Japan
Nature and Environment
Japan floats like a dismembered seahorse along the eastern rim of the Asian continent. Around 10,000 years ago, during the last big melt, sea levels rose enough to flood the land bridge connecting Japan with the mainland. Today Japan consists of a chain of islands (four major ones and some 1000 small ones) riding a 3000km (1860mi) arc of mountains, the tallest of which is the perfectly symmetrical Mt Fuji (3776m/12,385ft). 

Many of these mountains are volcanic, blessing the islands with numerous hot springs and spectacular scenery, but at the same time bringing the danger of earthquakes and tsunami (tidal waves). Japan has the dubious distinction of being one of the most seismically active regions of the world. It is calculated that the country gets around 1000 earthquakes a year, most of them too small to notice without sophisticated seismic equipment or a very elaborate hairstyle.

Japan's latitudinal spread, ranging from subtropical in the south to sub-arctic in the north, makes for a wide diversity of flora and fauna. Much of what you see in Japan today isn't what was there to begin with. This is not just because of Japan's reckless flight into modernity (deforestation, pollution and acid rain) but also because of the relatively recent large-scale importation of plants from Europe and the USA. Fortunately, the sheer inaccessibility of much of Japan's mountainous topography has preserved areas of great natural beauty - in particular the alpine regions of central Honshu and the natural parks of Hokkaido. 

 wpe3C.jpg (11650 bytes)

wpe51.jpg (15946 bytes)

wpe3E.jpg (7809 bytes)

wpe3F.jpg (8482 bytes)
Japan's largest carnivorous mammals are its bears - a brown bear (found in Hokkaido) can grow to a height of 2m (6.5ft) and weigh up to 400kg (884lb). Animals unique to Japan include the macaque, a medium-sized monkey, and the giant salamander. The Iriomote wildcat, found in the Okinawa island group, is classified as a 'living fossil'.

Japan is frequently cast as an environmental vandal, slaughtering whales and dolphins, hacking down rainforests and polluting the ocean and atmosphere, all in the name of the rising yen. There's more than a little truth to it. Japan's low level of green consciousness means that drift-net fishing still occurs, goods are so overpackaged that consumption turns into solo pass-the-parcel, appliances are thrown away with alarming abandon, and the demand for rainforest timber, mostly from Malaysia, is unabated. Government action is more decisive when the Japanese environment is directly affected (surprise!). Industrial air and water pollution has been curbed since the choking mid-1970s, although photochemical smog remains a problem in Tokyo and other urban centres.

The combination of Japan's mountainous territory, the length of the archipelago and its proximity to the continental landmass makes for a complex climate. The north has short summers and long winters with heavy snowfalls, whereas the southern islands are generally milder and steamier. Most of Japan falls between these two extremes. In the winter months (December to February) cold, dry air from Siberia crashes into moister Pacific air masses, causing massive snowfalls in Japan's west. The summer months (June to August) are dominated by warm, moist air from the Pacific, producing high temperatures and humidity throughout Japan. Late summer is typhoon season, bringing torrential rains and strong winds, particularly to coastal regions.