Japan Geography

Japan is an archipelago of nearly 7,000 islands, though the four largest -- Honshu, Hokkaidō, Kyushu, and Shikoku -- make up the vast majority of its land and population.

Mountains cover roughly three-quarters of the country -- Mount Fuji, an active volcano and Japan's highest peak, is the most iconic of thousands of peaks, and that same volcanic geology gives Japan its abundance of hot springs (onsen).

Hokkaidō, the northernmost island, has a cooler, sparsely populated character, while Okinawa, far to the south, is a subtropical island chain with a distinct Ryukyuan culture.