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Introduction

On first visiting Japan, Westerners are often surprised because apocryphal tales and even accurate statistics belie the reality, variety, and beauty of this long, narrow archipelago. The entire land mass of Japan could fit into the state of Montana with enough room left over for three and a half Rhode Islands. Within this area, however, are packed almost 124 million people (Montana has around 787,000) and an amazing diversity of climatic conditions.

From the bitterness of Japan’s northernmost point, Bentenjima, at almost the same latitude as the Siberian city of Khabarovsk, to the tropical atmosphere of Yonagunijima, a metaphorical stone’s throw from Taiwan, Nippon encompasses every possible gradation of climate and topography.

The Japanese people, their traditions, beliefs, and ways of life are equally diverse. Almost every Westerner knows of Sony, Nissan, Toshiba, and Nintendo; many have even heard about Shinto, cherry-blossom viewing, shoguns, and Kabuki; but few connect Japan with sun-bronzed islanders lounging beneath palm trees, hunters tracking and trapping wild boars and bears through untouched wildernesses, or the lone farmer driving his harvester through vast fields of ripe, golden wheat.

Japan is all this, and much, much more. The country’s 250 years of isolation from the outside world during the Edo period is well known, but often forgotten are the thousands of years of early Japanese civilization, influenced strongly by the culture of the larger nations to the west, predominantly China, which introduced writing, rice cultivation, and Confucianism, and India, the source of Buddhism. Even today, as any visitor will see, foreign influences on Japanese culture and lifestyle continue as strong as ever, proving that isolationism was the exception rather than the rule.

Nippon: Land of Beauty and Tradition introduces many of Japan’s most spectacular sites and scenes, and is certain to bring back a host of memories for those who have visited Japan. And the armchair traveler too will be taken on a thoroughly pleasing tour of one of the world’s most beautiful and fascinating countries.