Japan is made up of several islands. The four largest islands are Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Hokkaido. The closest countries to Japan are Russia, China and Korea. Most of Japan is at sea level, so the temperature is constant and somewhat warmer. However, some areas are at high altitudes (like mountains), so those areas appear to be quite cold. Additionally, ocean currents allow for more moderate temperatures. This means that a hot summer could have mild days and there would be warmer winters instead of always being freezing. Japan is also located in the Northern Hemisphere. Since the country is disconnected, the climate is different in different regions. In areas like Hokkaido there is snow. Due to the fact that it is near the Sea of ​​Japan, there is a lot of snow because the Sea of ​​Japan is quite cold. Tokyo and other major cities have the four-season cycle. Places near Okinawa have extremely hot temperatures, even in January. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Japanese transportation system is one of the most efficient in the world. Due to traffic in major cities, the subways are almost always full. Rail/subways are by far the most popular mode of transportation. In populated cities, the subway is extremely popular because it is inconvenient to ride. In fact, many people who live in big cities like Japan don't even own a car or a driver's license. If you look at the top right corner of the slide, you can see the multiple different lines that make up the Tokyo subway system. People take the subway or bike instead of driving. In the suburbs and rural areas, driving is more popular. For short-distance transportation, buses are common. There are also highway buses that are used for longer trips. There are domestic ferries that take people from one Japanese island to another. People also use planes when traveling to another Japanese island, however ferries are much more popular because they are cheaper and arrive more often. When importing goods from other countries, the countries are transported by water or by air. Japan is not known for its natural resources. The nation is surrounded by water, so the Japanese can easily fish. So, fish is a natural resource of Japan. Japan also has titanium which is very strong but very light. It is used for jet engines, airframes and space applications. It shows how much Japan is dominated by technology. Japan also has mica sheets and lumber. Timber is prominent in rural areas. Japan has almost no oil or natural gas, which is why it imports a large number of these resources. Japan is known for natural hazards and disasters. This is due to geographical, meteorological and topographical conditions. Every two years a major earthquake occurs in Japan. In fact, there have been multiple earthquakes in a single year. One of the deadliest earthquakes was the Tōhoku earthquake in 2011 which also created a tsunami. The total number of deaths exceeded 15,000 people. When a large earthquake occurs under the ocean, it often creates a tsunami. Japan also has a history of massive tsunamis. One of the largest occurred in 1933, and was the Sanriku tsunami. Typhoons also occur regularly, one of the largest being Typhoon Tokage in 2004. Japan also has a history of volcanic eruptions, the most recent being Mount Io which erupted this year. From the earliest times, Japan has been ruled by the samurai class. A samurai is essentially a warrior. WhileThere were several powerful and strong samurai, Oda Nobunaga stood out. He managed to conquer several warlords and attempted to unify the nation. However, he was assassinated in 1582 and his goal was not achieved. This is when one of his successors his son-in-law, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, also completed Oda's mission and united the nation of Japan in 1590. Unfortunately, war broke out upon his death. In the 1600s, another samurai leader named Tokugawa Ieyasu was made shogun, or ruler of Japan, when he defeated all the other clans. The Edo period then began because the shogunate created isolationist sakoku, meaning closed country, and this lasted for 250 years. In 1854, Japan was brought out and into the world. Due to political and economic problems, the Boshin War began. This war began in 1868 and lasted a year and a half. More importantly, the war began the Meiji Restoration which transformed Japan into an industrialized power. During World War II, the US Army essentially destroyed Japan by placing atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although the attack occurred in 1945, the effects are still felt today. In the 1980s, Japan managed to rebuild itself to become one of the largest economies in the world; however, the economic crisis of the 1990s, known as “the last decade,” brought them back down. Japan has not yet fully recovered from this situation. Although several religions are practiced in Japan, the two most popular are Shinto and Buddhism. Both are polytheists, meaning they believe in more than one god. Shinto, meaning “the way of the gods,” has been around for as long as the Japanese people have existed and is the indigenous faith of Japan. Unlike most world religions, there is no sacred scripture. Furthermore, there is no founder of Shinto. Shinto gods are called "Kami" and humans become Kami after death. The second major religion is Buddhism, specifically Mahayana Buddhism which is one of the branches of Buddhism. It began in the 6th century BC in India and spread to Japan. It was considered a friendly gift from China and Korea. Mahayana, meaning “Greater Vehicle,” preaches the teachings of the Buddha. In the beginning both faiths were in conflict and fought with each other, however they learned to live and grow together. Some religious observations included dietary restrictions and prayer. Typically, Shinto shrines hold weddings while Buddhist temples host funerals. The population of Japan is approximately 127 million people and the population density is approximately 340.8 people per square kilometer. Approximately 97% of the population lives on the 4 main islands, while the remaining 3% are distributed across the remaining 6,849 islands. Although Japan is the tenth most populous country, the population is decreasing. Over the past two years, the average has declined by about 189,000 people per year. There are several reasons why the population is decreasing. First, suicide rates are on the rise. In 2009, 33,000 suicides were reported. That's about one suicide every 15 minutes. Additionally, many people focus their careers around family life. Instead of finding a spouse and having a family, they focus on advancing their careers. At this rate, in 2050 Japan's population will be 30% smaller than it is today. In Japan, 98.5% of the population is ethnic Japanese, and the remaining 2.5% are mainly Korean, Chinese, Brazilian, and Portuguese. Japan's lack of diversity is not something they wish to change, as former Prime Minister Taro Aso once said "One nation, one civilization, one language, one culture, one race." Before the Second World War, the Emperor and the.