Japan Rail Pass Now - Japan Travel Guide

Geography
Japan is an archipelagic nation comprising several thousands of islands that lie in the Pacific Ocean, east of the continent of Asia. It is found
between 24º- 46º North and 123º- 146º East.
Islands
Japan’s territory consists of 6,852 islands, only 430 of which are inhabited. Its major islands, which are also the largest area-wise, are Hokkaido
(the largest and northernmost island), Honshu (the mainland), Kyushu (the third largest) and Shikoku (the fourth largest).
Area
With a total territorial area of 377,915 square kilometres, Japan’s size is similar to Germany, or the state of California in the United States. Its
land area is 364,485 square kilometres, while its waters occupy a further 13,430 square kilometres.
Climate
Japan’s climate from north to south varies greatly. While the entire country experiences the four seasons — winter, spring, summer and autumn
— its regions differ significantly in regard to temperature and humidity levels throughout the year.
Most of Japan has temperate and subtropical climate, which brings extremely hot and humid summers and mild winters. There is also a rainy
season, which occurs during the summer and sees a number of typhoons in some parts of the country.
In Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, and in the regions along the Sea of Japan, the summers are mild and winters tend to be quite
cold, with heavy amounts of snowfall.
Terrain
Approximately 73% of Japan is mountainous, with some areas having small deposits of iron, oil, coal and other minerals. The remainder is plains,
where growing crops is a common practice, and intermontane basins, where a large portion of the population resides.
Waters
Japan is home to several bodies of water. The Pacific Ocean is on its eastern coast, where many harbours and ports exist, while the Seto Inland Sea links
the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean and separates the Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu islands. Rivers are relatively short and are generally less than
300 kilometres in length. The longest river is the Shinano River, located between the Nagano and Niigata Prefectures, which is just 367 kilometres long.
Lake Biwa, found in northeastern Kyoto, is the biggest freshwater lake in the country. Hot springs or onsen are also scattered over the different regions.
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