1 Your country and Japan

Geography
1-1Preparatory
Learning Guide

Locate your country and Japan

Find your country and Japan on the world map. Draw arrows to mark your flight path.

Qfor Educational Travel in JapanHow long isyour flight?

Before you travel to Japan,
let’s learn about Japan andprepare for your school visit.

hours

Q

What is thetime difference?
hours

1-2

Compare your country and Japan

Find out what’s different between your country and Japan.

JapanYour country

How much is a bottle of water?
Find out the price of a 500 ml (16.9 oz) bottle of water inyour country and Japan. Then convert each price into theother country’s currency. How different is the price of abottle of water?

Population

Currency of Japan Currency of your country

Land AreaDensity

ClimateGeography ofJapan2
2-1

Study the map of Japan

33-1

Hokkaido

SapporoHonshuQ

Whenbuying inJapan

Convertthe prices

Whenbuying inyourcountry

Convertthe prices

Japanese culture

Write down some names
from Japanese pop culture
and some Japan-madeproducts

3-2

Q

Experiences in Japan

Which Japanese foods doyou want to try?

Do you know any anime, manga, orgames from Japan?

Sendai©JNTO

Fukuoka

QTokyoOsakaQ

Shikoku
KyushuCapital of JapanNahaOkinawa

Do you know any celebrities or athletes
from Japan?

Which World Heritage
sites in Japan do you wantto visit?

Tokyo

Tokyo is the capital of Japan andone of the largest cities in theworld. It’s the center of politics,
economy, and culture.

Make a list of places you want to visit inJapan.

©JNTO

QQ
Which Japanese products do you see inyour country?

What is something inJapanese culture that youwould like to experience?

©JNTO

Schoolexchange
4-14Yourdaily life

About your school andlocal areaP repare your self-introduction. Write about yourschool and local area.

About your school(e.g., features, history, number of students)

5 School visit
5-1

About your host school inJapanF ind out about the host school. Write down somequestions you want to ask the students.

Japanese
expressions

6
6-1

Find out how to say thefollowing in JapaneseGood morning.

About the host school(e.g., school name, district)

Hello.

Good evening.

Questions for the students

Nice to meet you.

About your local area

(e.g., culture, environment, lifestyle)My name is XXX.

I came from XXX.

Thank you.

7
7-1

Learn about the Japanese lifestyle

Daily life in Japan

HomeCommon housing types in Japan are house,condominium, and apartment. The size of ahome may feel smaller than what you are used
to. Shoes are removed at the entrance and notworn inside the residence.

7-2

Learn about school life inJapan

Events

While sitting toilets are common, squat toilets
are still used.

ToiletFlush toilets are the norm, meaning toilet paper
is dropped into the toilet bowl after use. Japan isknown for high-tech Washlets with seat warming
and spray cleansing functions.

Schoolmeals

The bath has its own room apart from the toilet.
The bathing area consists of a tub and a separate
showering space.

BathThe body is washed and rinsed clean before
entering the tub. The tub is for soaking only, notwashing.

Trash

Make an itineraryW rite down where and when you want to visit
to start creating your itinerary.
Day / time

Place to visit

School lunch comes in one of three patterns:
school meal, bring your own packed meal, andstudent cafeteria. School meals are typically served
up to junior high school, and are designed toprovide well-balanced nutrition.

Club activities are a highlight of junior and seniorhigh school. Activities take place daily after schooland sometimes on weekends.

Clubactivities

In general, household trash is separated into
combustibles, plastics, bottles, and cans.
Residents are required to follow their district’s
rules on separation and collection places, days,and times.

Annual school events include cultural festival,
sports day, and music festival. Sports day is a major
event involving competitive games and gradelevel presentations where all students take part inpreparations.

Plan your stay in Japan

Cleaning

Uniquely Japanese clubs include kendo, kyudo,judo, tea ceremony, and calligraphy.

In general, students are responsible for keeping
their school buildings clean. Designated areas arecleaned in daily shifts. Big cleanups are organizedonce or twice a year to dust, sweep, and scrub theschool from top to bottom.

Write down some things you want to find out about life in Japan before your trip.

https://educational.jnto.go.jp/en/