Japan
Overview
Japan is an island nation in the East Asian region of Earth.
Facts and Figures
Alternative and Previous Name(s)
The word “Japan” is an exonym, and is used (in one form or another) in many different Tellurian languages. The transliterated Japanese names for Japan are Nippon and Nihon; while both are considered to be valid pronunciations, Nippon is often the preferred variant for official use.
Physical Geography
Japan is an archipelago comprising 6,852 islands extending some 3,000 km north-east/south-west along the Pacific coast of Asia. The country’s five main islands, from north to south, are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa.
The volcanic Mount Fuji is Japan’s highest mountain at an elevation of 3,776 m and is an important cultural icon of the country.
Government and Democracy
Government Type
Bicameral parliamentary constitutional monarchy, in which the Emperor is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government.
Seat of Government
Subordinate Local Government
Japan is divided into 47 Prefectures which form tier one of Japanese local government. The prefectures are customarily grouped by region but there is no actual regional government or administrative units.
Included Locations
Geopolitical Subdivisions
- Kyoto - Prefecture in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu.
People
Demographics
Much of Japan is rugged and mountainous, thus human habitations are concentrated in mainly coastal areas which, consquently, have very high population densities. In excess of 90% of Japan’s population lives in cities and urban conurbations.
Culture
Beyond Unreality: Japan, of course, has a long and beautifully rich cultural history. We are not, however, making it our job here to represent the reality of historical or contemporary Japanese culture but, rather, to imagine how it is perceived by the characters in our narratives — most notably Colette Kirkby.
It is important to remember that Colette, though descended from a Japanese bloodline, was born and raised in Sheffield, has lived her whole adult life in Bristol and has (probably) never even been to Japan. Similarly her mother, Naomi, though in the same line of descent, also lived her — all too brief — life entirely in England. Colette’s perspectives on the culture of Japan have, therefore, been shaped by her rather fragmentary exposure to it — see Colette Kirkby - Background and History.
Notable Denizens
- Takako Miyazaki, Colette’s grandmother, was born in Kyoto.
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