Cold - but not too cold. Nagano is located in a valley, surrounded by tall, treeless mountains knownas the Japanese Alps. Down here in the valley there is just a little snowon the ground. Most of the buildings in Japan, are not very tall and are made of lightmaterials. Over the years, Japan has endured many earthquakes.
Lightweight buildings do less damage when they are shaken by an earthquake.
As an island nation, the Japanese people eat a great deal of fish. Themost popular way to prepare it is as sushi. Sushi is uncooked fish rolledup with vegetables. Sushi preparation is a great art. It is decoratedusing fishes and vegetables of different colors in elaborate shapes.