Overview of Japan
Japan is a beautiful island country surrounded by sea on all sides in the east of Asia (Eurasian continent). Besides the 4 large islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu, Japan consists of 6,852 islands in total with a land area of approximately 3,780,000㎢. It is a verdant territory of which approximately 70% is mountainous and 67% is woodland.
The Japanese archipelago is situated on the edges of the Eurasian plate, the Philippine Sea plate, the Pacific plate and the North American, etc., and it forms a part of the belts that are called the circum-Pacific seismic belt, the volcanic belt and the earthquake belt. The abundance of volcanogenous soil makes the earth of the Japanese archipelago rich. Further, the fact that there are many onsen is another blessing from the volcanoes and these are one of the most enjoyable things for Japanese people when they travel.
The elegant silhouette of the sacred mountain of Mt. Fuji with a height of 3776m above sea level (Japan’s highest) is widely known not only in Japan but also overseas where it is a symbol of Japan. In the area around the base of Mt. Fuji stretch the lakes known as the Five Lakes of Mt. Fuji and this area is dotted with many camping grounds and sightseeing spots. If you come to Japan, it is definitely somewhere that you must visit at least once.
| Official language | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Capital | Tokyo Metropolitan Area |
| Area | Total of 377,835km2(60th) |
| Total population(-2008) | census 127,288,419 (10th) |
| Population density | census 337/km2 |
| Foundation of the country | 11th February, 660 B.C. |
| Currency | yen (JPY) |
| Time zone | UTC +9 (No DST) |
| International dialing code | 81 |