Japan in Your Hand

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Introduction: You think you know a place, but you can never know enough about a place, especially Japan. Japan is a string islands in the North Pacific Ocean. Japan is 377,835 square kilometers and is located in the Northern Hemisphere. Japan has latitude of 36° 00’ N and a longitude of 138° 00’ E. Japans capital is Tokyo, the population in Tokyo is 13,216,221 (in 2012) but Japan’s population in total is 127,817,277 (in 2011). Japans lovely neighbors are North Korea and South Korea, China and Russia. The neighbors are very distant considering Japan is a string of islands there are no bordering countries, the closest neighbor would be South Korea because they are only 6878 km away. Japan’s nationality is mostly evolving concepts and practices, these began in the mid- nineteenth century.

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Cuisine: Japanese cuisine is based on combining the ‘staple food’ (which is steamed white rice), with one or several “okazu” (a side dish that accompanies the staple food). Okazu is made out of mostly out of fish, meat, vegetables and sometimes tofu. Fish is common in the traditional cuisine. It is often grilled, fish may be served raw as sashimi or in sushi. Seafood and vegetables are commonly deep-fried in a light batter like tempura. Apart from rice, staples include noodles, such as soba, and udon. Japan has many simmered dishes such as fish products in broth called oden, or beef as sukiyaki and nikujaga. Japanese style traditionally abhors different flavored dishes touching. Different dishes are given their own plates/bowls or are portioned by using leaves. Rice is always served in its own small bowl called chawan, and the course item is placed on its own small plate called sara or bowl called hachi for each individual portion. Japan exports, believe it or not but more chemicals, electronics, precious metals and building machinery then rice. Japan imports gas and oil and a lot of food they can’t mass produce in their country.

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Greeting Etiquette: Japanese usually greet one another by taking a bow, there are many different bows like if you bow very deep and long bow it comes off as you being very respectful. When Japanese people part they also bow too, to show their gratitude. The Japanese rules for gifts are very complex; there is a time of the year where gifts are expected. When fans should be given or when pickles should be. All gifts must be wrapped, if they are not wrapped the right way it could be insulting to the person you are giving the gift to, no matter how good it looks.
Dinning Etiquette:
Japanese dinning etiquette is very different from eating with a typical Canadian family, there is a lot more eating rules like; avoid pointing at people while talking with your chopsticks, do not point with your chopsticks to dishes you think are really good. Do not suck/lick sauce off of your chopsticks, do not rub your chopsticks together or play with them unnecessarily, do not lift food by stabbing it with your chopsticks. Never, ever, pass food with your chopsticks.