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!--and is considered by many to be the national sport. 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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