Berikut fakta-fakta yang terjadi di Jepang bersumber dari beberapa warga Indonesia yang tinggal disana.
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• Karena terbatasnya ruangan yang dimiliki, orang-orang Jepang selalu melepas sepatu atau alas kaki dengan tangan. Dan sepatu itupun diletakkan pada posisi kaki hendak memakai lagi. Selain terbatasnya ruang, mereka melakukannya karena telah terbiasa dengan hal-hal yang praktis.
• Meski Jepang pengekspor otomotif, ternyata masyarakatnya lebih suka naik transportasi umum seperi kereta, shinkansen, bis, dll. Mengapa? Karena murah dan nyaman. Mereka yang memiliki kendaraan pribadi biasanya tinggal di daerah yang jarang angkutan umumnya.
• Angkutan umum memang mendominasi, tapi Jepang minim polusi. Sebab angkutan umum di sana didominasi kereta dan shinkansen yang digerakkan listrik. Sedangkan listriknya berasal dari PLTN yang tidak menghasilkan CO2.
• Para dokter dan perawat diberbagai rumah sakit Jepang melayani pasien dengan ramah. Tak peduli pasien itu kaya atau miskin. Baik membayar uang berobat secara utuh ataupun memakai fasilitas asuransi nasional (membayar 30%). Semua dilayani dengan keramahan yang tak dibuat-buat. Seluruh pasien mendapat perlakuan sama, yakni mudah pada saat masuk maupun keluar.
Itulah hal-hal nyata dari Jepang. Kenyataan ini bukan berarti terlalu menyanjung Jepang. Berharap hal-hal positif tadi menjadi sumber inspirasi dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Agar kita tak hanya terinpirasi oleh Harajuku style saja.
Selain enak dimakan, Ume atau plum (sebagian lagi menyebutnya apricot) adalah buah dengan keindahan dan keharuman bunga yang memberi sejuta pesona. Apa karena alasan ini orang Jepang rutin menggelar Ume matsuri?
Plum menjadi pertanda musim semi telah tiba. Semerbak keharuman bunganya hadir pada Februari hingga Maret. Plum bersemi sebelum sakura (cherry). Pesonanya hampir sama dengan sakura. Perbedaannya terletak pada warna dan benang sarinya. Bila sakura dilihat dari jauh agak putih, begitu didekati ternyata merah muda, sedangkan Ume jelas warnanya, ada yang merah, putih juga pink. Ume bukanlah tanaman asli Jepang, bunga ini berasal dari China yang dibawa ke Jepang beberapa abad silam.
Kini ribuan plum menyebar ke seluruh negeri matahari terbit. Saat plum membuka kelopaknya, semua tempat tampak indah dikunjungi, termasuk di Tokyo. Di jantung Jepang ini ada beberapa tempat yang siap menampung wisatawan. Diantaranya daerah Ibaraki. Di sana ada taman Kairakuen. Saking luasnya taman tersebut, lebih dari 3000 pohon plum dari 100 varietas terdapat di sana. Bayangkan bila ribuan bunga plum mekar bersamaan, betapa indah dan harumnya area ini. Kairakuen memberi kesempatan pengunjung untuk menikmati keindahan plum dari 20 Februari hingga 31 Maret. Di pusat Tokyo, keindahan bunga plum bisa dilihat di Koishikawa Korakuen mulai tanggal 10 Februari sampai 4 Maret. Tempat lainnya adalah kuil Yushima Tenjin yang menggelar Ume matsuri dari tanggal 8 Februari hingga 8 Maret. Tiap akhir pekan atau hari libur, beberapa event hadir di tempat ini. Jadi, jangan heran bila saat menjelang ujian banyak pelajar datang ke kuil Yushima Tenjin. Tempat ini memang populer di kalangan pelajar Jepang sebagai tempat untuk memanjatkan permohonan lulus ujian.
Sedikit keluar Tokyo, keindahan bunga plum bisa dinikmati di Nagoya Agriculture Center yang terletak di daerah Hirabari. Dengan 700 pohon Ume, Nagoya Agriculture Center mampu memikat wisatawan. Bila di Tokyo kita menikmati keindahan bunga plum saja, di Nagoya bunga sekaligus buah plum bisa dinikmati dalam berbagai hidangan. Memang, orang Jepang pandai mengolah ume menjadi hidangan lezat. Diantaranya umeboshi, manisan, asinan, atau dimasak bersama beras. Tak hanya makanan, plum bisa diolah menjadi minuman alkohol manis, namanya umeshu.
Plum adalah buah luar biasa. Bunganya indah dilihat dan harum dicium, sedangkan buahnya lezat dimakan. Mungkin inilah alasan mengapa masyarakat Jepang secara turun temurun rutin melaksanakan ritual Ume matsuri yaitu upacara menyambut berseminya bunga Plum. Banyak kuil-kuil mengadakan persembahan dengan menggelar acara khusus selama berjam-jam. Ini dilakukan sebagai bentuk rasa syukur. Mereka juga tidak bosan menjaga pohon plum warisan nenek moyangnya. Ume matsuri, menghirup sekaligus mengabadikan keharuman bunga plum.
In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For more than two centuries this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians - with heavy input from bureaucrats and business executives - wield actual decisionmaking power. The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally.
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Geographic coordinates:
36 00 N, 138 00 E
Area:
total: 377,835 sq km
land: 374,744 sq km
water: 3,091 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
29,751 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain:
mostly rugged and mountainous
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m
highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m
total: 88.43 cu km/yr (20%/18%/62%)
per capita: 690 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons
Environment - current issues:
air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
total: 43.8 years
male: 42.1 years
female: 45.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.139% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
7.87 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
9.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 82.07 years
male: 78.73 years
female: 85.59 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
500 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Japanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups:
Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.6%
note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)
Religions:
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Languages:
Japanese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2002)
modeled after German civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Yasuo FUKUDA (since 26 September 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
elections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; monarch is hereditary
election results: FUKUDA elected prime minister with 338 of 477 votes cast in the House of Representatives; he received 106 of 240 votes cast in the House of Councillors; vote of House of Representatives prevailed
Legislative branch:
bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs)
elections: House of Councillors - last held 29 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2010); House of Representatives - last held 11 September 2005 (next election by September 2009)
election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DPJ 109, LDP 83, Komeito 20, JCP 7, SDP 5, others 18
: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party (in single-seat constituencies) - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24 (2007)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Ichiro OZAWA]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Akihiro OTA]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Yasuo FUKUDA]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA]
chief of mission: Ambassador Ichiro FUJISAKI
chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187
consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER
embassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
mailing address: APO AP 96337-5004
telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000
FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862
consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Flag description:
white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. One notable characteristic of the economy has been how manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors have worked together in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features have now eroded. Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 55% of its food on a caloric basis. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades, overall real economic growth had been spectacular - a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment and an asset price bubble during the late 1980s that required a protracted period of time for firms to reduce excess debt, capital, and labor. From 2000 to 2001, government efforts to revive economic growth proved short lived and were hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2002-07, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened, leading the central bank to raise interest rates to 0.25% in July 2006, up from the near 0% rate of the six years prior, and to 0.50% in February 2007. In addition, the 10-year privatization of Japan Post, which has functioned not only as the national postal delivery system but also, through its banking and insurance facilities as Japan's largest financial institution, was completed in October 2007, marking a major milestone in the process of structural reform. Nevertheless, Japan's huge government debt, which totals 182% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Some fear that a rise in taxes could endanger the current economic recovery. Debate also continues on the role of and effects of reform in restructuring the economy, particularly with respect to increasing income disparities.
among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods
Industrial production growth rate:
1.3% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
1.025 trillion kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption:
974.2 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production:
125,000 bbl/day (2006)
Oil - consumption:
5.353 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - exports:
94,830 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:
5.425 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
58.5 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
4.85 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
83.67 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
77.6 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
38.02 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
$212.8 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$676.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals
Exports - partners:
US 22.8%, China 14.3%, South Korea 7.8%, Taiwan 6.8%, Hong Kong 5.6% (2006)
Imports:
$572.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials
Imports - partners:
China 20.5%, US 12%, Saudi Arabia 6.4%, UAE 5.5%, Australia 4.8%, South Korea 4.7%, Indonesia 4.2% (2006)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $11.19 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$954.1 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.492 trillion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$109 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$527.8 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$4.737 trillion (2005)
Currency (code):
yen (JPY)
Exchange rates:
yen per US dollar - 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003)
general assessment: excellent domestic and international service
domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind
international: country code - 81; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 215 (plus 370 repeaters), FM 89 (plus 485 repeaters), shortwave 21 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
211 (plus 7,341 repeaters); in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)
total: 145
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 41
1,524 to 2,437 m: 40
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 29 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 31
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 27 (2007)
Heliports:
14 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 3,939 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 104 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 23,474 km
standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,182 km 1.067-m gauge (13,334 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 1.193 million km
paved: 942,000 km (includes 7,383 km of expressways)
unpaved: 251,000 km (2005)
Waterways:
1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 676 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,386,894 GRT/11,689,142 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 131, cargo 29, carrier 3, chemical tanker 23, container 10, liquefied gas 58, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 142, petroleum tanker 157, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 52, vehicle carrier 55
registered in other countries: 2,692 (Bahamas 62, Belize 2, Bermuda 1, Burma 3, Cambodia 3, Cayman Islands 6, China 2, Cyprus 19, France 5, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 78, Indonesia 5, Isle of Man 4, South Korea 1, Liberia 111, Malaysia 4, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 5, Mongolia 1, Norway 1, Panama 2,151, Philippines 69, Portugal 10, Singapore 108, Sweden 1, Thailand 4, UK 1, Vanuatu 28, unknown 2) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Tomakomai, Yohohama
Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Koku Jieitai, ASDF) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 27,819,804
females age 16-49: 26,863,794 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 22.963 million
females age 16-49: 22,134,127 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
males age 16-49: 622,168
females age 16-49: 590,153 (2008 est.)
Berikut fakta-fakta yang terjadi di Jepang bersumber dari beberapa warga Indonesia yang tinggal disana. 
