J is for Japan

In Japan, the literacy rate is 99%.

Two major religions of Japan are Shintoism and Buddhism. Christianity only comprises about 10% of the population.

Japan is made up of over 6000 islands.

The Japanese Prime Minister is not elected by the people. He is elected by the legislature.

Apparently it is considered rude to blow your nose in public. I'm not sure if that 100% true but even here it's kind of gross, but if you have got to get rid of the boogies, please use a tissue and not your finger or shirt.

In Japan, it is customary to remove your shoes before entering one's house. In side the home you either go barefoot or wear slippers. There are special slippers for when going to the bathroom as well.

Apparently the "Walk" and "Do not walk" signs make a chirping sound so blind people can cross the street. Imagine if we did that here?

Contrary to popular belief, Pokemon is not popular in Japan.

Kyoto was once the capital of Japan. Switch the letters around and you get the capital today, Tokyo.

A shogun was the hereditary military dictator of Japan. Minamoto no Yoritomo (1192-1199) was the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate. A shogunate is similar to today's prefecture. Each shogunate had a a leader, a shogun.

Japan has 47 modern day prefectures.

It has a parliamentary government and a constitutional monarchy.
It's modern day Indepence Day is May 3, 1947 when the current constitution was adopted as an amendment to the Meiji Constitution. Early Indepence days included November 29, 1890 when the Meiji Constitution provided for a constutional monarchy. 600 B.C was an Independence Day as well. It is the traditional date of the founding of the nation by Emperor Jimmu.

Emperor Akihito's birthday is a national holiday.

You must be 20 years of age to vote.

Their "congress" is bicameral andis called the Kokkai and consists of the House of Caouncillors (Sangi-in, which has 242 seats) and the House of Representatives (Shugi-in which has 480 seats).

Japan has a Supreme Court as well. Their Chief Justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet. All of the other judges on the Japanese Supreme Court are appointed by the cabinet.

The national anthem of Japan is "Kimigayo" or "The Emperor's Reign."

The tallest mountain is Mountain Fuji. It is also an active volcano.

Sumo wrestling and baseball are very popular in Japan.

There are around 1,500 earthquakes in Japan each year.

The Tale of The Genji

Karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.

The word "geisha" means "person of the arts." The first geisha were actually men.was written by Murasaki Shikibu, a noble woman who wrote the novel in 1007 AD　

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