Contents
Welcome to Japan!
Your Map of Japan
Sakura—Springtime Cherry Blossoms
Writing Haiku Poems
My Three Favorite Places
Story: The Myth of Japan’s Creation
A Walk Through Japan’s History
Welcome to My Home!
Have You Tried Japanese Food?
A Day in My Life
Sports and Leisure
O-Shogatsu (New Year)
Kodomo-no-Hi (Children’s Day)
Story: Tanabata
O-Bon (Festival of Souls)
Say It in Japanese!
Frogs for Good Luck
Japanese Writing
Japanese Culture
Story: The Boy Who Drew Cats
That means “Hello!” My name is Yuto. I am 10 years old, and I’m the oldest of the kids in my family. My younger sister is 6 years old, and she just started going to elementary school. We have a baby brother who was born last year.
At school, I’m in the 5th grade. Because we live in the country, our school is small— there are only 12 kids in my grade. And we have all been in school together ever since kindergarten, so we all know each other really well. (More about my school on page 27!)
School is okay. My favorite class is art, because I like drawing. I also like collecting bugs, especially the giant samurai beetles. I like drawing the different kinds of bugs I’ve found. I have created my own manga (comic strip) character, a samurai beetle who saves the world from destruction. (More about manga on page 55!)
That means “Nice to meet you!” My name is Momoka. I live with my parents in Tokyo, but we travel a lot, too. (Check out my favorite places, on page 13!) This year I turned 12 years old. My grandma calls me a “very active girl.” My favorite sport is skiing, which my whole family does in the winter, and in the summer, I love to swim.
I also take ballet lessons, shodo (calligraphy) lessons, and this year I’ve started going to juku (cram school) after school, to prepare for the entrance exams for junior high school. I guess my grandma is right: I have quite a busy life! (Learn more about a typical day in my life on page 24!)
I’m an only child. We live in a condo in a tall building in Tokyo. (Check out my bedroom on page 18!) My dad is a “salaryman.” He works for a big advertising company. My mom is a professor at Sophia University. (More about my family on page 25!)
Your Map of Japan
Japan is an island country. There are more than 3,000 islands stretching for 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) from north to south. The four main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The total area of the country is about the same as the country of Germany, or the U.S. state of California.
Japan is located in the part of the world called the “Ring of Fire,” so there are many hot springs, earthquakes, and volcanoes. 80% of the land is covered by mountains. Mt. Fuji is Japan’s tallest mountain. It is 3,776 meters (12,388 feet) tall.
Can you find these locations?
1. Okinawa is where Iriomote wildcats live.
2. Tropical fruits grow in Japan!
3. Mt. Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan.
4. Beppu is famous for its many hot springs.
5. The A-Bomb Dome in Hiroshima was the only building left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on August 6, 1945.
6. Miyajima is home to Itsukushima Shrine, whose famous torii (shrine gateway) appears to rise out of the sea at high tide.
7. Tottori’s sand dunes are great for hiking.
8. Kyoto has famous temples, like the Golden Pavilion.
9. Nara has tame deer you can feed.
10. Mt. Fuji is famous for its beauty. Its last eruption was in 1707.
11. Tokyo Sky Tree is Japan’s tallest man-made structure.
12. The famous snow monkeys love to bathe in the hot springs!
13. Historic gassho-style thatched-roof farmhouses helped protect villagers from the heavy snow in this region.
14. The city of Yokote is famous for the annual Kamakura Matsuri, the Japanese Igloo Festival!
15. The Seikan Tunnel, the longest underwater tunnel in the world, connects Honshu and Hokkaido.
16. In folklore, the crane is said to live for 1,000 years, so in Japan it’s a symbol for long life.
17. You don’t want to mess with the Hokkaido Brown Bear!
18. Ryuhyo (drift ice) in the Sea of Okhotsk attracts tourists.
Springtime Cherry Blossoms
Spring is the time for new beginnings. In April, the new school year starts for children. Companies start the new business year. And throughout most of Japan, the cherry blossoms bloom!
Sakura is the Japanese word for "cherry blossom". When the sakura are in full bloom, people make special visits to parks and