Japan's Location and Geography

Japan lies off the east coast of Asia and has four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.  It has a total land area of 143,818 miles. On its west boundary is the Sea of Japan; and on its east and south boundary is the Pacific Ocean.  

About 85 percent of Japan is covered with mountains.  Japan also has a lot of volcanoes. Some of them  are active! Japan's highest mountain is Mt. Fujiyama which rises to 12,388 feet.

Japan's rivers are usually short and fast running.  Some of the bigger ones are the Teshio, Ishikari, Kitamdami, Tone, Shimo, Kiso, Tenryu and the Chikugo.  Lake Biwa is Japan's largest lake.

Rain and snow are usually plentiful in Japan.  The summer rainy season occurs in June and July and is known as the plum rain, because it begins when the plums ripen. Torrential rains come when a typhoon strikes.  The average annual temperature in Japan is 63 degrees.

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