1. Japan Gambatte! Kris Nolt October 2009

2. Geography & Currency 68th Largest Landmass 127,078,679 People (11th) 3rd Largest Economy 708.3 Billion Imports (5th) Yen

3. Government Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy Emperor Prime Minister Judicial and Legislative (Diet)

4. Religion Shintoism 83.9% Life on This Planet Buddhism 71.4% Lifestyle Zen

5. Food and Drink Rice Based Sushi Modernizing Sake Soy Milk

6. Culture Respect Bowing Indoor Shoes Conformity

7. Mainstream Sports Of Japan

8. Underground Sports Of Japan

9. Soccer and Baseball Baseball 29,946 Attendance Soccer 19,278 Attendance

10. Sport Structure Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Promote Health Enhance Physical Education Lifelong Sports Society International Competitiveness

11. Sumo Wrestling Dohyo Myth 1,500 Years Ago 6 Tournaments Rankings

12. Little League Baseball Little League Ages 9-12 300 Leagues 12 Districts Little League World Series 6 Titles

13. High School Baseball Very Popular 2 Tournaments 4,000 Teams TV Broadcast 1 Million Fans

14. Collegiate Baseball Big 6 Division System Tournaments

15. Professional Baseball Nippon Pacific Central Farm League Eastern Western Yomiuri Giants Tokyo Stadium Nagashima Shigeo Japanese Players in MLB

16. Media Coverage Baseball, Baseball, Baseball Worldwide View High-Tech

17. Opinion Passion Healthy Lifestyle Tradition Olympic Problem Pro Sport Growth

18. Summary Conservative and Conformist MEXT Baseball Soccer Sumo

19. References 1 Pictures courtesy of Google Image Search. A Country Study: Japan. (2009, May 7). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from The Library of Congress: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html Allen, J. (n.d.). Jim Allen's Baseball Page. Retrieved October 4, 2009, from http://www2.gol.com/users/jallen/jimball.html Baseball: America's Most Successful Export To Japan. (2009, January 9). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from Web Japan: http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/13Baseball.pdf Baseball: Attendance growing in both CL and PL+. (2009, August 27). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from Breitbart: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9ABO6CG0&show_article=1 Beginner's Guide Of Sumo. (2009). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from Grand Sumo Home Page: http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/ozumo_joho_kyoku/shiru/kiso_chishiki/beginners_guide/origin.html Japan. (2009, September 24). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from The World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html

20. References 2 Japanese Food and Drink. (2005). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from bite-Japan: http://www.bite-japan.com/eng/food-e.html Japanese Food Culture. (2008, December 18). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from Web Japan: http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/46JapFoodCulture.pdf Japanese Region Little League Tournament Historical Results. (2009). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from http://www.unpage.org/japan/jn-body.htm Match Attendances by Club in 2008. (2009, May 21). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from J-League: http://www.j-league.or.jp/eng/data/2009/01-02.pdf Shigeo Nagashima. (2009). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from JapaneseBaseball: http://japanesebaseball.com/players/player.jsp?PlayerID=412 Sports and Youth. (n.d.). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from http://www.mext.go.jp/english/sports/index.htm Sports: Promoting Health for People. (2009, January 6). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from Web Japan: http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/12Sports.pdf Sumo: Traditional ceremonial beauty and strength. (2006, November 24). Retrieved October 4, 2009, from Web Japan: http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/15Sumo.pdf Wright, T. (2008, May 27). 10 Japanese Customs You Must Know Before a Trip To Japan. Retrieved October 4, 2009, from MatadorAbroad: http://matadorabroad.com/10-japanese-customs-you-must-know-before-a-trip-to-japan/