NOV20
All country briefings

Asia · Country briefing

Japan

A child-friendly mission briefing for 20 November — capital, climate, school day, languages, fun facts, native animals, and five questions to ask the class on the other side of the world.

  • Capital
    Tokyo
  • Population
    ~123 million
  • Time zone
    Asia/Tokyo (UTC +9)
  • Currency
    Japanese yen (JPY)
Japan, with Tokyo marked
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Climate in November: Cool autumn; vivid autumn leaves in many regions.

Tokyo, the capital of Japan

The capital

Tokyo

Photo · Unsplash

Fun facts

What makes Japan a bit special.

  • Mount Fuji

    3,776m and almost perfectly symmetrical

  • Sakura

    Cherry blossom season has its own forecast

  • Bullet train

    Shinkansen travels at 320 km/h

  • Invented

    Karaoke, instant noodles, emoji

  • Castles

    Over 100 still stand

  • Volcanoes

    Over 100 active ones

Native animals

Wildlife your partner class might know best.

  • 🐒

    Japanese macaque

    'Snow monkeys' bathe in hot springs in winter

  • 🦌

    Sika deer

    Roams freely in Nara, bowing to visitors

  • 🦝

    Tanuki

    A real animal that looks a bit like a raccoon

  • 🦩

    Red-crowned crane

    Symbol of long life and luck

  • 🐟

    Koi carp

    Can live 30+ years in temple ponds

School life

In a Japan classroom

Many Japanese schools include daily cleaning by pupils and shared school lunch (kyūshoku).

Typical school day: Often 08:30–15:30, with cleaning duties before going home.

School year: April to March.

Greetings to learn

Say hello like a local

  • こんにちは (Konnichiwa)
    Japanese · kon-nee-chee-wah

Five questions to ask

Conversation starters

  1. 01What do you eat for school lunch?
  2. 02What clubs do children join after school?
  3. 03What's the most fun part of your school day?
  4. 04What's something children in your country are really good at?
  5. 05What is autumn like where you live?

What not to assume

Friendly cautions

  • ℹNot every Japanese child experiences a strict, exam-only school day.
  • ℹJapan has 47 prefectures, with different local cultures and dialects.

Culture

Food, music, sport, festivals.

  • Food

    • Rice
    • Miso soup
    • Ramen
    • Onigiri

  • Music

    • J-pop
    • Traditional taiko drumming

  • Sport

    • Baseball
    • Football
    • Sumo
    • Kendo

  • Festivals

    • Shichi-Go-San (Nov)
    • New Year
Reflection prompts
  • “Would you like a daily cleaning time at your school?”
  • “What would you want to share about your culture?”

Could your class meet Japan?

Choose Japanwhen you register — we’ll show you the time-zone feasibility.

Register your classroom