Why do the Japanese take off their shoes when entering the house? How do people take a bath in Japan? What are the most popular dishes among Japanese children? When families dine out, where do they go and what do they eat? How big are Japanese homes? Do the Japanese keep pets? When do people wear kimonos, and how are they worn? What's a traditional Japanese room like? I've heard that the Japanese have long lives. Is that true? Do grandparents live together with their families? What sorts of games do elementary school students play during recess? What are school lunches like? What kinds of homework do the students do, and how long do they study each day? How do they learn kanji (Sino-Japanese characters)? When are school vacations? How long do they last? How do kids get to and from school? What if there's an earthquake at school? When do Japanese kids start studying foreign languages? What do Japanese kids do on sports day? At what time does school begin and end? How do students get into high school or university? What sort of school is a juku ? What do Japanese children enjoy doing with their families? What events take place in spring? What events take place in summer? What events take place in autumn? What events take place in winter? What kind of games do Japanese kids play? What kind of TV shows do Japanese kids watch? Do Japanese kids get an allowance? Do mothers work in Japan? UL> Who wrote the first novel in the world, and what was it about? How do you write a haiku? What is the tea ceremony? What are ukiyo-e ? What kind of traditional musical instruments are there in Japan? What is ikebana ? What are the kanji, hiragana, and katakana that the Japanese use for writing? What sort of Japanese people have won Nobel Prizes? What religions do Japanese people practice? How do people practice calligraphy? What are the features of traditional Japanese sports? Which sports are played professionally in Japan? What are the characteristics of karate? Is there Little League baseball in Japan? Are there foreign players on Japan's professional baseball and soccer teams? Is football popular in Japan? What Japanese athletes have done well in international competition? Why has Tokyo become so populous? Does the Japanese language have dialects? How do people in Japan cope with heavy snows and typhoons? What special characteristics do each of the regions have? (Click on the map) What is the highest mountain in Japan? Why is Japan prone to earthquakes? What sort of animals live in the wild? What are the typical plants of Japan? What are the characteristics of each season? What are the coldest and hottest temperatures in Japan, and where are they recorded? Why do the Japanese like cherry blossoms so much? What efforts are being made to make the air cleaner? What steps are being taken to reduce garbage? What measures have been taken to preserve the natural environment? What kinds of recycling are common in Japan? What is Japan doing about problems affecting the global environment? What kind of pollution problems has Japan been plagued with? What kinds of technologies are being developed to fight pollution? Who was Prince Shotoku? Who was Toyotomi Hideyoshi? Who was Tokugawa Ieyasu? When did ninja exist? When and where were the atomic bombs dropped? How did Japan succeed in developing its economy after World War II? How was rice-growing introduced into Japan? Who were the shoguns? What role does the Emperor play in Japan today? What does the Japanese Constitution emphasize? How does the National Diet (legislative branch) work? How does the prime minister's cabinet (executive branch) work? How do the courts (judicial branch) work? How are local governments organized in Japan? How is Japan's prime minister different from the American president? Is a prime minister's term of office limited? What are Japan's main exports and imports? With which countries does Japan trade the most? Japan's trade surplus is sometimes talked about internationally. Why is this? Besides rice, what else is grown in Japan? Which industries employ the most workers in Japan? How fast do Shinkansen trains go? Where are their routes? How extensive is Japan's network of expressways? How extensive are Japan's train and subway systems? What energy sources does Japan use to generate electricity? How much do the "hard-working" Japanese really work? How does Japan defend itself? What sort of assistance does Japan give other countries? How many foreign students are studying in Japan? How many Japanese students go abroad to study? How many foreigners visit Japan and from what countries? How many Japanese people visit other countries, and where do they go? How many foreigners live in Japan? How many Japanese live abroad? What sort of projects are the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers doing?

Daily Life/Schools/Outside the Classroom/Tradition and Culture/Sports/Regions of Japan/Nature and Climate Protecting the Environment/History/Politics and the Constitution/Economy and Industry/International Relations