Japan

Hello, I will speak to you about Japan. Japan counts approximately 126,3 million inhabitants. It is located in the Pacific Ocean at the edge of the Asian continent. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, is located in the centre of the country; and extends from north to south. I will inform you on two subjects: “climate and nature” and “sports and leisure”.

The seasons of this country are very distinct and proceed at the same rhythm as in Quebec. The summer is very hot in the south of the country but in north it is very cold. In March one can bathe in the south and ski in north. Spring in Japan is as ours; in short: the temperature is mild. The winter is though in certain areas: the falls of snows can reach up to three meters' height.

As for the autumn, it is soft except if the typhoons* appear. The abundant rains cause floods. It should be said that there are many natural disasters in Japan. For example seisms** are very frequent. Volcanic eruptions are also very frequent because there are at least 54 active volcanoes.

A landscape in spring.

Now let me tell you about sports and leisure in Japan. Japanese children very much like to share activities with their parents. During winter, they make sculpture; during summer they go to the sea; during autumn they make excursions and camp; and in spring they make picnics under the blooming cherry trees.

Children like to practise martial arts such as the karate. Karate is practised in a dojo and teaches them discipline and concentration. There are also the judo, the aikido and the kendo where one fights with a stick.

They also like games of patience such as the origami, a game where one folds papers of colour to create animals and all kinds of things. As from ten years old and over, the Japanese take remedial courses to learn discipline.

I enjoyed writing this report on Japan. I learned many things. I would also like to go to Japan. I would love to discover a new country.

• * kind of hurricane
• ** earthquake