Japans Topography The Japanese islands are the upper portions of vast mountains belonging to what is sometimes called

the Circum-Pacific Ring of Fire, which stretches from Southeast Asia to the Aleutian Islands. Mountains cover over 75% of the land's surface. Landforms are steep and rugged, indicating that, geologically speaking, Japan is still a young area. Through the central part of Honshu, running in a northsouth direction, are the two principal mountain ranges: the Hida (or Japan Alps) and the Akaishi mountains. There are 25 mountains with peaks of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). The highest is the beautiful Mt. Fuji (Fuji-san), at 3,776 m (12,388 ft). Japan has 265 volcanoes (including the dormant Mt. Fuji), of which about 20 remain active. Earthquakes occur continually, with an average of 1,500 minor shocks per year. One of the world's greatest recorded natural disasters was the Kanto earthquake of 1923, when the Tokyo-Yokohama area was devastated and upward of 99,000 persons died. The plains of Japan are few and small and cover only about 29% of the total land area. Most plains are located along the seacoast and are composed of alluvial lowlands, diluvial uplands, and low hills. The largest is the Kanto Plain (Tokyo Bay region), about 6,500 sq km (2,500 sq mi). Others include the Kinai Plain (Osaka-Kyoto), Nobi (Nagoya), Echigo (northcentral Honshu), and Sendai (northeastern Honshu). There are four small plains in Hokkaido. The population is heavily concentrated in these limited flat areas. Rivers tend to be short and swift. The longest is the Shinano (367 km/228 mi) in northcentral Honshu, flowing into the Sea of Japan / East Sea. The largest lake is Lake Biwa, near Kyoto, with an area of 672 sq km (259 sq mi). Lake Kussharo, in the Akan National Park of Hokkaido, is considered the clearest lake in the world, having a transparency of 41 m (135 ft). Good harbors are limited because in most areas the land rises steeply out of the sea.Yokohama, Nagoya, and Kobe are Japan's most prominent harbors. The Ryukyu Islands, among which Okinawa predominates, are the peaks of submerged mountain ranges. They are generally hilly or mountainous, with small alluvial plains.

Some Basic Facts about Japan 1. Geography and Population Japan is off the east coast of Asia. It consists of four major islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu) as well as thousands of small ones. Japan is roughly the size of California, but it has 125 million people, half the population of the U.S. Three-quarters of the land is mountains covered with forests. Most people live in cities, which are very crowded. The climates vary from the north to the south. The northern islands have dry summer and snowy winter. In the southern regions, summer is hot and humid, and it rarely snows in winter. There are considerable rainfalls, and frequent typhoons and earthquakes. 2. Food Rice is the staple of the Japanese diet. They also eat seafood, beef, pork, chicken, dairy, vegetables and fruits. They have Japanese-style noodles, as well as spaghetti and bread. Soy sauce and soybean paste are the primary flavorings in traditional Japanese cooking. In cities, there are restaurants from different Countries, including American fastfood chains. 3. Clothing Most people ordinarily wear western-style clothes. Some schools have uniforms. The traditional clothing, called kimono (kee-mo-no) is worn only on special occasions, such as New Years Day, graduations, and tea ceremonies. 4. Housing Traditional Japanese homes are wooden buildings with tiled roofs. However, most of the contemporary houses and apartments are western style and made of concrete. Inside they have both western-style rooms with tables and chairs, and Japanese-style ones with straw mats and low tables. Traditional bedding is Called futon (foo-ton) quilts. 6. Schools The kindergarten includes preschool, and is not a part of the elementary school. The compulsory education includes the elementary school (grades 1-6) and the junior high (grades 7-9). The senior high (grades 10-12) is not mandatory, although the enrollment rate is nearly 100%. A class usually consists of 35-40 students. The curriculums are in general more uniform and rigid. The school is open roughly 220days a year. The school year begins in April and ends in March, with the month of August as the summer vacation. School System The Japanese educational system was reformed after World War II. The old 6-5-3-3 system was changed to a 6-3-3-4 system (6 years of elementary school, 3 years of junior high school, 3 years of senior high school and 4 years of University) with reference to the American system. Gimukyoiku (compulsory education) time period is 9 years, 6 in shougakkou (elementary school) and 3 in chuugakkou (junior high school). Japan has one of the world's best-educated populations, with 100% enrollment in compulsory grades and zero illiteracy. While not compulsory, high school (koukou) enrollment is over 96% nationwide and nearly 100% in the cities. High school drop out rate is about 2% and has been increasing. About 46% of all high school graduates go on to university or junior college. The Ministry of Education closely supervises curriculum and textbooks, and classes with much the same content are taught throughout the country. As a result, a high standard of education becomes possible.