How geography effected diversity of culture (Kate) 

The highest point on Earth, Mount Everest is the world wide symbol of Nepal. On the other hand, the lowest land point is 70m above sea level in the Madheash which is the low lying land of Ganetic plain. In the nation’s land area of 147,181 square kilometres which is only half the size of the area in Japan, there is 8778m difference of elevation. Different points of land above the sea level has different climates and nature. Having 3% of the nation’s territory is covered by mountains and hills. 17% of its land are planes. This unique geography of Nepal has created great geographical diversity and rich cultures throughout east to west of Nepal. In Nepal, there are more than a hundred tribes and ethnic groups, leading to more than 100 languages or dialects in the same nation.

Tourism (Kate)

The diversity of the geographical features in Nepal has also built the beauty of the Nepali culture. This includes the archaeological and historical sites which is now important to the nations' economy as tourist attractions. Although there are more people who practice Hinduism, Buddishm is linked historically with Nepal. Unlike the religions in India, people are not completely separated with the two religions. Nepali people do not consider Buddha as a separate religion. Instead, they accept Buddha as the son of Hindu king as well as the goodness of hindu. These complex religious beliefs of Nepali people from the 5th century has left religious architecture as a legacy, now registered as part of the UNESCO sites. 

 

Politics (Women rights) (Madoka)

In 2008, the Nepal became a republic from a monarchy. The ambassador comments that the nation is currently on the way to stability.

Regarding the gender roles in Nepali society, women are still behind. Women tend to be active in homes but not as much in society. The government is working to raise awareness of the roles of women, to make their importance more visible. There are places in government (parliament), schools, and university that are reserved for women workers. 

In traditional Nepalese culture, women have a special, respected place. While the son bows head to feet to his father, daughters do not bow to their fathers. A woman only bows to her husband and her mother-in-law.

 

earthquake
The powerful earthquake hit Nepal with an intensity of magnitude 7.5. With about 90000 people killed and half a million houses collapsed, Nepal is currently working towards recovery. Although the earthquake has left a disastrous mark in the areas of Nepal, Dr. Madam Kumar Bhattarai  believes that the effect of the earthquake could have been much more worse. The earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, Saturday. "It was lucky in the sense that the earthquake occurred on a Saturday" states Dr. Bhattarai. Unlike Japan, schools and work are held on Sundays with usual commuting hours. On the other hand, Saturdays are considered as the official day off. This said, most students and families stayed at their homes when the earthquake hit. Also, due to the first strong wave of the earthquake was during the day time, it made the evacuation of the people smoother  than it would have been during the night hours. During the winter, weather of Nepal tends to be cold and rainy. Due to those circumstances, iif the earthquake were to have hit 2 or 3 months earlier, it would have been more difficult to cope with the disaster. 
Shortly after the earthquake, aid and support were offered from many parts of the world including countries such as China, United States, Japan, and from the UN. From Japan, the Japanese defence force including medical teams were sent. With $8.4 million of donation with 70 experts from the Foreign Ministry, the National Police Agency, and others were delegated in the hopes to aid Nepal.

The flag of Nepal has one of the most unique national flags for its non-quadrilateral shape. Thus, making them the only country that does not have a rectangular national flag. The flag’s shape comprises of two pennants combined with three colors including red, white, and blue. First off, like many countries, the red represents the bravery of the people of the Nepalians. Within the two flags, there are two white figures of the sun and the moon. While the moon represents the royal family, the sun at the bottom represents the Rana dynasty, which ruled Nepal till 1951.
 

Message/goals, Relation with Japan - japanese population in Nepal (Madoka)

Relations between Nepal and Japan first began during the 6th century when Buddhist teachings were being introduced to Japan. Even the monarch of Japan at the time had left his job to become a Buddhist monk. 

In 1899, the Japanese Buddhist monk, Kawaguchi, visited Nepal four times. In 1902, Nepali students went to Japan for three and a half years and strengthened the countries' relations. The persimmon fruit was introduced to Nepal at this time. There is a friendly joke in Nepal where tasty and soft persimmons are referred to as being Japanese, and the hard ones are Nepali, derived from the symbolism of the soft and attentive speaking manner of the Japanese compared to the straight forward speech of the Nepali. This demonstrates the very close and amicable relationship between Nepal and Japan.

As of the statistics of December 2014, there are about 1,011 Japanese people in Nepal, and about 42,346 Nepali people in Japan. This makes Nepali people one of the largest groups in Japan.

The Nepali Embassy in Japan was founded in 1965. HE Dr. Bhattarai is now the 11th ambassador at the embassy. The first time he encountered a person from Japan was in February 1975. He met the Emperor and Empress of Japan, who were the Crown Prince and Princess at the time. In May of the same year, he met Tabe Junko, the first woman to ever climb Mt. Everest. HE Dr. Bhattarai was a young journalist, and he interviewed her about her journey.

The Ambassador is working to promote a better friendship and understanding between the two countries of Nepal and Japan. Japan has been very supportive in assistance to the Nepali earthquake earlier this year.