Learning About Japan- Activities and Resources

Japan might be my favorite country unit study we've done yet! We found several awesome art and craft activities to try, made an erupting volcano, learned about the Pacific Ring of Fire, made teriyaki chicken, and lots more!

Basic Information

Japan is an island nation in eastern Asia. It's comprised of nearly 7,000 islands, of which only 421 are inhabited. The climate varies from sub arctic in the north to subtropical in the south.

Capital- Tokyo

Population- 126 million

Size- 145,937 square miles

Currency- yen

National Anthem- Kimi Ga Yo

National Animal- Japanese macaque

National Bird- Green pheasant

Flag-

Famous Places and Landmarks

Jigokudani Monkey Park- Jigokudani Monkey Park, also known as Snow Monkey Park, located on the island of Honshu, is famous for it's unique troop of Japanese macaques. Japanese macaques are unique in general, as they live further north than any other non human primate, but the troop of macaques that lives in the park are especially unique because they are the only troop known to bathe in the regions natural hot springs.

You can learn more about these fascinating monkeys here: The Story Behind Japan's Bathing Monkeys.

Mount Figi- Mount Figi is an active volcano about 60 miles north of Tokyo. It's a popular hiking destination.

Tokyo Skytree- The Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting tower in Tokyo and it is the tallest tower in the world. It's observation deck is a popular tourist attraction.

You can take a short virtual tour here: The Heavenly View- Tokyo Skytree.

Fushimi Inari Taisha- Fushimi Inari Taisha is a Shinto shrine located in Kyoto, Japan. It's famous for it's series of gates and it's woodland trails.

You can learn more about Fushimi Inari Taisha with this short video: https://youtu.be/PQeHrn3q4Ic.

Recipes

For our Japanese meal we marinated some chicken breast strips in teriyaki sauce, stir fried them with some green bell peppers and onions, and ate it over white rice.

Some other Japanese recipes to try:

-Miso Soup

-Classic Fried Rice

-Souffle Pancakes

Volcano Activity

Japan is located at the junction of 4 tectonic plates, resulting in lots of earthquakes and volcanic activity. Japan is home to over 100 active volcanoes and Japan's volcanoes account for about 10% of all the volcanoes worldwide.

Learn a little bit about volcanoes with this sort video from National Geographic and then try building a volcano of your own!

For this activity you will need:

-an empty yogurt or other small plastic container

-a few tablespoons of baking soda

-a spoon

-a cup

-vinegar

-food coloring

-an area where you can dig in the dirt or sand

Go outside somewhere you can dig and build a mound in the dirt or sand. Build your mound around an empty yogurt or other small plastic container. Leave the very top of the container sticking out of the top of the mound.

Spoon a couple tablespoons of baking soda into the empty container. In your cup mix about a cup of vinegar and some red food coloring.

Carefully pour the cup of vinegar and food coloring into the container in your mound and enjoy watching it erupt!

Crafts

Paper Koi Fish Craft

In Japan koi represent good luck or good fortune. Look at some pictures of koi on Google Images and then try this paper koi fish craft!

For this activity you will need:

-white paper

-watercolors

-a paint brush

-scissors

-glue

-extra construction paper or coffee filters to make the fins

Start by cutting your white piece of paper into a square. Then paint orange and black spots onto your white square of paper with the watercolors. Set it aside to dry.

When your paper is dry, fold it like the pictures below:

Then cut like the picture below:

Open up your paper and glue the two uncut sections together.

Trim the top of the fishes face to make it rounded.

Then add eyes and fins with construction paper or coffee filters and glue.

Paper Fans

Folding hand fans originated in Japan sometime during the 6th or 7th century. They quickly became an important part of Japanese fashion and were often a symbol of status. Look at some pictures of traditional Japanese hand fans on Google Images and then try making a hand fan of your own.

For this activity you will need:

-a piece of white paper

-colored pencils

Turn your white piece of paper so that it is landscape oriented. Then draw a picture on it. Use the designs you saw on the pictures of traditional Japanese fans for inspiration. I drew cherry blossoms on mine. My daughter drew a bird with Mt. Figi in the background.

When you are finished fold your piece of paper back and forth like an accordion to make it into a fan.

You can learn more about the history of Japanese folding fans with this short video: The Story of Japanese Folding Fans.

Notan Art

Notan is an art style and design concept that originated in Japan. It focuses on the relationship and balance between light and dark features. An example most people would recognize is a ying yang:

Look at some more examples of notan art here and then try making some of your own with the instructions below.

For this activity you will need:

-white paper

-black construction paper

-scissors

-a pencil

-glue

Start by cutting your black piece of construction paper into a square. Center it on your white piece of paper. Don't glue it down yet, but mark where each corner should sit with a pencil.

Remove the black piece of paper and draw some shapes around the edge of the black square. You want your shapes to touch the edge. Keep in mind that the edge of the black paper will become your symmetry line, so that may influence the types of shapes you choose to make. Things like triangles and half hearts end up working out nicely.

Once you have your shapes drawn. Start by cutting out one of them. Then place your construction paper back in place on your white paper. Flip the black shape you cut out so that it's orientated opposite the empty space that you cut it from, using the edge of the black paper as a symmetry line. Glue the cut out shape down, but not the black square yet.

If you want to cut a second shape out of the center of another shape, cut each piece and then glue them down on alternating sides of the symmetry line. See the pictures below: