Japan, a country of islands, extends along the eastern or Pacific coast of Asia. The main islands (sometimes referred to as the Home Islands), running from north to south, are Hokkaido, Honshu (or the mainland), Shikoku, and Kyushu. Naha on Okinawa in the Ryukyu archipelago is over 600 km to the southwest of Kyushu. In addition, about 3,000 smaller islands may be counted in the full extent of the archipelago that comprises greater Japan.
- Area: 377,835 sq km (including 3,091 kmē of territorial water)
- Major Islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku
- Coastline: 29,751 km
- Reclaimed land area in Tokyo Bay : 249 kmē
- Highest Peak: Mount Fuji: (3776m/12,385ft)
- Lowest Elevation: Hachiro-gata -4 m
Japan is situated in a volcanic zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Frequent low intensity earth tremors and occasional volcanic activity are felt throughout the islands. Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunamis, occur several times a century. The most recent major quakes include the 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake and the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. Hot springs are numerous and have been developed as resorts.
Climate
Japan is a temperate region with, more or less, four seasons (some believe the rainy season should be a fifth season), but because of its great length from north to south, its climate varies from region to region: the far north is very cold in the winter, while the far south is subtropical. The climate is also affected by the seasonal winds blown from the continent to the ocean in winters and vice versa in summers. The waters of the Kuroshio Current also warm the Pacific side of Japan, sustaining the coral reefs of Japan, the northernmost coral reefs in the world. Unfortunately, due to pollution, these reefs are now dying.
Late June and early July are a rainy season (except in Hokkaido), as a seasonal rain front or baiu zensen stays above Japan. In the late summer and early autumn, typhoons develop from tropical depressions generated near the equator, and track from the southwest to the northeast, often bringing heavy rain.
Japan's varied geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones.
- Hokkaido: Hokkaido has a temperate climate with long, cold winters and cool summers. Precipitation is not heavy, but the islands usually develop deep snow banks in the winter.
- Sea of Japan: The northwest wind in the wintertime brings heavy snowfall. In summers, the region is cooler than the Pacific area, but it sometimes experiences extremely hot temperatures due to the Foehn wind phenomenon.
- Central Highlands (Chuo-kochi): A typical inland climate, with large temperature differences between summers and winters and between days and nights. Precipitation is light.
- Seto Inland Sea (Seto-naikai): The Mountains of the Chugoku and Shikoku regions block the seasonal winds, bringing mild weather throughout the year.
- Pacific Ocean: Experiences cold winters with little snowfall and hot, humid summers due to the southeast seasonal wind.
- Nansei-shoto (Ryukyu) or Southwest Islands: Has a subtropical climate with warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is very heavy, especially during the rainy season. Typhoons are common; in 2004 a record number of 10 typhoons reached the main islands.
Ecoregions
Japan is home to nine forest Ecoregions, which reflect the climate and geography of the islands. They range from subtropical moist broadleaf forests in the Ryukyu and Bonin islands, to temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in the mild climate regions of the main islands, to temperate coniferous forests in the cold winter portions of northern islands.
Regions
Japan is commonly divided into regions. Japan consists of four main islands and many smaller islands, notably Okinawa. Honshu, by far the largest and most populated island, is typically divided into five (or more) regions. The other islands are not divided into sub-regions in this section, so they will constitute one region each. From north to south, these are
- Hokkaido - major cities are Sapporo and Hakodate.
- Tohoku - northeastern Honshu in which Sendai and Fukushima are large cities.
- Kanto - coastal plain including Tokyo, Kawasaki, Yokohama, and Yokosuka. Also includes Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi and Ibaraki Prefectures.
- Chubu - mountainous middle region dominated by the Japan Alps and Japan's fourth-largest city Nagoya.
- Kinki - sometimes called Kansai region, ancient center of culture and commerce, including Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama and Shiga. Kinki means near the capital.
- Chugoku - includes the cities Hiroshima and Okayama.
- Shikoku - the smallest of the main four islands, known as a destination for Buddhist pilgrims. The main cities are Matsuyama and Takamatsu.
- Kyushu - southernmost of the four main islands. The main towns include Fukuoka, Kitakyushu and Nagasaki
- Okinawa - semitropical southern island chain reaching out to Taiwan. The only major city is Naha.
Prefectures
The Local Government Law of Japan divides the country into 47 prefectures, which carry out administrative duties independently of the central government. From north to south, these are:
- Hokkaido
- Aomori
- Iwate
- Miyagi
- Akita
- Yamagata
- Fukushima
- Ibaraki
- Tochigi
- Gunma
- Saitama
- Chiba
- Tokyo
- Kanagawa
- Niigata
- Toyama
- Ishikawa
- Fukui
- Yamanashi
- Nagano
- Gifu
- Shizuoka
- Aichi
- Mie
- Shiga
- Kyoto
- Osaka
- Hyogo
- Nara
- Wakayama
- Tottori
- Shimane
- Okayama
- Hiroshima
- Yamaguchi
- Tokushima
- Kagawa
- Ehime
- Kochi
- Fukuoka
- Saga
- Nagasaki
- Kumamoto
- Oita
- Miyazaki
- Kagoshima
- Okinawa
Territorial disputes
Japan has outstanding territorial disputes over the southern four islands of the Kuril Islands, administered by Russia, as well as the Liancourt Rocks (Kr. Dokdo, Jp. Takeshima), administered by South Korea. The Senkaku Islands (Chinese Diaoyutai) are claimed by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China.
For more information, please visit Japan at Wikipedia.org, Geography of Japan, Ecoregions of Japan, and Prefectures of Japan.