JAPAN - The Land of Rising Sun

JAPAN is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters which make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun".

Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for 97% of Japan's land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with about 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.

Archaeological research indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period (40,000 to 10,000 years ago).

Japan is a major economic power and has the world's second-largest economy. It has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament called "the Diet".

Cherry Blossoms at Ninna Ji Temple Grounds, Kyoto


Castle Hirosaki, Kyoto


Tokyo city at dusk


Bullet Train in Ginza District, Tokyo


Bamboo Forest at Arashiyama Park, Kyoto


Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto


Grand Gate, Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima


Garden Staircase, Kyoto


Eitai Bridge, Tokyo


East Shinjuku, Tokyo


The Sacred Bridge, Daiya River, Nikko


Shinjuku District, Tokyo


Seiryuen Garden, Nijo Castle


Mount Fuji


Kintai Bridge, Yamaguchi Prefecture


Tokyo city at night


Zao National Park, Yamagata Prefecture