Hokkaido Toyako Summit - Introduction to Participating Countries
Change in participant countries - From G6 to G8
yG6zBased on a plan by the president of France at the time, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the leaders of Japan, U.S., England, France, Germany, and Italy met for the first G6 Summit in the castle of Rambouillet, which is located in the suburbs of Paris, in November 1975.
yG7zStarting with the 1976 Puerto Rico Summit, Canada participated, and starting with the 1977 London Summit, the president of the European Community (EC) attended (Currently, Commission President of the European Union (EU) attends, forming the G7).
yG8zAfter that, in response to (changes in) the international situation following the end to the Cold War, there was a decision to hold meetings between the leaders of the various countries and the Russian leader outside the framework of the summit, after the summit was completed. Starting with the 1997 Denver Summit, Russia basically participated in all events, excluding certain sessions such as those on finance and the global economy. Then, agreement was reached to make the summit fully G8 starting with the 2003 Evian Summit, and Russia was included in all economic meetings, including those related to the global economy.
*Starting with the 1998 Birmingham Summit, the name of the summit was changed from the traditional G7 Summit to the G8 Summit.
*G8 stands for the gGroup of 8.h
Japan
The flag, which is called the hi-no-maru (sun disk) or nishoki (sun flag) flag, is based on the image of a rising sun and has been used in various situations including as a flag for warlords during the Warring States period.
- Data:
-
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Area
- 377,837km²
- Population
- 127,767,000 people (as of September 2007)
- Language
- Japanese
- Currency
- Yen
- From Japan:
- Narita - Narita: traveling time of 0 hours
- National sports:
- Sumo, Martial arts (Judo, Kendo)
- Typical tourist sites:
- Tokyo - Tokyo Tower, Asakusa, Akihabara, Tsukiji, etc.;
- Kyoto - Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Kiyomizu Temple, Nijo Castle, etc.;
- Hokkaido - (Sapporo) Snow Festival, Sapporo Clock Tower; (near Sapporo) Toyako,Niseko, Noboribetsu Onsen; Otaru, Hakodate
- Typical souvenirs:
- Japanese dolls, T-shirts written in Japanese, small carved items, Japanese fans, geta (wooden sandals), wooden chopsticks, lantern
- Food:
- [Sushi]
Fresh typical sushi and edomae sushi can be found at the Tsukiji market located in the center of Tokyo. Recently, the market has become popular among many foreigners as a tourist spot.
Russia
The flag was used as the national flag for Imperial Russia. After the 1917 revolution, the national flag was changed with the countryfs birth as a socialist country. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the former flag was revived.
- Data:
-
- Capital
- Moscow
- Area
- 17,075,200km²
- Population
- 142,893,540 people (2005 estimate)
- Language
- Russian and others
- Currency
- Ruble
- From Japan:
- Narita - Moscow: traveling time of 10 hours
- Time difference from Japan:around 6 hours
- National sports:
- Sambo, ice hockey
- Typical tourist spots:
- Black sea;Moscow - Kremlin; Saint Petersburg - The State Hermitage Museum
- Typical souvenirs:
- Vodka, caviar, matryoshka (a set of dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside another),
- khokhloma (wooden spoons with an undercoat of black and red painted with pictures of flowers and fruit, such as strawberries),
- platok (In Japan, it would be comparable to a scarf with large pictures of flowers on them. In addition to protecting the wearer from the cold, the scarves are used to cover onefs head at locations such as churches.)
- Food:
- [Borsch]
Borsch is enjoyed as one of the worldfs top three soups. It is a hearty soup of boiled meat and vegetables with a bright red color. It is normally served hot, but during the summer it may be served cold. - [Piroshki]
In addition to being a traditional Russian home-cooked dish, piroshkis are common food that can be purchased throughout cities and are now even sold at fast food restaurants.
U.S
The U.S. national flag is called the Stars and Stripes. The red and white stripes correspond to the number of states at the time of independence. The 50 stars represent the present number of states. Hawaii is the 50th state.
- Data:
-
- Capital
- Washington D.C.
- Area
- 9,363,520km²
- Population
- 300,007,900 people
- Language
- English, Spanish
- Currency
- U.S. dollar
- From Japan:
- Narita - Washington: traveling time of 12 hours and 35 minutes
- Time difference from Japan:around 15 hours
- National sports:
- American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey
- Typical tourist spots:
- Los Vegas, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Lincoln Memorial, Grand Canyon, Hollywood sign, Whitehouse
- Typical souvenirs:
- Mixed nuts, chocolate, wine, dream catcher, etc.
- Food:
- [Hot dog]
It is typical to eat hot dogs while walking since they are sold from small carts in the centers of cities.
France
The national flag is called the tricolore, and the three colors represent freedom, equality, and fraternity. It was created by combining the white of the Bourbon monarch and the blue and red of the city of Paris.
- Data:
-
- Capital
- Paris
- Area
- 543,965km²
- Population
- 64,102,140 people
- Language
- French, Breton, and Provancal
- Currency
- Euro
- From Japan:
- Narita - Paris: traveling time of 12 hours and 15 minutes
- Time difference from Japan:around 8 hours
- National sports:
- Fencing, petanque (a ball sport), savate (French style boxing)
- Typical tourist spots:
- Paris - Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Opera House; Versailles Palace; Mont Saint-Michel; Monaco
- Typical souvenirs:
- Wine, cheese, tea (earl gray), miniatures of the Eiffel tower or Arc de Triomphe
- Food:
- [Cheese]
France is known as the kingdom of cheese, and there are more than 400 types of cheese.
Germany
The national flag of West Germany was adopted as the national flag of Germany after unification in 1990. The design is based on the black uniforms, red epaulets, and gold ribbon of the volunteer soldiers who fought against Napoleon in 1813.
- Data:
-
- Capital
- Berlin
- Area
- 356,970km²
- Population
- 82,424,609 people
- Language
- German
- Currency
- Euro
- From Japan:/DT>
- Narita - Frankfort (Germany) - Berlin: traveling time of 12 hours and 50 minutes
- Time difference from Japan: around 8 hours
- National sports:
- Handball, soccer, table tennis, schlagball (Germany-style baseball)
- Typical tourist spots:
- Pilgrimage church of Wies, Neuschwanstein Castle (the model for Disneyfs Cinderellafs castle), palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin
- Typical souvenirs:
- Baumkuchen Haribo (the largest manufacturer of gummi candy in the world), PUMA products, tea, herb tea, chocolate, wine, beer
- Food:
- [Sausage]
There are many small stalls that sell sausages, and grilled sausages, which are served in a roll, are great.
Canada
The maple leaf in the middle of the flag has been the national symbol since the 18th century. The red on the right and left represents the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, which the country faces.
- Data:
-
- Capital
- Ottawa
- Area
- 9,970,610km²
- Population
- 32,507,874 people
- Language
- English, French
- Currency
- Canadian dollar
- From Japan:
- Narita - Chicago (U.S.) Ottawa: traveling time of 13 hours and 10 minutes
- Time difference from Japan: around 14 hours
- National sports:
- Lacrosse, ice hockey, Canadian football (Canadian version of American football)
- Typical tourist spots:
- Niagara Falls, Vancouver (that will host the 2010 Winter Olympics), Canadian Rockies, and the old city of Montreal
- Typical souvenirs:
- Maple syrup, Canadian wine, ice wine, native Canadian traditional crafts, cheese, salmon
- Food:
- [Lobster]
Lobster from the beautiful port city of Halifax on the east coast is extremely popular; - [Salmon]
One should eat fresh salmon as sushi.
Italy
In 1796, Francefs Napoleon unified Italy, and the blue part of the French flag at the time was changed to green. The green represents freedom, white, equality, and red, fraternity.
- Data:
-
- Capital
- Rome
- Area
- 301,323km²
- Population
- 58,057,477 people
- Language
- Italian
- Currency
- Euro
- From Japan:
- Narita - Rome: traveling time of 12 hours and 40 minutes
- Time difference from Japan: around 8 hours
- National sports:
- Calcio (soccer), volley ball, formula racing
- Typical tourist spots:
- Rome - Spanish steps, Saint Peters Cathedral, Vatican Art Museum, Colosseum;
- Florence - Uffizi Museum, Ferrari Specialty Shop, Palazzo Medici Riccardi;
- Milan - Cathedral, Last Supper, Leonardo de Vinci Art Museum, La Scala Cinema;
- Venice - Saint Marks Square, gondola
- Typical souvenirs:
- Olive oil, cheese, pasta, wine, chocolate
- Food:
- [Pizza]
(Rome pizza) very popular with thin crust,
(Napoli pizza) filling with a thick quest; - [Gelato]
There are gelato stores everywhere in Rome.
England
The flag, which is referred to as the Union Jack, was created in 1801 by combining the flags of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
- Data:
-
- Capital
- London
- Area
- 244,110km²
- Population
- 60,270,708 people
- Language
- English, Welsh
- Currency
- English pound
- From Japan:
- Narita - London: traveling time of 12 hours and 10 minutes
- Time difference from Japan: around 9 hours
- National sports:
- Soccer, rugby, cricket
- Typical tourist spots:
- British Museum, Buckingham Palace (changing of the guards), London Tower, Westminster Abby
- Typical souvenirs:
- Miniature version of double-decker bus, teddy bear, Ridgeway tea, Walkers shortbread
- Food:
- [Fish and Chips]
Fish and Chips are one of the commonersf food typical of England and is an easy-to-eat food, a type of fast food; - [Roast beef]
Roast beef is one of the traditional English meat dishes. It is traditionally served as the main dish eaten on Sunday afternoon.