NOVEMBER 1999 QUESTIONS
- (Melissa, New Zealand)
What are the most popular sports in Japan?
Our Sports section is the place to look!
- (Aletta, Zambia)
What are Japan's national animal and national badge (emblem/coat of arms)?
Japan has no coat of arms, but the Japanese Imperial family's crest, the chrysanthemum, is used on the cover of passports for Japanese citizens. Japan does not have a designated national animal, either. Instead it has a national bird (pheasant), a national butterfly (giant purple butterfly), and a national flower (cherry blossom).
- (Afik, Israel)
Why is sumo Japan's national sport? Has anyone chosen it to be such?
Sumo isn't an official national sport of Japan, but it's the country's oldest sport--over 1,500 years old! Though its popularity has been going down a bit in the past few years, it has been entertaining the Japanese public since around the Edo period (1603-1868); before then it was done mainly for ceremonial purposes.
- (David)
How many people are there in Japan per square kilometer?
Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. As of mid-1998, there were estimated to be an average of 334.5 people living in each square kilometer.
- Who invented the word "Japan"?
The Japanese people call Japan "Nihon." "Japan" is said to come from "Jipang," the name that the Italian merchant and traveler Marco Polo called the country, based on the southern Chinese pronunciation for the kanji characters representing "Nihon."
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