Japan has a total of 6,852 islands extending along the Pacific coast of East Asia. The country Japan includes all of the islands it controls, however, the main islands, from north to south, are Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku and Kyūshū. The Ryūkyū Islands, including Okinawa, are a chain to the south of Kyūshū. All together this makes up what is known as the Japanese Archipelago.

Approx 73% of Japan is forest, mountains, and unsuitable land for any good use. As a result, the habitable zones of Japan are the most densely populated in the world.

The islands of Japan are located in a volcanic zone on the Pacific. Mostly the result of large oceanic movements occurring over hundreds of millions of years. Japan was originally attached to the eastern coast of Asia. The Earth's movements pulled Japan eastward, opening the Sea of Japan (the spance of water between Japan and Asia) 15 million years ago, to date 2013. (Don't know how the figure was determined, but anyhow it was a little while back)

Japan has 108 active volcanoes and know for its destructive earthquakes, which often result in tsunami's. People here mainly speak of these, I guess because they were recent scarey/sad moments to remember:

• 1923 Tokyo earthquake which ended over 140,000 lives.
• 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake
• 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, a 9.0-magnitude quake which triggered a large tsunami.
• May 2012, 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan, this one did not trigger a tsunami.

Talk on the town is that we are likely to experience one in our two year stay, something rearing . Honestly, I would live with this anyday in place of the crime back home. People also say there is crime here, but that is a whole nother topic in itself I wish to investigate, as I think their etymology of the word is questionable, or different to South Africans by a long way.