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Geography and Climate. Location. Located in the Pacific Ocean Off the coast of China Set in the Sea of Japan Japan consists of several thousands of islands, of which Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku are the four largest. Relative Location. Land Area.
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Location • Located in the Pacific Ocean • Off the coast of China • Set in the Sea of Japan • Japan consists of several thousands of islands, of which Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku are the four largest.
Land Area • Japan's area is comparable to California. • Japan's northernmost islands are located approximately on same geographical latitude as Portland while her southernmost islands are about on the same latitude as the Bahamas. • Tokyo, Japan is located at 35 40 N and 139 45 E.
Land Quality • According to experts, about 60% of the Japanese landscape is steep mountainous regions covered with forest. • Approximately 70% of the total Japanese population is concentrated in the plains and basins, an area comprising just 24% of the habitable land. • People must make good use of available lands. There are many terraced fields. Those fields are used often for crops and fruits such as mandarin orange trees or apples.
Agriculture • Today the number of farmers is decreasing as the population grows. • Only 40 % of the crops currently consumed are produced in Japan, and 60 % of the crops are imported from other countries.For example: • 90% of soy beans are imported from China and America. • Some kinds of vegetables from South America • Fruits such as bananas and oranges from South Asia, America, and other countries. • Rice from other countries • Seafood and Meat
Population • The population of Japan is about 125,000,000. • Almost the whole population is Japanese. More than half of the non- Japanese population is Korean.
Land Problems • High population densities in Japan cause many social problems such as a rising land costs and land contamination because of a concentration of people in a small area. Rice Field
Volcanoes and Earthquakes • Japan is located in an area where 4 tectonic plates are connected to each other. • The land sits on two plates, the North American plate and the Eurasian plate. • This is one of the reasons why Japan experiences so many earthquakes. • Also, there are many volcanoes throughout the country. Those volcanoes are still active and some of them frequently erupt .
Large and small earthquakes occur frequently. As a result, many buildings in Japan are built to have greater endurance to the destruction of an earthquake. Volcanic activity in Sakura Island
A positive side effect of the large number of volcanoes is that there are many natural hot springs.
Mt. Fuji • The most famous volcano is Mt. Fuji, which is the highest point of Japan and one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. It can be seen from Tokyo when the weather is clear. • It has an elevation of 12,387 feet.
Climate • Spring: When winters nears its end, the cold seasonal winds blowing from the continent become weaker and more intermittent. At this time, low pressure air masses originating in China enter the Sea of Japan; these give rise to strong, warm southerly winds which travel toward this low-pressure zone from the Pacific Ocean. • The first of these winds is called haru ichiban. While it announces the warmth of the coming spring, it sometimes causes avalanches along with hot and dry weather.
Spring cont. • In early spring, plum blossoms appear, followed by peach blossoms. During the last ten days or so of March, the cherry blossoms so beloved by the Japanese people begin to bloom.
Summer • Before the arrival of real summer-like weather, Japan has a damp rainy season know as baiu. From May until July, there is a high-pressure mass of cold air above the Sea of Okhotsk to the north of Japan, while over the Pacific Ocean there develops a high-pressure mass of warm, moist air. • Along the line where these cold and warm air masses meet, known as the baiu zensen, which extends from southern China over the Japanese archipelago, causes prolonged periods of continuous rainfall.
Summer cont. • After the middle of July, high-pressure air masses over the Pacific Ocean become predominant and the rainy season comes to an end as the baiu zensen is pushed northward. Seasonal winds from the Pacific Ocean bring warm, moist air to Japan, and the country has hot summer weather with many days when temperatures rise to more than 30 degrees centigrade. (86 degrees F)
Fall • From the end of summer through September, Japan is often struck by typhoons. • Typhoons originate from large masses of tropical low-pressure air in the North Pacific between the latitudes of approximately 5 and 20 degrees, and are the same phenomenon as hurricanes and cyclones in other parts of the world. • When a typhoon begins to take shape, it gradually moves north. Every year, during this period, around 30 typhoons form, of which on the average about 4 reach Japan, sometimes causing great destruction.
Fall cont. • After the middle or latter part of October, Japan enjoys generally clear weather; it is neither hot nor cold. The country also enjoys especially fine weather at the beginning of November. Many of the trees take on bright autumn colors, making this time of the year a truly beautiful season.
Winter • Toward the end of November, cold seasonal winds begin blowing over Japan from the continent. These northwesterly winds pick up moisture over the Sea of Japan and drop much of this moisture in the form of rain and snow on the western side of Japan as they are impeded in their eastern advance by the ridge of mountains that runs through the central part of the country. • By contrast, the Pacific side of the country enjoys generally clear skies during the winter season. In Tokyo, despite the fair skies, winter temperatures average around 5 degrees ( 41 degrees F).
