Where does it come from?
No certain relation between Japanese and any other language has been established. Structural similarities suggest a possible remote relationship with the Korean language and with the Altaic languages, including Manchu, Mongolian, and Turkish.

In the 3rd and 4th Centuries AD, the Japanese borrowed the Chinese writing system of ideographic characters. In the 8th Century AD, two phonetic syllabaries, or kana, were devised for the recording of the Japanese language. These are used along with the ideographic characters (or kanji characters) to indicate the syllables that form suffixes and particles. The direction of writing is usually from top to bottom in vertical columns and from right to left. The Roman alphabet has also been used increasingly to write Japanese.

How many people speak it?
Japanese is spoken by more than 125 million people in Japan, and ranks among the top ten languages of the world.

In how many countries?
The Japanese language is spoken in Japan, Brazil, Guam (U.S.), Hawaii, the Republic of Palau, the Ryukyu Islands, Korea, Peru, Taiwan and in the USA.

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A spot of Culture
Japanese culture derives from early contact with the civilizations of China and Korea. Classic influences of ancient China are found mainly in the Japanese language, but also in Japanese, art and music.

Religion, especially Buddhism, has played an important role in the cultural life of Japan, especially in early Japanese drama. Today, Western influences, which began to take hold during the 19th century, exist side by side and often intermingle with Japanese traditions, producing a very stylised, idiosyncratic and recognisable culture.

Food & Drink
Sushi is a staple of the Japanese diet; small cakes of cooked and vinegared rice that are filled, topped, or wrapped with other ingredients. Raw fish is used in most sushi, with only the freshest fish being selected. The cutting and preparation of fine-fish sushi is a sophisticated culinary art.

Japanese cuisine is also known in other countries for Teriyaki and sukiyaki (thinly sliced beef, vegetables and tofu cooked in broth). However, there are numerous other eating options. There are ?cook-it-yourself' restaurants - ?okonomiyaki', serving a mixture of meat, seafood and vegetables to fry up in a cabbage and vegetable batter. ?Robatayaki' is a rustic drinking restaurant specialising in charcoal grills.

Some of Japan's Attractions
Tokyo: The city of Tokyo is a vast conurbation that spreads out across the Kanto Plain from Tokyo-wan Bay. It was almost completely rebuilt after an earthquake in 1923 and again after US air raids in WWII. Tokyo is a place where consumer culture collides with Japan's older traditions; old wooden houses and kimono shops are juxtaposed with high-rise office blocks.

Mt. Fuji: Fuji is Japan's highest mountain at 3776m/12,385ft high, and one of the few natural attractions that people make an effort to visit. It's a perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone, which last erupted in 1707, covering the streets of Tokyo 100km away with volcanic ash. Unfortunately, Mt. Fuji is often obscured by cloud.

Kyoto: This was the imperial capital between 794 and 1868, and it continues to function as the major cultural centre of Japan. In spite of a growing business and industrial area, traditional architecture still remains as do the many raked pebble gardens and temples. The Imperial Palace, constructed in 1855, is one of the few sights in central Kyoto.

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