III. Read this text and say what the most unusual thing in this country is for you. The Country I Find Interesting*

I like to look at geographical maps and imagine different countries. So you can guess that among my favourite books one can find books on geography and about the life of different peoples. And Japan is one of the countries that attracts my attention greatly. Of course, everybody begins thinking about unusual people and the language, kimonos, ikebana, bonsai, samurais, hara-kiri on the one hand and super modern technology and ultra industrialised country on the other hand. And there is everything from that list.

But first of all the country itself is very unusual. It is situated in the Far East and it's one of the main countries of this oriental region. Japan is an island country forming an arc in the Pacific Ocean to the east of the Asian continent. There are four large islands named (in decreasing order of size) Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, together with many smaller islands. The Pacific Ocean lies to the east while the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea separate Japan from the Asian continent. There are two ocean currents that help to form a rather original climate of the country and produce rich fish resources near Japan and supply rich rainfalls to grow a lot of rice – the basic foodstuff products of the population. It lies almost the same latitude as the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Los Angeles. Paris and London have latitudes somewhat to the north of the northern tip of Hokkaido.

Japan's total area is about 378,000 kilometres. So it is approximately the same size as Finland, or Vietnam, or Malaysia. But it is smaller than the state of California of the USA.

Japan's coastline is quite varied. In some places there are long sandy beaches continuing fairly straight and uninterrupted for 60 kilometres or so, while in other places the coastline is curved with a lot of small bays and peninsulas and offshore islands. There are also irregular areas of the coast with many inlets and steep cliffs caused by the changes in the Earth's crust.

About three-quarters of Japan's land surface is mountainous. The Chubu Region of central Honshu is known as "the roof of Japan" and has many mountains that are more than 3,000 meters high. But the highest mountain of Japan is Mount Fuji (3,776 metres high) that is situated not very far from Tokyo and Yokohama.

Japan is known all over the world as a country of volcanoes and earthquakes. And it is really so. As it is situated along the circum-Pacific volcanic belt, Japan has several volcanic regions—usually considered to number seven —from the far north to the far south. Of the total number of volcanoes, approximately eighty are active; it is about one tenth of all active volcanoes of the planet. Mt. Fuji, which has been dormant since its last eruption in 1707, is by no means incapable of erupting again in our lifetimes. Though volcanoes can cause great harm through large eruptions, they also contribute an incalculable tourist resource. Japan is among those countries most likely to suffer from earthquakes. Every year there are approximately 1,000 earthquakes, which are strong enough to be felt. In January 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake killed approximately 6,000 people, injured over 40,000 and left 200,000 homeless.

Mountainous Japan is blessed with many rivers. Most of Japan's rivers flow very fast, but they are rather short. Japan's longest river is the Shinano River, which flows 367 kilometres from the mountains of the Chubu region to the Sea of Japan.

As for climate there are four types of it – from clearly cut temperature changes of seasons in the most northern island of Hokkaido with rather severe winters to the subtropical pattern of climate in Okinawa, the most southern island. The Pacific Ocean side of Japan belongs to the temperate zone, and its summers are hot, influenced by seasonal winds from the Pacific. The side of the country which faces the Sea of Japan has a climate with much rain and snow, produced when cold, moisture-bearing seasonal winds from the continent are stopped in their advance by the Central Alps and other mountains which run along Japan's centre like a backbone.

If there is a plant that best represents Japan, of course, it is the sakura (cherry tree). The sakura, which is native to Japan, has been by far the Japanese people's favourite from antiquity onward. Modern-day Japanese greet the blossoming of cherry trees in spring as an opportunity to have hanami (flower-viewing parties), and many celebrations such as entrance ceremonies to schools and companies are held during this season. Weather forecasts on television and in newspapers broadcast and print charts of the "cherry blossom front" as it moves northwards from Okinawa and ends in Hokkaido. Autumn, when leaves change colour, offers another occasion to appreciate nature. Although it is said that people hundreds of years ago would play music and dance beneath the trees, today's mostly urban Japanese pile into cars and trains in search of autumn's colours, especially those of the maple tree.

Fauna of the country is rather poor. Now there are no big animals, except in Zoos. One can find monkeys, foxes, hares, racoons, squirrels, turtles and something of the kind. But there are a lot of different birds – birds of prey and birds of passage and birds that live there all year round: eagles, owls, nightingales, ravens, cranes and so on. As we have already mentioned the waters near Japan are full of fish and other water animals. Animals figure importantly in the culture of Japan. Certain animals have special places in the folklore of Japan. Buddhist teachings have influenced people's attitudes toward animals. Until late in the nineteenth century, for example, almost no Japanese would slaughter a four-legged animal, relying instead on fish for their animal protein.

I think that the most interesting in every country is its people, its history, culture, customs and habits. Till the middle of the 19^th century the world knew practically nothing about Japan. The country was closed for foreigners. And because of this isolation the population of the country remains practically mononational – 98% are Japanese, in the north of Japan one can find a very mysterious people 'ines' ['ainz], the origin of whom nobody knows. There are also a small number of the Koreans, Chinese and Vietnamese. International marriages are still disapproved. Japanese carefully keep to their traditions, customs and habits. Where else can you see the Day of Carp – the holiday of boys or the Day of Dolls – the holiday of girls? Japanese like their national costume kimono and wear it not only at home but also on different occasions. There are different rules denoting what kind of kimono and of what colour should be put on for a wedding and for a funeral, for a family party and for some official ceremony. I think everybody knows something about Japanese art: painting, national theatre 'Kabuki' and especially about poetry – hokku and tanka. To express great feelings in a three or five-line poem one should really have a great talent. I'd like to give here one such poem.

An autumn rain in dusk. Not to my place, but to my neighbour's An umbrella has rustled.

Осенний дождь во мгле, Нет, не ко мне, К соседу зонт прошелестел.

So, you see, the more I learn about this country, the more attractive for me it is.