Japan is a bow-shaped archipelago lying to the east of the Asian Continent. It consists of four main islands and several smaller ones. Together the islands take the shape of a sea horse and occupy an area of 377,435 square kms. Tokyo, the capital city, is very modern and bustling with activity. How the Japanese came to Japan and where they came from remains shrouded in mystery. According to legend, they descended from Amaterasu Omikami, the bashful sun goddess who could only be enticed from her cave by the noise of a party staged for her benefit outside. Researchers feel that Japanese people are immigrants from the Asian continent, the immigration process being spread over thousands of years.

The main inhabitants are the Japanese and the Koreans, and Japanese is the spoken language. Don’t expect the older generations to understand any English. Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity are the primary religions practiced here. The landscape of Japan, away from the big cities, is mountainous with spectacular scenery; some of the mountains are volcanic. Mt. Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan, and is known for its symmetrical slopes. Japan is in a very seismically active region, which makes the Japanese familiar with earthquakes and Tsunamis. It supports a variety of flora and fauna due to its latitudinal spread.