Japan, "Land of the Rising sun"

Geographical Setting. The Japanese call their country Nippon, meaning "Land of the Rising Sun." Japan is an archipelago of 4,223 islands situated off the eastern shore of Asia. The four main islands are Honshu (largest island), Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu. With a total area of 142,644 square miles, Japan is much larger the Great Britain. Surrounded by seas, japan occupies an isolated position that has enabled her people to grow into a solid nation with a distinct culture. The land is mountainous, with scenic landscapes and sunny vales. The most famous mountain of Japan is Mt. Fuji. Its charming beauty instill love of art, poetry, and nature in the people. The climate is temperate, with enough warmth brought by the "Black Current" that comes from the Philippines. Only 17% of the total land area is tillable. The principal agricultural products are rice, wheat, barley, tea, and fruits. There are adequate deposits of gold, silver, lead, and sulphur, but little if iron and coal. Although the Japanese are the result of racial mixtures, they are basically Mongolian people. They are closely related in blood to the Chinese, Koreans, and Malays. Daimyos are the feudal lords of Japan. Each daimyo had a fighting force of warriors, known as samurais. A samurai, like a knight in feudal Europe, was a trained fighter. His duty was to fight and die for his lord (daimyo). His code of ethics was Bushido (Way of the Warrior), which contained the precepts of Japanese chivalry. To a samurai, death on a battlefield in the service of his lord was glorious. If he had failed in his duty to his lord or if he had done a disgraceful act, he must redeem himself by committing suicide. This honorable suicide was called harakiri or seppuku.