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Release Date: January 24-30 4-1 (98)

Especially for and their families

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I © 1998 by Universal Press Syndicate

By BETTY DEBNAM from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam @1998 Universal Press Syndicate

The Host Country of the Winter Olympics

All About Japan The Winter Olympics will take

place Feb. 7-22 in Nagano (NA-gahno), Japan. This mountainous region in the middle of the islands is known as "the roof of Japan."

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Japan is in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of the continent of Asia.

Japan's four large islands make up 98 percent of the country. There are more than 6,800 smaller ones.

Tokyo

Many tourists visit Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain.

® · Mountains cover 68 percent of the land. Most of the 120 million people live

in the flat area along the east coast and in the south.

One out of every 10 of the Earth's volcanoes is in Japan .

•

• Japan is one of the most crowded countries in the world. It is about one

twenty-fifth the size of the United States. It is a little smaller than California.

8i • Japan has many

.' I earthquakes. Kids even \ have earthquake drills at

A schooL Japan also has typhoons or ~~ :'1' ,. , ,. / ,,/'

big storms, in the spring ~ and summer. ~

About one-fourth The flag has a white

Rice is the most important food in Japan. Modern machines help Japan raise all the rice it needs.

~• Only 14 percent of the land is suitable for farming, so farmers must get the most out of it. ~

Most of the land, 67 <,

percent, is covered by forest.

Japan is a powerful manufacturing country. It exports products such as cars, radios, televisions, cameras and computers.

of all of the people live in or background with a Japan's cherry blossoms are a symbol of the

around Tokyo, red circle. new beginnings that spring brings. There are the capital. more than 200 types.

Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.

,

4-2 (98) Release Date: January 24-30

More About Japan, the Olympic Host

A Japanese family gathers around a dining table.

I - I t:~~~~e ;:~~:~;~ea~f fried chicken. They also enjoy spaghetti, noodles and rice dishes.

I tv I ~~~:~tt~~~t:~a;eer~~t from ours. They might serve rice, soup, fish and pickled vegetables. Most young Japanese eat bread and drink juice for breakfast.

I & I At school, the kids eat lunch • in their classrooms. Students

help serve the meals.

I _ I ~~fa;s~~:~a:o:~~ ~;~~~lY meals so the diners can see what they will look like.

from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam @ 1998 Universal Press Syndicate

Mini Spy. • •

I _ I Food Rice and fish are very important parts of the Japanese diet. Sushi, which consists of slices of raw fish on top of rice, is popular.

Japan must import much of its food. Supermarkets have foods brought in from all over the world.

I A I Tea is the most popular drink in • Japan. It is served hot with no sugar

added. A thicker green tea is sometimes served at a special ceremony.

I _ I Trains Many Japanese find traveling by train is a good way to get .~ around the -g

'" crowded rJl

islands. ~ ~tlli!liI "-Japan is famous for its speedy "bullet" ~ trains. Some of them can go as fast as 180 .~ miles per hour. i I e I Theater

I " I Clothes

Japan is wellknown for a type of theater, called "kabuki," ~ where ~ performers ~ wear special := makeup and ~ traditional costumes.

Most Japanese wear the same type of clothes that we do. On special occasions, the women might wear the traditional dress, the kimono. This flowing robe is wrapped around and tied with a special sash called an obi. Special sandals and socks are also

kimono worn with the kimonos.

~~ ~ \\ou FIND

Mini Spy and her friends are having a picnic in Japan under the cherry trees. See if you can find:

~p.;;~~ m ~~~\J:': ThJe MiniA"~ ~PAmN© 1998 univ:;;~ s:~ate

Words about Japan are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you can find: JAPAN, JAPANESE, OLYMPICS, NAGANO, TOKYO, MOUNTAINS, RICE, ISLANDS, FISH, FIELDS, CHOPSTICKS, BEAUTY, SUMO, WRESTLING, BOW, INDUSTRY, SNOW, TEMPLES,

• kite • leaf • goose • safety pin • number 2 • caterpillar • frog • fish • elephant's

head • letter A • word MINI • letter E

SEA. N I S K CIT S P 0 H C I WW

R A S J SSE A B J T B N F R

C X G LAN K U E A E T D F E

D P C A A P 0 V A P M 0 U I S

BOWENNAWUAPKSST

F RIC E 0 D N T N L Y T H L

G S D LEI F S Y E E 0 R R I

S N I A T N U 0 M S SlY S N

J SCI P M Y L 0 E 0 MUS G


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Big Ideas in Geography introduces kids to five key points to remember about geography: location, place, how people react and sometimes change their environment, movement and regions. Have fun learning all about maps, foreign places, the environment and the geography ABCs with pictures, puzzles and to-do projects in this Mini Page Resource Book. 'Ib order, send check or money order for $4.95 plus $1 postage and handling per copy to: Big Ideas in Geography, P.O. Box 419242, Kansas City, MO 64141. Make checks payable to Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Go dot to dot and color. J I

• 10 •

•

5 •

·30

26 ,

Buddhism is one of the most i\nportant religions • J..t!. in Japan. It was

founded in India by a teacher

.wha>went by the name

ofllufdha. •

• J7 • I ~

/ • I CJ • 20 31 • 2.' \

•

-22 23 •

Debnam C 1998 Universal Press S ndicate

The Mini Page Presidents of the United States Poster

• Inc;ludes every president in c;hronologic;al order, from Washington to Clinton, with the dates that eac;h held offic;e

• Handsome reproduc;tions of engraved portraits

• An attrac;tive educ;ational referenc;e

4-3 (98) Release Date: January 24-30

Q: What did the duck say when he went shopping?

A: "Put it on my bill!"

Q: If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, what does garlic do?

A: It keeps everyone away! (all jokes sent in by Brittany Parks)

from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam C 1998 Universal Press Syndicate

~ Rookie Cookie's Recipe Rice Balls

from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam @ 1998 Universal Preas Syndicate

Rice balls are popular Japanese treats. The Japanese eat them at home, in restaurants and at picnics. You must use Japanese rice, which is found in many grocery stores. This is a good recipe to make in your classroom.

You'll need: ~ • 1 cup Japanese rice, uncooked • 2 cups water

What to do: 1. Wash rice in water (not the 2 cups used in

cooking). Drain well. 2. Place in a medium saucepan. 3. Add water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. 4. Keep covered and lower to medium. Cook 10 minutes. 5. Lower heat to low and cook 10 minutes. Do not stir. 6. After rice has cooled, shape into small balls. Sprinkle salt or

sesame seeds on the outside.

Favorite sports in Japan Martial arts Golf

T~o';d;;, ';nd$3."OO -;i=7s;' ;;t; e7nd"h.:'di:gfor'7ach c:;y:"'"Se':! -:I;::=k;'"o~~e~;;;;- - - Martial arts, or the "self- Space is so scarce for practice I payable to: Andrews and McMeel, P.O. Box 419242, Kansas City, Missouri, 64141. defense sports," are I very popular. These ranges in the Tokyo area that golfers

Please send __ copies of The Mini Page Presidents of the United States Poster (Item # 9939-6) at $3.75 each, h' b II ff h 'b 'Id' h L I including postage and handling. (Bulk discount information available upon request.) include karate (pictured It a s 0 ~ e t~s In UI Ings t at I Name above), judo and kendo are two stories high. ® I Address I (fencing with bamboo Baseball and soccer are I -.-

I City State Zip I sticks), also popular, :. ' , L ________________________________ ~


4-4 (98) Release Date: J anuary 24-30

from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 1998 Universal Press Syndicate

More About Japan Government

00 Japan is a democracy. The

(8 ~~~::'~egnr~rtc~!I!~ethe Diet. It meets in this building in Tokyo, the capital.

I (8) I r~~:a~~::r:d :t~n1947, emperor. Today, the emperor does not have any lawmaking power. He and the imperial family live in the

~'mperial palace in Tokyo. A yellow flower with 16 petals is the symbol of the imperial family.

Japanese kids

Students start each school year in April.

I tv I ~~~~::~It~n k~~~~~I~~hv~7 families. Since students have to

pass hard exams if they are to get into certain schools, many take extra classes after school and on the weekends.

I (8) I ~i~:ik~ ~~~~~f~~:~: ~r 8~~~ ~~~~ and goes to about 3:30 p.m.

Saturday classes are over by noon. Their classes are large, with 30 to 40 in each room. Most study English from the seventh grade up.

Most students wear blue uniforms. Young kids wear bright caps so they can be seen in traffic.

~ The kids take off ~ their shoes when they

arrive and put on slippers. People also take off their shoes at home.

Keeping the school clean is the students' job. They scrub and ~ clean the halls, restrooms,

~.,....,<o classrooms and '--~~~~ schoolyards.

Japanese kids have to

~ work extra-hard to learn ''kanji,'' or written characters. These symbols are used instead of spelling

The character out words. Before finishing for tree th' h d kid t e sixt gra e, s mus

learn more than 1,000 of them.

~ Kites shaped like carp, a type of ~ fish, are flown on Children's Dayan

May 5. Families fly one kite for each male. Girls are honored at a Doll Festival held March 3.

Comic books are popular with adults as well as children.

At home

Young kids watch about two hours of TV a day. They also enjoy video games. Many of these are popular in the United States.

Since Japan is such a crowded country, homes are smaller than ours. Rooms often serve several

purposes. Most rooms have sliding doors that can be closed or opened to divide them. While some people sleep in beds, others sleep on soft mattresses called futons. These can be folded up and put away during the day. In this way, the bedroom at night can become a living or dining room during the day.

I e I:~~; families

eat at tables just like ours, others might eat at tables very close to the floor.

Japanese

lllll~lii I : l l:~!~ baths are very different from those in America.

I:i::i'!m~!: I Bathers sit ........ on a stool

and use a lllll1li~W hose while

they wash. Then they get into a tub and soak. They don't change the water between bathers. The last bather pulls the plug!

A site to see: Here's a good introduction to Japan. http://jinJcic.or.jp/kidsweb/ The Mini Page thanks the Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan, for help with this issue.

Next week: Read all about the Olympic Winter Sports.


.,.-

Let's visit Japan

In

'Tht·~~i t!i;~

0 '998 by Un" . ... ' Pre,: Syndloa'. m by Betty Debnam

Appearing in your newspaper on ___ _


(Note to Editor: Above is camera-ready, one columnby-414-inch ad promoting Issue 4.)

.., .

Release Date: January 24-30

·~· iht"~ji ~~:~ © 1998 by Universal Press Syndicate

""

Teacher's Guide

For use by teachers and parents at home and at school. For use with issue: All About Japan Main idea: This issue is about J apan. The follo~g is a list of activities to be used ~ with this issue. They are listed in order of difficulty, with the easier pre-reader :ll assignments listed first. Ask the children to do the following: ~

1. Look through the sports section of your newspaper for pictures of sports. Are 5 any of them Olympic sports? ~

2. Draw a picture of a place in your area that you would like to show a J apanese ~ child. (For example, a park, a tourist attraction or your school.) ~

3. Discuss the following: What do you think it would be like to visit J apan? If you ~ were to visit there, what would you most like to see and do? How is J apan different @ from the United States? What are some interesting things you learned from this ~

c: issue? Do you plan to watch the Olympics on TV? What sport do you most want to ~ see? Why? ~

4. Pretend you have an J apanese pen pal. What five questions would you like to ~ ask him or her about life in J apan? !:

5. Find J apan on a globe or world map. Which country is closest to it? How does it l compare in size to your state? ~

6. Find the following words in this issue: region, democracy, typhoons, uniforms, ~ exports, futons, continent, emperor. Define and make up a new sentence for each one. ~

7. Look through your newspaper for articles on J apan. ~

~.

4-5 (98)


Gus Goodsport'SReport Supersport in Japan

i Sumo wrestling Sumo wrestling is Japan's

national sport. It is a test of strength and balance. Two huge wrestlers, some weighing up to 550 pounds, try to push each other down or out of a I5-foot hard dirt circle covered with sand. The bouts are short, some lasting only seconds.

Before each bout, it is the custom that wrestlers throw salt into the ring. Like our top athletes, sumo wrestlers make a lot of money.

(Note to Editor: Above is the Teacher's Guide for Issue 4.) (Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 4, to be used in place of ad if desired. )


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