Language

Japanese

Geographic features, climates

 Japan is a bow-shaped island country lying between the Pacific Ocean and east Asian continent. It consists of four main islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu and many small islands. Mountains occupy three fourths of the land area and there are many 3,000m level mountains in the place called “the roof of Japan”, in the center part of Honshu island.

 Located in the circum-Pacific orogenic zone, Japan has volcanic belts. Of all the volcanoes in the country, 111 of them are volcanically active and affect the occurrence of earthquakes. On the other hand, volcanic mountains are sources of tourist attractions. Places such as Nikko, Hakone and Izu are very popular among tourists for hot springs and beautiful landscape.

 The climate of Japan is characterized by four distinct seasons. Japanese Archipelago extends from north to south and includes the subarctic zone in Hokkaido, temperate zone from Tohoku (north part of Honshu) through Kyushu, and the subtropical zone in Okinawa.

Symbols

National flower: Cherry
National anthem: Kimigayo