Japan+by+Leo

__**DID YOU KNOW RICE USED TO BE USED AS MONEY???**  __ It's true, rice used to be used as money a very long time ago. Rice is the main staple food in Japan. It has been made in Japan for over 2000 years. The Japanese eat rice with most meals. The Japanese word for cooked rice means “meal.” The literal meaning for breakfast is actually “morning rice”. It is used in many different foods. A couple of different rices are “hakumai” and “mochi”. Hakumai becomes sticky when cooked, and mochi is more sticky than conventional rice. Rice comes from rice plants.

[|Click here to see a recipe for Green Tea Ice Cream] [|Click here to see a recipe for California Rolls]

[|click here for information on Japan] FACTS: About 127 million people live in Japan Japan is 145,883 square miles When the atom bomb was dropped on Japan 66,000 people died

FUN/UNIQUE FACTS: Most video games and cars are made in Japan The kids go to school six days of the week instead of five like us Japan's highest point is Mount Fuji

Japanese Government:

The emperor's name is Akihito, he has been emperor since 1989 The Prime Minister's name is Taro Aso and he has been Prime Minister for only a year The Japanese government is a Monarchy The Japanese parliment is called the diet There are 480 members of the House of Representatives and 242 members of the House of Councillors The minimum voting age is 20

