Geography of Japan

Toyama Bay

This is a bay on the west coast of Honshu. It is one of the three largest bays in Japan, and is known for being a breeding ground for large populations of firefly squid.

Nagasaki

This is a city located on the island of Kyushu. It is best known for being the second and most recent city to be targeted by a nuclear weapon, when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on this city on August 9th, 1945.

Inland Sea

This is a sea separating the major islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. It is used mostly for cargo transportation and local transportation between the islands.

Sea of Okhotsk

This is a sea to the north of Japan. It is surrounded on all other sides except southeast by Russia. To the southeast of this sea are the Kuril Islands, a disputed territory between the two countries.

East China Sea

This is a sea to the south of Japan's main islands, and to the west of the Ryukyu Islands.

Sea of Japan

This is a sea to the west of Japan. It is between Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

Korea Strait

This is a strait between Japan, more specifically the island of Tsushima, and South Korea. It connects the Sea of Japan with the East China Sea.

La Perouse Strait

This is a strait between the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the Russian island of Sakhalin. It connects the Sea of Japan with the Sea of Okhotsk.

Tsugaru Strait

This is a strait between the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu. It connects the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean.

Ryukyu Islands

This is an island chain south of the island of Kyushu, stretching all the way to Taiwan. It includes the island of Okinawa.

Kuril Islands

This is an island chain to the northeast of Hokkaido that is disputed between Japan and Russia. These islands are currently under Russian jurisdiction.

Pacific Ocean

This is an ocean to the east of Japan.

Tokyo

This is the capital and largest city in Japan, also one of the largest in the world. It is located on the island of Honshu, on a bay of the same name. It hosted the Summer Olympics in 1964, becoming the first Asian city to do so, and will host them again in 2020. In addition, it is one of the three major financial centers of the world, along with New York and London.

Japanese yen

This is the currency of Japan.

Kobe

This is the fifth largest city in Japan, located on the island of Honshu. It is located west of Osaka, between the coast and the mountains. This city is very well known for the high-quality beef that has this city as its namesake.

Sapporo

This is the fourth largest city in Japan, located on the island of Hokkaido. It is known for hosting the first ever Winter Olympics in Asia, in 1972, and also for its annual snow festival, its skiing, and its beer.

Shikoku

This is the fourth largest island in Japan. It lies across the inland sea from Honshu.

Honshu

This is the largest and most populous island in Japan. It contains almost all of Japan's major cities, including Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, and the capital of Tokyo.

Lake Biwa

This is the largest lake in Japan, located on the island of Honshu. It is located in the central part of the island, just northeast of the former capital, Kyoto.

Osaka

This is the second largest city in Japan, located on the island of Honshu. It is located on a bay of the same name at the mouth of the Yodo River. It has historically been a merchant city, and has also been known for its food, being referred to as the "nation's kitchen".

Hokkaido

This is the second largest island in Japan, separated from Honshu by the Tsugaru Strait. It contains the city of Sapporo, and is mountainous in the middle.

Fukuoka

This is the seventh largest city in Japan, located on the island of Kyushu. It is the largest city on the island, and is located in its northwest section. This city is surrounded on three sides by mountains, with the far southern Sea of Japan to its north.

Kyoto

This is the sixth largest city in Japan, located on the island of Honshu. It was formerly the capital of Japan for more than a thousand years. It is one of the best preserved cities in Japan, as it was mostly spared from the destruction of WWII; it had headed the atomic bomb target list, but was taken off.

Hiroshima

This is the tenth largest city in Japan, located on the island of Honshu. It is best known for being the first city to be targeted by a nuclear weapon, when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on this city on August 6th, 1945.

Kyushu

This is the third largest and southernmost of the four main Japanese islands. It is mountainous, with active volcanoes and hot springs.

Nagoya

This is the third largest city in Japan, located on the island of Honshu. It lies on the Nobi Plain, one of the nation's most fertile areas. Its central position in Japan has allowed it to develop politically and economically.

Sendai

This is the twelfth largest city in Japan, located on the island of Honshu. Nicknamed the City of Trees, this city is known for having the largest Tanabata festival (a lunar festival in July or August) in Japan, and for its Pageant of Starlight, where the city's trees are decorated with thousands of lights.

Lake Hachiro

This lake is the lowest point in Japan, situated in the northwest of Honshu. It was the second largest lake in Japan before extensive water reclamation for crop production.

Mount Fuji

This stratovolcano is the highest mountain in Japan, at 12,389 feet. It is located on Honshu, about 60 miles southwest of Tokyo, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its extremely symmetrical cone is a well-known Japanese symbol, and is frequently photographed and visited by tourists.