Introduce Japan

My English teacher suggested that I make five minutes presentation about Japan so I prepared the following one:

I’d like to introduce my country, Japan. The population is 120,000,000 so it’s approximately double the UK, it is an island divided from other countries by oceans. However unfamiliar you are with Japan, you probably know the words SAMURAI, GEISHA, KIMONO, JUDO, SUMO, TSUNAMI and KARAOKE. All of these words are originally from Japan and some of them have been popularized by Hollywood movies like “The Last Samurai” and “Memoirs of a Geisha” or “SAYURI”. Samurais are Japanese warriors but they don’t exist anymore. Geishas are sometimes confused with prostitutes but in recent history this is not the case, they are talented dancers, musicians and entertainers at meetings and parties. The Kimono is a traditional costume and we wear it for the “becoming an adult” celebration at age 20, wedding ceremonies and traditional events like tea ceremonies. If you go to Japanese restaurants in Manchester, some of the waitresses wear traditional costumes called Yukatas. The Yukata is a kind of Kimono but it’s more casual and less expensive than ordinary Kimonos and we can wear it easily and going to fireworks and some festivals in summer. In some countries, the uniform for Judo is also called a Kimono, but it’s called Judo-Gi in Japan.

The Emperor of Japan called TEN-NOU is very unique, during World War II, he had the authority to command air, sea and ground forces, however after the war, he was defined as a symbol of Japan and he no longer has any authority in politics or the economy. Still imperial families are popular as role models and the current emperor’s birthday is celebrated as a national holiday every year.

We are also quite unique in terms of religion; according to the data from “The agency for cultural affairs”, the number of Shintos in Japan are 160,000,000, 9,600,000 Buddihists, 2,000,000 Christians and 11,000,000 others. The total number coming to 215,000,000 which is double the population. In Japan, if people pray to a religious god, they are regarded as a believer. Kamidana and Butsudan are the symbols of Shinto and Buddhism respectively; we believe that spirits live in here and we pray toward these symbols at home. Some Japanese houses have both of these charms together, but this is not unusual. These days, many people have wedding ceremonies at Christian Churches, and organize their funeral at a Buddhist temple. If you watch the famous Japanese animated movie “Spirited Away”, you’ll see many gods in there.

The life expectancy in Japan is 79 for males and 85 for females and this is the longest in the world. The main reason might be healthy food; we can buy fresh fish and eat it raw as Sushi or Sashimi. We also eat a lot of sea weed which contains many minerals. Taking vitamins or other tablets isn’t popular, but people care about healthy food and some restaurants show the amount of calories besides the menu, cooking and health orientated TV programs are also popular.
Thank you.