Nearly all the people living in Japan are Japanese. Only about one per cent of the population are non-Japanese. There are about 70,000 Korea and about 150,000 Chinese. Thousands of workers, mainly from Asia, come to Japan to find jobs but they do not have permission to stay.

Language

   The first writing in Japan was Chinese, using characters known as kanji. This is a way of writing the meaning of a word with a sign rather like a picture. Japanese is very from Chinese. Japanese has more sounds. A kanji can be spoken in many different ways in Japanese. By about AD900 the Japanese had worked out a system to write the sounds of their own language. Japanese is still written using this mixed system. School children must learn 1945 kanji and two sets of symbols or kana. Each kana has 46 signs. Japanese is usually written from top to bottom, beginning on the right.

Bowing

   Japanese people bow when they meet each other, and when they say "goodbye", "sorry". Or "thank you". Mothers teach small babies to bow. At school and at work, people learn even more rules about bowing. It becomes such a habit that some people even bow when they are talking on the telephone.

Giving gifts

   The giving of gifts is an important custom in Japan. At mid-year and at the end of the year everyone gives gifts to say "thank you" to bosses, people at work and neighbours. People give presents for birthdays, visits and other occasions too. It is considered polite to wrap presents. Shops have special departments selling gifts prettily packed in boxes. Money is put in special envelops tied with ribbon. For New Year, weddings and happy events, the ribbons are red or gold. For funerals they are silver or black.