Japan , or Nippon, is made up of 6,800 islands including Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku ,and Kyushu. Mountains cover 67 percent of the land, while only 13 percent is flat. The entire landmass of the country is 378,000 sq. kilometers, an area smaller than that of California. As for population density, in Japan there are 324 people for every sq. kilometer, compared to 25 people per sq. kilometer in the United States.
According to Japanese myths, Emperor Jimmu was enthroned in 660 B.C., and from him, the current Emperor descended, becoming the 125th ruler of Japan.
Under the ancient Constitution of Japan, the Emperor had authority, but the current Constitution, which took effect in 1947, gave authority to the people, and the Emperor became a figurehead.
How can the Japanese people best be described in simple terms?
From ancient times, the Japanese have worshiped the Sun, appreciated its blessings, and strived to live round and bright lives. Even today, as in ancient times, people will travel to places where they can worship the first Sunrise of the year. In the past, it was even customary to worship the Sunrise each day.
The word Nippon refers to “Sun” and “source.” A father is sometimes called totosama, which refers to a man who is respected like the sun. And a mother is sometimes called, kakasama, referring to someone who shines brightly like the Sun.
日本由北海道、本州、四國和九州等6800個島嶼組成。日本67%的國土都是山地，平原只占13%。日本土地總面積為37.8萬平方公里，比美國加利福尼亞州的面積還小。就人口密度來說，每平方公里上約有324人，和美國每平方公里上只有25人相比簡直是人口過密。
根據日本神話，公元前660年神武天皇即位，其后他的直系子孫代代繼任，現在的天皇是第125代。
古代日本的憲法規定，天皇掌握國家主權，1947年公布了新憲法，規定主權歸人民所有，天皇只是國家的象征。
怎樣概括日本人的特征呢？
日本人自古就有崇拜太陽、感激太陽的恩惠，努力活得像太陽一樣圓滿、明亮。所以自古以來就有在元旦那天祭拜太陽（第一次日出）的習俗。過去日本還有每天早晨祭朝日的習慣。
日本的意思就是“日之本源”。日本稱父親為“totosama”，意思就是“像太陽一樣尊貴的人”；稱母親為“kakasama”，意思是像太陽一親明亮地燃燒著的人
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