    ken   Matsue        761,503    6,707.29    113.63    8         41   10
Okayama    ken   Okayama     1,950,828    7,112.13    275.24   10         56   12
Hiroshima  ken   Hiroshima   2,878,915    8,476.95    338.82   13    8    67    6
Yamaguchi  ken   Yamaguchi   1,527,964    6,110.45    250.22   14         37    5
Tokushima  ken   Tokushima     824,108    4,145.10    200.54    4         38    8
Kagawa     ken   Takamatsu   1,022,890    1,875.88    550.81    6         33     
Ehime      ken   Matsuyama   1,493,092    5,676.22    265.82   12         44   14
Kochi      ken   Kochi         813,949    7,104.66    115.12    9         25   19
Fukuoka    ken   Fukuoka     5,015,699    4,971.01  1,001.65   24   14    65    8
Saga       ken   Saga          876,654    2,439.23    361.85    7         37    5
Nagasaki   ken   Nagasaki    1,516,523    4,092.44    373.22    8         70    1
Kumamoto   ken   Kumamoto    1,859,344    7,403.68    252.63   11         63   20
Oita       ken   Oita        1,221,140    6,337.97    194.77   11         36   11
Miyazaki   ken   Miyazaki    1,170,007    7,734.40    153.15    9         28    7
Kagoshima  ken   Kagoshima   1,786,194    9,186.71    194.11   14         73    9
Okinawa    ken   Naha        1,318,220    2,271.30    587.38   11         17   24
                   TOTAL = 126,925,843  377,873.06    335.90  675  151  1981  562
Little known fact: Osaka used to be the smallest area prefecture until the Kansai International Airport was built. Good luck Kagawa prefecture!

source: Japanese government, year 2000 census

This writeup of mine was originally found under "Prefectures of Japan."
(place) by e2bakufu (1.8 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Fri Oct 11 2002 at 2:46:56
Everything Japanese Encyclopedia::Geography and places of Japan

After 1662 entries, the Everything Japanese Encyclopedia became too big to fit in a single volume. After much deliberation, it was decided that the EJE would be broken up into separate tomes; this is one of those.

This portion of the EJE is devoted to the geography of and in Japan. Here you will find all the mountains, seas, and other physical features of Nihon as well a a hierarchial display of all noded Japanese prefectures, cities, towns, and places. If, during your wanderings through the nodegel, you spot a node that has been overlooked by the watchful eyes of the Encyclopedists, drop me a /msg.

Thanks!

Geography/Cities/Locations