Population and Currency

Transcription

1 Japan

2 Map Japan is an archipelago (chain of islands) made up of about 3,000 islands. Surrounding Countries: Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea CiAes: Tokyo (capital) Size: 145,936 square miles

3 Population and Currency PopulaAon: million Language: Japanese (with several other languages) Ethnic Groups: Japanese (98.5%) Chinese and Korean (0.9%) Currency: Yen

4 Population and Currency Religious Groups: Shinto (57%) is as old as the Japanese culture Buddhism (35%) was imported from the mainland in the 6th century. The religions co-exisang harmoniously and complement each other to a certain degree. Most Japanese consider themselves Buddhist, Shintoist or both

5 Geography Japan is made up of over 3,000 islands, making seafood widely available 8 percent of all the fish caught in the world Each person in Japan eats more than 150 pounds of fish per year, or around three pounds of fish per week Hokkaido, in northern Japan, produces most of the seafood consumed in Japan, as well as a wide variety of vegetables. Tokyo and its surrounding area are famous for nigiri sushi, seafood, and soybean (edamame) products.

6 Geography About 60-70% is too mountainous, so almost all the people live in ciaes, most of which were built on the country's flat land (plains area). Southern Kyushu grows a wide variety of vegetables and fruit, including onions, strawberries, and shiitake mushrooms. In the rice belt (Echigo Plain), mountain vegetables and maitake mushrooms are also produced; buckwheat soba noodles and hotpots using local seafood are popular. Kansai, in the west, produces vegetables, fruit, rice, and Kobe beef; sukiyaki and udon noodles are specialaes.

7 Geography / Climate Japan is located in a region where several conanental plates meet: Frequent earthquakes Many volcanos The country also experiences typhoons (huge storms originaang over the ocean)

8 Climate Climate is good for farming, rice being the chief crop The climate in most of the major ciaes is temperate to subtropical and consists of four seasons Winter is cool and mild Summer is hot and humid Rainy season in early summer Wide variety of vegetables/fruits can be grown, reflecang Japan s seasons and climate changes Due to the large length of the Japan, the climate varies strongly in different regions The climate of the northern island of Hokkaido and the Sea of Japan coast is colder, and snow falls in large amounts during winter In Okinawa the climate remains warm throughout the winter

9 Agriculture About half of Japan's arable land (land able to be farmed) is devoted to growing rice. Some mountainous areas have been terraced (had step-like areas cut into them) to allow farmers to grow rice and other crops. Soybeans are a major agricultural product of Japan.

10 Agriculture Wagyu beef cakle are raised to be healthy animals in wellvenalated barns spread with sawdust. They are fed with a mixture of hay and highly nutriaous, safe compound feeds. Farmers who breed wagyu cakle raise them with careful akenaon to detail. Wagyu refers to any cakle that is bred in Japan or the Japanese-style. Kobe beef is comprised of a very paracular strain of Wagyu called Tajima-Gyu that is raised to strict standards.

11 Culture Japan s close neighbors, China and Korea, have played major roles in its culture through both trade and religion. China taught the Japanese to culavate rice Use of chopsacks and the consumpaon of soy sauce and soybean curd (tofu) also came from China In the A.D. 700s, the rise of Buddhism led to a ban on eaang meat Sushi (raw fish with rice) Vegetarian foods Beef returned to Japan during the Meiji Period ( )

12 Culture Western foods, such as bread, coffee, and ice cream, become popular during the late 1900 Western influence has introduced Amesaving cooking methods: Electric rice cooker Packaged foods such as instant noodles, instant miso (fermented soybean paste) soup, and instant pickling mixes Japanese are sall devoted to their classic cooking tradiaons

13 Culture Most important holiday is New Years (Shogatsu) Special holiday foods, called osechi, are prepared in beauafully decorated stackable boxes - each layer has compartments for several different foods. Glazed sardines, bamboo shoots, sweet black beans, and chestnuts in sweet potato paste are just a few of the many holiday foods. New Year foods are eaten because they represent good fortune or long life

14 Culture The tea ceremony (chanoyu) is an important Japanese ritual that can be held on a holiday or other special occasion. Developed over several centuries, it plays an important role in Japanese life and culture. Green tea is the naaonal beverage of Japan, although black tea is also available.

15 Activity Chopsticks! ChopsAcks are used to eat most foods. Rules: Hold your chopsacks towards their end, not in the middle or the front third. When you are not using your chopsacks, or have finished eaang, lay them down in front of you with the Aps to lep. Do not sack chopsacks into your food, especially not into rice. This is only done at funerals with rice that is put onto the altar. Do not pass food directly from your set of chopsacks to another's. Again, this is a funeral tradiaon that involves the bones of a cremated body. Do not spear food with your chopsacks. Do not point/wave with your chopsacks. If you have already eaten with your chopsacks, use the opposite end to take food from a shared plate. Knives and forks are used for Western food only. Spoons however, may be used with certain Japanese dishes such as donburi or Japanese style curry rice.

16 Mealtime Customs PrioriAze quality over quanaty in their food, prizing each ingredient individually usually fresh ingredients preferred Visual appeal is as important as the food itself, so preparaaon and presentaaon are meaculous Rice and noodles are the two mealame staples Rice is served at every meal Noodles come in many varieaes Soba, thin brown noodles made from buckwheat flour Udon, thick white noodles made from wheat flour Ramen, thin, curly noodles, also made from wheat flour

17 Mealtime Customs Soy sauce and other soybean products are also staples in Japan Miso (fermented soybean paste) Tofu (a soybean curd that resembles custard). Other common ingredients in Japanese food include bamboo shoots, daikon, ginger, seaweed, and sesame seed products. Sake, wine made from rice, and beer are also very popular

18 Mealtime Customs Two uniquely Japanese foods: Sushi (fresh raw seafood with rice) Sashimi (fresh raw seafood with soy sauce) Both rely on freshly caught fish or seafood. Dishes prepared in a single pot (nabemeno) are popular throughout Japan. The people of Japan live long lives and have a low rate of heart disease because of healthy eaang habits. The Japanese eat three main meals a day The Japanese do not eat while they are doing other things

19 Mealtime Customs Si,ng techniques Siqng upright on the floor is common in many situaaons Meals are tradiaonally held on a tatami floor around a low table Siqng on the floor is also customary during the tea ceremony (chanoyu) Shoes and slippers have to be removed before stepping on tatami The formal way of siqng for both genders is kneeling (seiza) In casual situaaons, men usually sit cross-legged, while women with both legs to one side. women (casual) seiza (formal) men (casual)

20 Menu - Breakfast Meals eaten early in the day tend to be the simplest. A typical breakfast consists of rice, miso soup, and a side dish, such as an egg or grilled fish. Miso soup is a soup consisang of a stock called "dashi" into which sopened miso paste (fermented soybeans) is mixed. Many ingredients are added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference.

21 Menu - Lunch Noodles are very popular for lunch (and as a snack) A typical lunch would be a bowl of broth with vegetables, seaweed, or fish. The bento is a tradiaonal box lunch packed in a small, flat box with dividers. It includes small poraons of rice, meat, fish, and vegetables. A favorite among young people is a stuffed rice ball called onigiri.

22 Menu - Dinner Sukiyaki is a dish made up of paper-thin slices of beef, vegetables, and cubes of tofu cooked in broth. Shabu-shabu is beef and vegetables, also cooked in broth but then dipped in flavorful sauces.

23 Menu - Dessert Seasonal fresh fruit makes a great dessert. Sweets are more likely to be served with green tea in the apernoon. Castella is a popular Japanese sponge cake made of sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup. Sata andagi are sweet deep fried buns of dough similar to doughnuts

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