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Officially known as Nihon or Nippon, Japan is a popular island country in Asia. The land of rising sun Japan is situated in the Pacific Ocean and is the world's second largest economy and is also a member of United Nations, G8 as well as APEC. To know more about Japan, scroll down and read through the following.
Official Languages:
The official language of Japan is Japanese. This language is mostly spoken in Japan but there are other countries like Brazil, Peru, Hawaii, Australia, Taiwan, Philippines and Guam where this language is also spoken. This agglutinative language is spoken by at least 130 million people. The Japanese language is written with the help of three scripts which include kanji, hirangana and katakana. Other than this, Latin alphabets, Arabic numerals and Sino Japanese numerals are also used. The Japanese language has also borrowed from various Indo European language especially English. The language is used in schools, colleges, universities as well as in various political activities.
Independence, Republic and Government:
Japan follows the system of constitutional monarchy. The emperor has very limited number of powers and is the ceremonial head of the state. All the important powers of the state lie in the hands of the Prime Minister of Japan. The Prime Minister is elected by the Diet, which is a bicameral parliament of Japan. The National Diet of Japan consists of House of Representatives and House of Councilors. There are 480 seats for House of Representatives who are elected for 4 years and 242 seats for House of Councilors who are elected for 6 years term. Japan also has the system of universal suffrage along with a secret ballot for various elective offices. The universal suffrage is for adults who are over 20 years of age. The government is dominated by the Liberal Democratic Party or LDP which is in power from 1955. The most important opposition party in Japan is Democratic Party of Japan. Being the head of the state, The Prime Minister elects all other Ministers of the State. Influenced by the Chinese law, the Japanese legal system has been made independent from other branches of Government. The Japanese law has been influenced by the legal system of France and Germany. The Japanese court is divided into four divisions and they are Supreme Court and its three lower level courts.
Top Cities of Japan:
Tokyo: The capital city of Japan is Tokyo. It is the largest city of Japan and is divided into 23 municipalities. It is the seat of the Government as well as the Emperor. This is an important tourist spot as well.
Yokohama: This city is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture. It is one of the important commercial centers of Japan. Not only this, it is one of the important port cities of Japan. This city is also famous as a tourist attraction.
Osaka:Situated near the Yodo River, this city is the capital of the Osaka Prefecture. It is the second important city of Japan after Tokyo. It is considered to be an important economic and commercial center. Traditionally considered as the “nation's kitchen”, Osaka is also known as the “food capital of the country”.
Nagoya:Known as the third largest city of Japan, Nagoya is the capital of the Aichi Prefecture. It is one of the major ports of Japan. It is also famous for its tourist attractions which include Nagoya Castle, Atsuta Shrine and a lot more.
Culture and Heritage:
The unique thing about Japanese culture is that it has been influenced by various cultures and that includes Asia, Europe as well as North America. The important part of Japanese culture and heritage are Japanese arts and crafts like ikebana, origami, dolls, pottery, ukiyo-e; various performances include bunraku, dance, kabuki, noh and rakugo; traditions include games, tea ceremony, budo, architecture, gardens, and swords. Another important part of heritage is the Japanese cuisine. Again woodblock printing and western art has helped in the development of manga which is a popular Japanese comic book Other than this there are Japanese music and literature which are an important part of their heritage. Japanese music is played with the help of various instruments and they are also an important part of their culture and heritage. Japanese literature is famous all over the world because of its beautiful narrative.
Tourism
Japan is an island country and over three thousand islands are there which surrounds the country. Large number of tourists visits this place from all over the world to visit these islands as well. Some of the important islands which are a part of tourist attractions include Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. These islands are often collectively called the Japanese Archipelago. Other than these islands, Japan is also full of forests and mountains. Japan is also famous because it has a number of eco-regions which is a part of the varied climate geography of the country. The Pacific Ring of Fire where a large number of volcanoes are situated passes through this place. The climate of the country is also good which also attracts a large number of tourists. Other than this the country also has a large number of religious monuments and other historic monuments which is also a part of tourist attractions.
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