Japanese Club with Mrs. Crist
Konichi-wa, My name is Mrs. Crist and I am the foreign language teacher at Hanover Middle School. Besides speaking Spanish and French, I know a little bit of Japanese. I have been to Japan twice and have many Japanese friends. I worked for a Japanese company in Washington D.C. before I became a teacher. I want to share with you some of the things I learned about Japanese culture and language during this club.
Navigate to the Navigate to the page you would page you would
like to visitlike to visitMap of Japan Photos of Japan
Facts comparing Cultural TidbitsJapan to 2 other countries under construction
Vocabulary Pages Mrs. Crist’s photoalbum under
construction
Let’s Compare Japan to U.S.A. and Mexico
To get a better idea of where Japan stands compared to other countries in the word, let’s compare some facts about Japan to those of U.S.A. and Mexico.
All of the information is very current, from the summer of 2008, taken from www.cia.gov.
How Big are the countries?
• U.S.A. has a total land and water area of 9,826,630 square kilometers.
• The U.S. is the 3rd largest
country by size in the world.
• Mexico has a total land and water area of
1, 972,550 square kilometers.
• Japan has a total land and water area of 377,835 square kilometers.
• Japan is the smallest of the three countries. It is slightly
smaller than California.
How many people live there?
The U.S.A. population is 303,824,646 people. The average age is 36.7 years.
The birth rate is 14.18/1000 people.
The death rate is 8.27/1000 (this means that in a group of 1000 people, 8.27 of them will die in a given year.
Mexico’s population is 109,955,400. The average age is 26 years. The birth rate is 20.04/1000.
The death rate is 4.78/1000.
Japan’s population is 127, 288, 419 people. The average age is 43.8
The birth rate is 7.87/1000The death rate is 9.26/1000
This is fascinating!! Japan has more people than Mexico even though Mexico is 5 times bigger!
Japan’s population is aging, which may account for it’s death rate being higher than the other countries.
Mexico’s average age is only 26. This will account for the lowest death rate of the 3 countries.
More about birth and death
In the U.S.A., the average woman bears 2.1 children. Out of 1000 babies born, 6.3 will die as infants. U.S. population is growing at a rate of .883% The life expectancy of Americans averages 78.14 years: men 75.28 years and women 81.13 years.
In Mexico, the average woman bears 2.37 children. Out of 1000 babies born, 19.01 will die as infants. Mexican population is growing at a rate of 1.142% The life expectancy of Mexican males is 75.84 years, for women it is 78.78 years.
In Japan, the average woman bears 1.22 children. Out of 1000 babies born, 2.8 will die as infants. Japan’s population growth is negative: - 0.139%
Recall that the death rate (elderly population) exceeds the birth rate. Japanese women may be choosing careers over families. The life expectancy is 82.07: 78.73 years for men and 85.59 years for women. This is one of the highest life expectancies in the world.
Mexico’s higher infant mortality rate is disturbing and may require further research as to the causes.
More People Facts
In the U.S., citizens may vote at the age of 18.
99% of the population is literate.
12% of the population lives below the established poverty level.
In Mexico, citizens may also vote at the age of 18.
91% of the population is literate.
Nearly 40% of the population lives below the established poverty level.
In Japan, citizens may vote at the age of 20.
99% of the population is literate.
There are no statistics available about the poverty level.
I find the literacy rate in all 3 countries impressive.
The poverty level in Mexico is very troubling and may help account for the high rate of Mexican immigrants coming to the United States.
Government
The United States is a constitution-based federal republic.
George W. Bush is the current president.
The external debt is $12.25 trillion.
The unemployment rate is 4.6%
Mexico is a federal republic.
The president is Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa. He is called Presidente Calderon.
The external debt is $179.7 billion.
The unemployment rate is 3.7%, but it is estimated at 25% of the population is underemployed.
Japan is a constitutional monarchy w/ a parliamentary government.
The chief of state is Emperor Akihito.The head of government is Prime
Minister Yasuo Fukuda.The external debt is $1.492 trillion. The unemployment rate is 3.9%.
It appears that more Mexicans have jobs than people from the other 2 countries! The problem is that they are not getting enough hours and high enough wages to support their families.
Money
The monetary unit of the United States is called the U.S. Dollar.
The value of the U.S. dollar has been decreasing in recent years when held up against currencies in other countries, such as the euro.
U.S.A.’s per capita G.D.P. is $45,800.
Mexico’s money is called The Mexican Peso.
With each U.S. Dollar, you can by 10.8 Mexican pesos. This exchange rate has stayed fairly steady for the last few years.
Mexico’s per capita G.D.P. is $12,800.
Japan’s money is called the Japan Yen.
You can buy 117.99 yen for every U.S. dollar. In 2006, you could only get 116.18 yen, so this has improved slightly in favor of
the dollar.Japan’s per capita G.D.P. is
$33,600.
Vocabulary PagesClick on the topic to view each vocabulary page
• Colors
• Numbers
• Family
• Days of the week
• Seasons
• Animals
• Foods
Colors: Iro
Daidai-iro-orange
Midori- green
Kuro - black
Hai-iro - grey
Aka - red
Cha-iro - brown
Shiro - white
Ao - blue
Pinku -pink
Murasaki - purple
Ki-iro-yellow
Numbers:Kazu
1 ichi 11 juichi
2 ni 12 juni
3 san 13 jusan
4 shi 14 jushi
5 go 15 jugo
6 roku 16 juroku
7 shichi 17 jushichi
8 hachi 18 juhachi
9 kyu 19 jukyu
10 ju 20 niju
Family:Kazoku
Grandmother sobo younger sister imoto
Grandfather sofu older sister ane
Cousin itoko daughter musume
Uncle oji older brother ani
Aunt oba younger brother ototo
Husband otto son musuko
Father chichi
Wife tsuma
Mother haha
Iroirona-hi: days of the week
Japanese
Getsu-yobi
Ka-yobi
Sui-yobi
Moku-yobi
Kin-yobi
Do-yobi
Nichi-yobi
English
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dobutsuen-zoo page 1
Japanese English
Inu dogNeko catKingyo
goldfishTori birdUsagi rabbitHamusuta hamsterMorumotto guinea pigOndori roosterMendori henMe-ushi cowShichimencho turkey
Japanese EnglishButa pig
Uma horse
Hitsuji sheep
Gacho geese
Ahiru ducks
Fukuro owl
Hikigaeru toad
Risu squirrel
Kitsune fox
Chocho butterfly
Tora tiger
Kujira whale
Same shark
Dobutsuen:Zoo Page 2
Japanese EnglishHebi snakeShima-uma zebraYagi goatBiiba beaverSai rhinoShiro-kuma polar bearKuma bearZo elephantKame turtleAzarashi sealRakuda camelShika dearKirin giraffeRaion lion
Japanese EnglishIruka dolphin
Pengin penguin
Wani crocodile
Okami wolf
Kangaru kangaroo
Gorira gorilla
Komori bat
Saru monkey
Kaba hippo
Washi eagle
Panda panda
Kisetsu:Seasons
Haru- spring
Natsu-summer
Aki-autumn
Fuyu-winter
Tabemono-Food page 1
Japanese EnglishNiku meat
Hanbaga hamburger
Hamu ham
Sarami salami
Soseji sausage
Sakana fish
Toriniku chicken
Hottudoggu hotdog
Beekon bacon
Biihu beef
Japanese EnglishYasai veggies
Sarada salad
Retasu lettuce
Ingen or mame beans
Kabocha pumpkin
Horenso spinach
Tamato tomato
Saya-endo peas
Kyabetsu cabbage
Tamanegi onion
Serori celery
Kyuri cucumber
Ninjin carrots
Tabemono-food page 2
Japanese EnglishKudamono fruitPuramu plumPain pineappleMomo peachApurikotto apricotRemon lemonGurepu-furutsu grapefruitMikan tangerineMeron melonSakuranbo cherryRingo appleBudo grapesBanana bananaOrenji orange
Japanese EnglishNashi pear
Ichigo strawberry
Ki-ichigo raspberry
Dezato dessert
Kukkii cookie
Keki cake
Chokoreto chocolate
Okashi candy
Sato sugar
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