We are going to be studying Japan next year as part of a larger study of Asia. Here are some things I have collected:

The Japanese do not call their country Japan. It is Nippon, which means "the source of the sun."

• My favorite site for maps and geographical info is WorldAtlas.com 
• TravelForKids also has some great info on "where to go" as well as recommended literature books to read to your little ones.
• TimeForKids is another neat site with info on daily life, native lingo, and lots more.
• Here's a site with lots of historical and cultural info .
•  Here's another site with culture and arts info. 
• And this is another great site.
• Here's a page called Japan Thru Young Eyes.
• This page lists Japanese seasonal customs.
• Here is a whole booklet of info on Japan put out by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
• The Evangelical Luthren Church In America has a Global Mission site that has some basic info on Japan along with recipes, photos, and a couple of craft ideas.
• My favorite world recipe site didn't list anything for Japan. However, a Google search for "Japanese recipes" is sure to turn up something. In the mean time, you might want to try this "kid friendly" version of Sushi.  Eat it with chopsticks.
• Make Kanten~ to make this special treat for Japanese children you need: 6 oz. can frozen fruit juice, 4 envelopes unflavored gelatine (Knox), 1 cup cold water, 6 0z. package orange Jello, 1 cup sugar, 4 cups boiling water

1. Soften unflavored gelatine in cold water. Add frozen juice.
2. Dissolve sugar and orange Jello in boiling water, then add juice mixture. Mix well
3. Place in a 13"X9" pan and refrigerate. After hardened, cut into blocks and serve. (We used to make these in other flavers too. We called them "Knox Blox.")

• The Utah division of Agriculture In the Classroom has put out this activity sheet called Foods of Japan, no recipes but a lot of great learning.
• Did you ever wonder how Japanese children celebrate their birthdays? Well, you can find out here at the Children's Museum.
• What does Japanese paper money look like? Take a look at some here.
• What do traditional Japanese clothing look like? Find the answer here. And make your own Geta (shoes) using these directions.
• Or you can print off these paper dolls from MakingFriends, and dress them in their tradtional outfits.
• Here you can listen to some Japanese childrens' songs.
• Try to write a haiku poem. The haiku is a short, non-rhyming poem that suggests a mood or a picture, often a season. It contains 17 syllables and usually 3 lines.

1. First line- setting of the poem (5 syllables)
2. Second line- action of the poem (7 syllables)
3. Third line- conclusion of the poem (5 syllables) 

• And here you can listen to some Japanese words and phrases.
• Here's a site where you can learn some more Japanese, watch a YouTube movie that teaches you to count in Japanese, and other cool stuff.
• Here is a play script for Yuuki and the Tsunami, based on a Japanese folk tale. 
• And here is a 4-H file called Games Around The World which lists several games played by children in Japan.
• Play Janken, a Japanese version of "Paper, Rock, Scissors".

  First, choose a "changer," who is the player who sets the challenge for the rest. You use your hand to represent stone, paper, scissors. Stone is a closed fist. Scissors is two fingers extended. Paper is the hand held flat with the palm turned up. The changer stands in front of the group with his hand as a fist and moves it up and down three times from the elbow saying, "Jan, ken, pon." At the last "Jan, ken, pon," the changer quickly makes either stone, paper, or scissors.

  If he makes stone, the other players must make paper because paper covers stone. Similarly, scissors cut paper and stone sharpens scissors. The person who twice makes the correct sign the quickest becomes the next changer.

• Hands On Crafts For Kids is a great place to find project ideas. Here are five I found to go along with Japan: An Origami Mountain Scene, Japna Eraser Prints, Japanese Wall Hanging, Tanabata Lantern, and Paper Bonsai.
• Japanese gardens are designed to inspire a feeling of beauty and simplicity. You can learn about Japanese Gardens here. The create a "bonkei"- a miniature garden on a tray. Start with a shallow dish filled with dirt or sand. Then arrange in it a combination of plants, flowers, moss, rocks, pebbles, and maybe a small mirror to give the effect of a pond. Try to keep your arrangement uncluttered.
• Zoom also has some nice crafts. Like this Koinobori (a fish shaped flag).
• Activity Village also has some neat craft ideas.
• This site has some additional activities.
• And if you visit the website of the Utah museum of Fine Arts, you'll find this Samurai Armor Lesson Plan, including directions to fold a paper Samurai helmet.
• Speaking of paper folding, you might want to read Sadoku and the 1000 Paper Cranes. It tells the story of a little girl who develops cancer as a result of the fallout from the bombing of Hirosima. Here are instructions so you can fold your own paper crane. Cranes are a Japanese symbol of eternal life.
• Gander Academy is a great source of info on many subjects. Check out their origami page here.
• Origami is also a great way to add math to your study.
• Canon has a some more advanced paper craft ideas that older kids  could use with a study of Japan.
• This calligraphy book would be a nice project for any age and would make a nice addition to a lapbook.
• Here are some water color pictures of old Japanese businesses that might also be nice to include in a notebook or lapbook.
• There is an old saying about Mt. Fuji, Japan's highest mountain: "One who does not climb it once is a fool. One who climbs it more than once is a bigger fool." There are lots of mountains in Japan. Find out about the volcanic ones here.
• Here are some sample pages from an Ancient Japan Thematic Unit by teacher Created Resources.
• ABCTeach has a number of printables for Japan.
• If you do notebooking, you might want to consider purchasing these Ancient China, Japan & India History Notebooking Pages from the HomeschoolEstore. They are $3.50 and are available for immidiate download. Print as many copies as you need.
• And while you're there, you may want to take a look at this craft book: Exploring Cultures Through Art: China and Japan or at this Japan Country Unit Study.
  

If this isn't enough to keep you busy, I have a couple of projects in the files section of my Yahoo Group.