Doing Business with the Japanese [antikvár]

THE COUNTRY The archipelago of Japan comprises the four main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu and numerous smaller islands. The country extends a total of 1,860 miles from north to south. Total land area is approximately 146,000 square miles, making it slightly larger than the United Kingdom. Japan is volcanic and 80% mountainous, with tv^o-thirds of the land covered by forests. Only 14% of total available land is farmed. Population Most of the population of 122 million live on a narrow, coastal plain stretching from Kobe/Osaka/Kyoto in the west to the capital city, Tokyo, in the east. Tokyo, located on approximately the same latitude as Gibraltar, is situated in one of the world's most earthquake-prone areas. The dearth of land in urban Japan is reflected in extremely high land prices, making renting of homes the norm. Resources Japan depends on the rest of the world for the bulk of its energy and raw material needs. Despite heavy precipitation, Japan lacks a sufficient number of reservoirs for the promotion of hydro-electric power as a primary source of energy. Atomic energy and the last of existing coal mines together with imported oil and natural gas are the main energy sources for Japanese industry. Climate Japan is subject to four main seasons and two semi-seasons. Spring (April and May) This is the cherry blossom (sakura) season, celebrated by the centuries-old tradition of cherry-blossom viewing at night known as yozakura. This entails eating, drinking and singing under cherry or plum blossom illuminated by red lanterns hung on the branches of trees. Tsuyu (June) The relatively short spring gives way to heavy rains, which fall during the half-season known as tsuyu (rainy season). This affects most of Japan, with the exception of Hokkaido in the far north, and usually lasts from mid-June to the beginning of July. The rain subsides, leaving steely grey clouds. Soaring temperatures combine to produce the very humid Japanese summer. Summer (mid-June to mid-September) The summer continues unabated until the early weeks of September when the typhoon season arrives. Typhoons (September) These clear the closeness of July and August, giving way to an end of summer rather like a traditional Indian summer in Britain consisting of warm, dry days and long, balmy evenings.