General Information About Japan
Population:
According to the 1997 Census, the current population is 126,070,000.
source: http://jin.jcic.or.jp/stat/category_01.html
Japanese Flag
The Japanese national flag, "Hinomaru", is otherwise called the "Rising-Sun flag" which forms the shape of the sun. Japanese have been attached to the shape of "Hinomaru" since the Age of Civil Wars when warriors have adopted it as flag symbols to be hoisted on their war ships. Towards the end of Tokugawa Era when the country was opening diplomatic relations with the West, the flag then had become necessary. On January 27, 1870, it was with the government's notice that the "Hinomaru" had become the national flag. Use of the flag among the nation, which had wanted to raise a Hinomaru flag to celebrate the New Year's Day, was admitted by the government in 1872. In 1945, when Japan became the vanquished nation, the state arguments over the "Hinomaru" have diverged where left wing groups have remained not to acknowledge it as a national flag. Hoisting flag and singing national anthem during entrance and graduation ceremonies which are obligations of educational institutions caused arguments over their propriety in 1991. Socialist Party who has been opposing the compulsive use of "Hinomaru" and national anthem on the ground that the flag "had been used as a symbol of militarism" has agreed that the ceremony has settled among the nation and decided to acknowledge it with respect to the national consensus. While the Japanese love to see its own national flag being raised in the Olympic occasions, not many are conscious of its existence in daily life. An owner of a shop dealing flags finds it difficult to run his business, grumbling that "the Hinomaru flags don't sell very well." Prior to the war, national holidays were called the "flag day" and it was customary to hoist a hinomaru flag at every door of a household. But this tradition has almost disappeared after the war. Surprisingly, majority of the Japanese do not have a hinomaru flag at home.
Source: http://www.smn.co.jp/gallery/amano/flag.html
Trains
Trains are the best means of transportation to get around in Japan. Often this is true for metropolitan transportation as well. Japanese trains are very reliable and punctual. The already mentioned JR companies are running urban, regional, and interregional services, including the shinkansen high speed connections. Furthermore, there are many other private railway companies especially in and around the metropolitan areas. Taking trains is quite expensive, but there is a very good offer for tourists: the Japan Rail Pass. It can be used on practically all the JR services including the shinkansen. It has to be bought outside of Japan and is available for one, two, or three weeks (one week is about $300). Japanese citizens who live outside of Japan can also purchase the Japan Rail Pass.
Buses
In many large cities, buses only serve as minor means of transportation for the finer distribution besides the dense train and subway systems. Outside the metropolis buses mainly serve as a connection to the next train station. Bus services in smaller cities are often not very good. Taking the bus in Japan may be confusing to many foreigners because there are various systems of using buses: Within the city of Tokyo using the green city buses costs always the same. It doesn't matter how far you travel. When entering the bus through the front door, you have to pay this amount to the driver. Many other bus services let the passengers enter through the back door. Right after entering, you have to pick up a little ticket with a number on it. The price that you have to pay to the driver when leaving the bus, will be displayed above the driver on a board next to the number of your ticket. Especially in Kyoto the buses are often full, and taking the bus can be extremely stressful if you are not sure about the system and your destination stop. There are also some long distance bus services, mostly overnight buses. This is a good way to save some money in combining the transportation costs with the costs of an accommodation. It might just be a little less comfortable.
Cars
In Japan cars drive on the left and have their steering wheel on the right. The legal minimum age for getting a driver's license is 18 years. Getting a license in Japan is very expensive (about $2000). There are some rules concerning the sitting order in a car for formal situations. The best seats are, of course, reserved for the guests. The back seats are considered better than the front seat, and the seat behind the driver is considered better than the other back seat, as shown in the following diagram:
