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Welcome to Japan!
I hope you’re ready for an adventure! Pack your bags and put on your kimono. Let’s learn about the cultural country of Japan!
This trip is perfect for all you world-wide learners out there who want to travel the world. This trip is perfect for all ages. However, if you are a teacher or parent, there are plenty of fun activities you can do to help your children get fully emersed in the culture of Japan.
Teachers/Parents: As teacher’s assistant, I helped a first grade teacher take her students on this exciting trip. Look for the text in italics. Throughout, I will have tips, information, and fun activity suggestions for you as you and your little travelers learn about this great country. I will be using the Japan activity booklet. Click here to access it. Tailor this trip to your child(ren) or students. The most important thing is to have fun!
About Japan
Where are we going?
Take out your map of the world (Insert link). Can you find Japan? What continent is it apart of?
Japan is a group of island on the eastern edge of Asia. There are four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Can you pronounce them? There are also almost 4000 smaller islands! Isn't that a lot!
Help your little traveler find Japan on the map in the activity booklet. Have them color the country in a nice, bright color.
What does the flag look like?
The flag of Japan is all white with a bright red circle in the middle. The red circle is meant to represent the sun.
Have your students/child(ren) draw and color the flag of Japan. If you click here, you can access the activity booklet that goes with the lesson, where they can color the flag of Japan.
How do they speak?
The main language of Japan is Japanese. Let's try to speak Japanese.
Hello-Kon'nichiwa
(こんにちは)
Good bye- Sayōnara (さようなら)
Friend-Tomodachi
(友達)
Thanks-Arigatō
(ありがとう)
Help you traveler explore more words in French. If you click here, you can access the activity booklet that goes with the lesson, where they can log some French translations.
History
The Shogun and Samurai
Since Japan is an island, it helped the country grow without the threat of other countries attacking them. However, many families within Japan fought to rule Japan and fighting kept the country from growing like it could.
About the year 1100, the mighty samurai started to become powerful. They fought for power in Japan. They were very skilled with swords and were apart of the country's military. In 1192, warlords called shoguns began to rule Japan. The title of shogun was given by the emperor to anyone who was considered the country's top commander. They limited trade with other countries and lasted until the year 1867.
When Emperor Meiji became ruler, shoguns stopped and things became to change. Japan got a new school system, a new central government, much more.
Meiji Restoration
When Emperor Meiji became ruler, shoguns stopped and things became to change. In the time Meiji was emperor, Japan went from being an isolated island to being a major world power!
Under Meiji's rule, Japan got a major upgrade! As stated before, the shoguns were no longer in powers. When Meiji took power, the emperor was named the head of the government. Meiji approved many more changes, like a new school system and a new, modern central government. Because of Meiji, Japan became great with many skilled workers.
World War II
In 1937, Japan invaded China since they wanted to become powerful in Southern Asia. Japan joined with Axis alliance with Germany and Italy in 1940 by signing the Tripartite Pact. Finally, in 1941, former general Hideki Tojo became Japan's Prime Minister and he wanted Japan to attack the United States.
The United States was trying to avoid the World War, but Japan was nervous that they would fight and stop them for taking over Southern Asia. December 7, 1941, Japan attacked US Navy at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It was a surprise attack that that sunk many ships. Despite their efforts, because of this attack, the United States joined the World War in order to defeat the Axis powers.
The Japanese were starting to take over Southeast Asia and were getting close to their goal of dominance. However, the United States was beginning to become a threat to their plans. The US won a big battle called the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. After this batter, the US started to fight back against Japan until the troop of Japan were forced to go back home in 1945. However, Japan still would not surrender!
The United States felt they had to take extreme measures to get Japan to surrender. In August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. It destroyed everything! It destroyed the city and killed thousands of people! However, Japan still would not surrender!
Another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. This one did get Japan to surrender on August 15, 1945. It took a lot of recover from World War II in Japan. However, the people worked hard and rebuilt the country. Today, Japan is known for its strong businesses.
The history of Japan can be grand at times and tragic at times. Help your little traveler learn more about this grand history. What was the part of Japan's history that they remembered the best?
There are also pages in Japan activity booklet . You can access it here.
Japan Today
Culture
Japan is rich of history, art, and beauty. Japanese people are known for valuing the past and they have great respect for their elderly. Japan is known for its unique art, architecture, fashion, and food. People travel from all over the world to experience the countries many art, music, food, fashion, and land.
Food
Japanese people do not typically eat a lot. They mainly eat seafood and rice. Japanese food is very unique and people love to experience the special food. Check out some examples below:
Sushi
Sushi is a food made with fish, vegetables, and rice.
Ramen
Ramen is a noodle soup that can have vegetables, eggs, and meat.
Teriyaki
Teriyaki is a sauce that is used on anything from vegetables to meat.
Art
There is so much art in Japan! Their art is very unique and sometimes grounded in their beautiful culture. Let's learn a little bit about their beautiful art!
Have you heard of anime or manga? It's possible you have. The Japanese have a unique style of animating and drawing characters to tell stories. People around the world are falling in love with their unique styles and compelling stories.
A haiku is a special types of traditional poem. Originally, traditional haikus were about nature and they would usually describe an image. It is very easy to make on. It is made up of three lines. The first line should have five syllables, the second line should have seven syllables, and the last line should have five syllables. It's that easy! Will you try and make one? Don't forget to give you haiku a title. Look at my haiku below.
Making a Haiku
5) Under the pink tree
7) I sit and make a haiku
5) What will you think of?
Do you like arts and crafts? This next piece of art is called origami. Origami is the art of folding paper. People can make extraordinary things just from folding paper. The picture to the right is a paper crane made from origami. Try and make your favorite animal as origami.
There is a lot of art and culture for little travelers to explore in Japan.
Help your little traveler create a haiku or make something special using origami. Have them taste some authentic foods like sushi or ramen. Help them learn more about this wonderful culture.
There are also pages in Japan activity booklet where they can make their own haiku. You can access it here.
Tokyo
Tokyo is the capital of Japan. It is the biggest city in Japan with almost nine million people! That's a lot of people. In fact, Tokyo is one of the most crowded cities in the world. People live in Tokyo because it is known for its thriving businesses, education and arts.
Tokyo is on Honshu, Japan's largest island, in the Kanto Plain. This area is important for farming and manufacturing. Even though Tokyo is a modern city, Japanese historical culture can be seen all throughout the major city.
Mount Fuji
On a clear day, Mount Fuji can be seen from Tokyo. The highest mountain in Japan is Mount Fuji. It is 12,388 feet tall! Isn't that tall! Mount Fuji is not just a mountain. It's a volcano! Don't worry though. It is an active volcano but it hasn't erupted since 1707. Mount Fuji is made up on 3 volcanoes: Komitake, Kofuji, and Fuji
Mount Fuji is considered sacred to many Japanese people. It's name, Fuji, actually means everlasting life. There are temples are shrines around the mountain. There are over 13,000 shrines! It is said that the Cherry Blossom Goddess lives there.
Would you like to climb Mount Fuji? Well if you do, the best time to climb it is between July and August. There are three main trails that you can take to get to the top. Don't worry, you can take plenty of breaks.
Fun Facts about Mount Fuji
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The summit of the mountain has a tundra climate and its usually covered ins now for 5 months out of the year.
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It takes the average person between 4 to 8 hours to reach the summit.
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Mount Fuji is visible from as far as 200 miles away.
Tokyo Tower
write stuff
Imperial Palace
The Imperial Palace is located in Tokyo, Japan. It is the home to the Imperial family of Japan, which is the royal family of the country. The palace grounds are about 380 acres big! That's a lot of land! There's many gardens and a forest and its all surrounded by a moat.
There are three buildings that are apart of the Imperial complex. The main palace is where official business is held. The building called Fukiage Gyoen is where the former emperor and empress lived. Thre are the Shinto shrines there. This is for their private religious ceremonies. Finally the Concert Hall and the Museum of the Imperial Collections is also on the grounds.
If you ever wanted to visit the Palace in person, you could! There are free guided tours of the Palace, showing the moat, the bridges, the buildings, and more. Also, a lot of the grounds are open to the public. It is absolutely beautiful when the flowers are all in bloom!
Children naturally love volcanoes! The explosions! The lava! What's not to love?
Feed your little traveler's imagination. Have them draw and color a volcano. Maybe help them make a baking soda volcano. Stir their imagination!
There are also pages in Japan activity booklet with Mount Fuji and volcano activities. You can access it here.
Yokohama
Yokohama is Japan's second largest city. It has many parks, gardens and universities. This doesn't mean it is not crowned however. Yokohama is still about 3.7 million people living, working, and playing.
Yokohama is very important for Japan since a lot of goods pass through this city, mkaing it the biggest trading port in Asia! Also, it is also important because a lot of the ships, cars, and other products are made here. Yokohama was home of many things that are now in Japan. They were the first city to have gas-powered street lamps, trading port, ChinaTown, and even the daily newpaper.
Landmark Tower
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Second tallest tower in Japan
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Has the world's fastest elevator that travels 2500 ft/min.
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Has a shopping mall, hotel rooms, restaurants, and a 360 degree view.
Museum of Art
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Hold a collection of modern art and photography
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Focuses on Japanese artists with connections of the city
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Located next to the Landmark Tower
Sankei-en Garden
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Has ponds, bamboo, rivers, and trails
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Originally was located in Kyoto
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Was once the home of Tomitaro "Sankei" Hara, a wealthy silk merchant
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His home is open to the public and can be toured
Yokohama is a large city that is a major port for goods in Japan. Help your little traveler explore more about this city and what kinds of goods Japan needs that come through the ports. Help your traveler find some pictures of the beautiful gardens. Do they like them?.
Osaka
Osaka is the third-largest city in Japan. It has about 2.7 million people living there. It is located on the same island that Tokyo and Yokohama are on, which is Honshu. There are canals and rivers that flow throughout the city and because of this, it is known to have great seafood! Since there is limited space of building, many people live in tall apartments and even shop in shopping centers underground! Would you shop in a store that was underground?
Osoka has a lot of fun and interesting places to visit. The Osaka Museum of History is a museum is full of miniature representations, videos and models of the history of Osaka. The Resourcce Center of the Museum is just for kids! They have puzzles that use ancient pottery pieces and Bunraku puppets. Would you like to play in this room? Osaka has a Spa World, where 5000 people can go at one time and get an amazing bathing experience from the underground springs.
Osaka is a great city of Japan. Help your travelers learn more about this wonderful city and all it has to offer.