| Fast Facts |
Full Name
Japan (Nihon)
Capital City
Tokyo
Area
377,835 sq km
145,882 sq miles
Population
127,000,000
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +9 ()
Daylight Saving Start
not in use
Daylight Saving End
not in use
Languages
Japanese (official)
Set aside several years if you want to learn to read Japanese. Japan has one of the most complex writing systems in the world, using three different scripts (four if you include the increasingly used Roman script romaji). Fortunately, for visitors to Japan, it's not all bad news. Unlike other Asian languages, Japanese is not tonal and the pronunciation system is fairly easy to master. In fact, with a little effort, getting together a repertoire of travellers' phrases should be no trouble - the only problem will be understanding what people say back to you.
Religion
Shintō, Buddhism, Christianity
Currency
Yen (¥)
Electricity
100V 50HzHz
Electric Plug Details
Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades
Country Dialing Code
81 |
| Sightseeing Point - Iso-teien Garden |
Iso-teien Garden
Iso Teien is located in the city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture. Its formal name, Sengan-en, was taken from a place in China on which the garden is modeled. Iso Teien was created by Shimazu Mitsuhisa, ruler of this region, as his villa in 1658 , and was expanded into its present form in 1848. The garden has a grand view that encompasses Kinko Bay in the foreground, and the towering volcano Sakura-jima beyond the bay, shooting out smoke. A gas lamp in the shape of a stone lantern, the first in Japan, may also be seen in the garden. |
| Sightseeing Point - Kagoshima-jingu Shrine |
Kagoshima-jingu Shrine
Kagoshima-jingu is in Hayato-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture. It is an old shrine said to have been built by the first emperor, Jinmu. The local place name -- Kagoshima -- is believed to have come from this shrine. The deity enshrined is Amatsu-Hidakahiko-Hohodemi-no-Mikoto and his consort, Tamayori-Hime. The shrine was strongly protected by the Shimazu clan, the daimyo of this region. The two suits of armor dedicated by Shimazu Takahisa, lord of the area in the 16th century, have been designated Important Cultural Properties by the Japanese government. The gigantic camphor tree in the shrine grounds is said to be 800 years old, and has been preserved with much care as a sacred tree, within which the spirit of a god is believed to dwell. |
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