Japan

Japan, is an island country lying off the east coast of Asia. It consists of a great string of islands in a northeast-southwest arc that stretches for approximately 1,500 miles (2,400 km) through the western North Pacific Ocean.

Nearly the entire land area is taken up by the country’s four main islands; from north to south these are Hokkaido (Hokkaidō), Honshu (Honshū), Shikoku, and Kyushu (Kyūshū).

The national capital, Tokyo (Tōkyō), in east-central Honshu, is one of the world’s most populous cities.

Complexity and contrast are the keynotes of life in Japan—a country possessing an intricate and ancient cultural tradition yet one that, since 1950, has emerged as one of the world’s most economically and technologically advanced societies.

Heavy emphasis is placed on education, and Japan is one of the world’s most literate countries. Tension between old and new is apparent in all phases of Japanese life.

The Japanese landscape is rugged, with more than four-fifths of the land surface consisting of mountains. There are many active and dormant volcanoes, including Mount Fuji (Fuji-san), which, at an elevation of 12,388 feet (3,776 metres), is Japan’s highest mountain.

Japan is one of the world’s most geologically unstable areas. The country experiences some 1,000 tremors annually, most of them minor, though major quakes—as in Tokyo-Yokohama in 1923 and Kōbe in 1995—cause considerable loss of life and widespread destruction.

Volcanoes born since 1900 include Shōwa Volcano on Hokkaido and Myōjin Rock off the Beyoneisu (or Bayonnaise) Rocks in the Pacific.

Japanese cuisine, which often is served raw or only lightly cooked, is noted for its subtle and delicate flavours. Perhaps the best-known dish worldwide is sushi— cooked, vinegared rice served with a variety of vegetable, sashimi (raw seafood), and egg garnishes and formed into various shapes; in addition, sashimi is commonly served on its own.

Also popular inside and outside Japan is tempura, usually consisting of portions of seafood and vegetables dipped in a rice-flour batter, deep-fried, and served over steamed rice (often with soy sauce), and various dishes made with tofu (soybean curd); tofu may be served on its own or in preparations such as miso soup (made from fermented soybeans).