Japan

Japan is an archipelago of thousands of islands with an extraordinarily long coastline—longer than that of the contiguous United States even though Japan is only about the size of California. Most people live on its four largest islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Okinawa and many smaller islands stretch southwest toward Taiwan. The Sea of Japan lies to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east, and the surrounding seas have long been important for fishing, transportation, and trade.

Mountains cover about three-quarters of Japan. That leaves most of the country's flat land in narrow areas along the coasts and in river valleys, where cities and farms have developed. The Japanese Alps run through central Honshu, and Mount Fuji, an iconic volcanic cone near Tokyo, rises 3,776 meters (12,388 feet), making it Japan's highest mountain. On clear days, it can be seen from Tokyo.

Japan is one of the snowiest countries in the world, especially on the side facing the Sea of Japan. In winter, cold winds from the Asian continent pick up moisture as they cross the sea, then release huge amounts of snow when they reach Japan's mountains. Farther south, Okinawa's islands are warm and subtropical, giving Japan a striking range of climates from north to south.

Japan lies where several tectonic plates collide, making it one of the world's most earthquake- and volcano-prone countries. Japan has more than 100 active volcanoes and experiences thousands of earthquakes each year, most too small to feel. Strong earthquakes beneath the ocean can also trigger tsunamis, powerful waves that can flood coastal areas. Because these hazards are a regular part of life, Japan has developed earthquake-resistant buildings, early-warning systems, evacuation routes, and frequent emergency drills.

Japan is one of the world's most urbanized countries, with roughly nine in ten people living in cities. Because so much of the country is mountainous, many of its largest cities—including Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya—are concentrated on flatter coastal plains. Ports, factories, roads, and railways are concentrated in many of these same coastal areas.

Hokkaido and Okinawa tell two very different stories about Japan's regional cultures. Hokkaido is the traditional homeland of the Ainu, an Indigenous people with their own language and cultural traditions. Far to the south, Okinawa was once the center of the independent Ryukyu Kingdom, which traded with China, Korea, Southeast Asia, and Japan. This history helped Okinawa develop distinctive foods, music, arts, and traditions that remain part of the region today.

Written Japanese commonly uses three different writing systems on the same page: kanji, characters that originally came from China; hiragana, used for many Japanese words and grammar; and katakana, often used for words borrowed from other languages and for foreign names. Spoken Japanese also varies by region, with different accents and dialects across the country.

Japan has two major religious traditions. Shinto developed in Japan and centers on kami—sacred beings or spirits connected with nature, places, ancestors, and other parts of life. Buddhism, a religion centered on teachings about suffering, compassion, and the path toward enlightenment, reached Japan from the Asian mainland more than 1,000 years ago. Many people take part in practices connected with both traditions, perhaps visiting a Shinto shrine for one celebration and a Buddhist temple or ceremony for another.

Japan manufactures cars and electronics from companies such as Toyota, Honda, Sony, and Panasonic, along with robotics and precision machinery, even though many of the raw materials needed to make these products must be imported. Huge cargo ships bring oil, metals, and other materials into Japan's coastal ports, where many factories are located nearby. Japanese-made cars, machines, and other products then leave through those same ports for markets around the world.

Because flat land is scarce in Japan, people have created new ground along some crowded coastlines by filling in shallow parts of bays. Reclaimed land around major cities supports ports, industry, housing, and transportation. Kansai International Airport near Osaka was built on an artificial island about 5 kilometers (3 miles) offshore in Osaka Bay.

Japan's Shinkansen began linking Tokyo and Osaka in 1964, with trains traveling at up to 210 kilometers (130 miles) per hour—remarkably fast for the time. The high-speed rail network now connects major cities across much of the country. Because earthquakes are common in Japan, earthquake-detection systems can cut power and order moving Shinkansen trains to make emergency stops when dangerous tremors are detected.

Japan has abundant fishing grounds around its islands but relatively little flat land for farming. Fish and seafood have long been important foods, while farmers make careful use of lowlands for rice paddies and other crops. Climate also matters: apples grow in cooler northern Japan, while subtropical Okinawa produces sugarcane. Because farmland is limited for such a large population, Japan also imports a significant share of its food.