Japan

Relief and climate of Japan:

Japan one of the world’s greatest economic powers, an archipelago extended from north-east to south-west on a distance of about 3.000 km has a generally mountainous relief with the maximum elevation in the peak Fuji of 3.776 m height which is also considered the sacred mountain for the Japanese. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese and tourists climb this volcano annually to see one of the most beautiful sunrises in the world. Japan is also called The Sunrise Country and has a climate that differs according to the area and elevation.

The northern part is influenced by the Siberian winds that bring short summers and long and frosty winters and Sapporo the largest city from the northern Japan is a well known destination for the winter sports. The central and southern parts of the country have longer and warmer summers and mild winters due to the hot winds coming from the Pacific Ocean and the warm current Kuroshivo. The annual average of the temperature varies between 15 and 19º C in center and south and between 7 and 10º C in north. Due to the rainy season in the summer, the rainfall is rich sometimes over 3.500-4.000 mm per year.

Flora and fauna, volcanic activity, agriculture, fishing and industry:

Because of the relief and the regions of Japan, its flora and fauna are very rich ranging from bears, wild boars, ermines, foxes, wolves, deer or raccoons till walruses, seals, Japanese macaques and hundreds of species of birds but also reptiles and amphibians. More than two thirds of the country’s surface is with conifer (fir, spruce, hackmatack) and leaf (cypress, oak, bamboo) woods. Unfortunately the Japanese are daily affected by the low intensity earthquakes, due to the localization of Japan at the confluence of three tectonic plaques, but once at several decades there are high intensity earthquakes.

Huge waves like tsunami can appear due to the seismic movements and of more than 180 volcanoes among them 70 being actives. (Find more journeys on blog.worldlifetimejourneys.com) However, even like this and even with a big pollution due to the huge density, Japan’s population contribute for a good economical development of their country. The agriculture plays an important role and the locals cultivate rice (the main Japanese aliment), potatoes, sugar beet, sugar cane, onion, cucumbers, tea trees, orchards, but also other fruits and vegetables. They also grow pigs, cattle, chicken and silk worms and are involved in fishing. The surrounding waters are rich in fish and seafood especially shrimps and Japan’s fishing fleet is one of the world’s largest of this kind. Besides these, the economy developed due to the chemical, textile, steel production, ironwork, ship building and engineering industries.

Technology, tourism and population from Japan:

Nevertheless, Japan suffered a lot in the past, especially in the 2nd World War when the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by atomic bombs, but since then it developed and restored very quickly. The Japanese technology is one of the most advanced in the world (well known worldwide companies such Sony, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Nikon, Panasonic, Canon, Hitachi, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi or Honda have their headquarters here) and the tourism occupies a front place because of the beauty and uniqueness of the landscapes, but also because of the cities rich in culture and history. The art, literature, music, theatre, sport and culture are very important in the daily life of the Japanese. The population mostly composed by Japanese is living in cities among the largest one is the capital Tokyo, the world’s largest Metropolis with more than 35 million people. Japan is a country with a high standard of living and because of this, the life expectancy is higher, almost the 5th part of the population being elders. Visit Japan!

Himeji Castle, Japan