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Tokyo Culture
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Japan may be a relatively small
island, physically just a little tinier than the size of California,
but over 127 million people inhabit the country. Japan is mostly
rugged and mountainous, though the climate varies from a tropical
temperature in the south to a cooler temperature up north. Ethnic
Japanese make up the bulk of the population, with around 99%,
though there are also over half a million Koreans, 240,000 Chinese
and nearly 200,000 Brazilians who live in Japan. Most |
Japanese—84%—observe both Shinto and Buddhist religions.
Tokyo itself has about 12.4 million people who live in and around
the city. If you spend December in Tokyo, don’t be surprised
to see Christmas lights, trees and even the holiday celebrated throughout
the city (even though practicing Christians make up less than 1%
of the population). The reason? Denizens love the festive commercialism!
In fact, any time you head to Tokyo you’ll notice how retail
savvy some of the locals can be. Just take the train to Harajuku
Station and check out the street performers and, of course, the
Harajuku Girls. Known for their cutesy rebellion garb, Harajuku
Girls often dress in an eclectic mix of hip-hop street gear, Hello
Kitty fashion accessories and British punk skirts, army pants or
boots. So don’t worry about fitting in because, honestly,
anything here goes.
More Information:
 www.state.gov
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