Culinary

The traditional Japanese cuisine is dominated by white rice, and few meals would be complete without it. Any other dish served during a meal - fish, meat, vegetables, canned - is considered a follow-up, known as okazu. It used a different type of cutlery, called hashi. Originally from China, consists of two small sticks of wood or metal.

KEY DATA
AREA: 372,819 km ²
CAPITAL OF JAPAN: Tokyo
POPULATION: 127.4 million (est. 2007)
JAPAN'S CURRENCY: yen
OFFICIAL NAME: Japan (Nippon)
NATIONALITY: Japanese
NATIONAL DATE: February 11 (foundation of the country), December 23 (birthday of the emperor). LOCATION: East Asia
FUSO TIME: + 12 hours in relation to Brasilia
CLIMATE of Japan: temperate continental (North) and subtropical (South)
CITIES in Japan (MAIN): Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya, Sapporo, Kyoto, Kobe.
COMPOSITION OF POPULATION: 99% Japanese, Korean 1% (1996). (1996 census). LANGUAGES: Japanese (official)
RELIGION: xintoísmo and religions derived 51.3%, 38.3% Buddhism, Christianity 1.2%, other 9.2% (1992) DEMOGRAPHIC DENSITY: 340 hab./km2
JAPAN'S ECONOMY: Agricultural Products: rice, potatoes, cabbage, beets, citrus fruits. Livestock: cattle, pigs, poultry Mining: limestone, sulphur, natural asphalt. Japanese Industry: machinery, transportation equipment, electronics products, steel (steel and iron).