The large Japanese islands form four largeIslands - Honshu, Hokkaido, Skoku and Kyushu. To the south, their continuation is the Ryukyu Archipelago. There are small groups of islands both in the east and in the west of the country. The islands of Japan stretch a great distance (approximately 370 thousand square kilometers). Their nature combines island and continental features inherent in areas of neighboring China, as well as specific Japanese ones.
The islands of Japan are characterized by strongseismicity combined with volcanic activity. Volcanism is especially characteristic in those places where the contours of deep faults occur: the western margin of the islands and the middle part of Honshu. In Japan, only 150 volcanoes. Of these, only 15 are active.
Honshu Island
He is known to many in connection with sad events.- Atomic bombing of Hiroshima. But besides the sad heritage, the island has a lot to offer tourists. Honshu is the birthplace of exquisite ceramics, quiet villages in the mountains and noisy megacities.
Coastal areas - Hiroshima and Okayama - are famousits museums (Kurasiki), gunsmiths and pottery masters (Bizen). Shimonoseki Prefecture is known for always fresh seafood, especially puffer fish, which is considered a delicacy in Japan.
The industrial center of the country - Nagoya - alsolocated on the island of Honshu. Kanazawa is famous for the delightful streets where samurai and geisha used to live. Takayama is always happy with delicious national cuisine, and the villages in the mountains of Gokayama and Shirakawa with traditional Japanese-style houses on the UNESCO list.
The server part of the island of Honshu is practically not visited by tourists, although there is something to see here: raging rivers, hot springs, rocky mountains and sleeping volcanoes.
Hokkaido Island
This island in Japan is the last frontiercountries. Few Japanese and tourists risk traveling so far. And in vain, because there is amazing nature and vast expanses. The island is divided into four main areas: the southern, central, northern and eastern.
Kyushu Island
The most international region of the country - the islandKyushu was the first region to adopt new traditions of the outside world after the fall of samurai customs. To date, the Japanese islands leading to the west continue to occupy the first positions in the field of commerce and art.
Shikoku island
This island is the smallest in terms of both area and population. Shikoku is called both an island and a region comprising the neighboring small Japanese islands.
The prefecture deserves special attention.Okinawa, which brings together many small islands. There are about 120 of them, some of them are still uninhabited to this day. Most of the island is occupied by hotels, shops with souvenirs, etc., which may be of interest to tourists.
The Japanese islands were settled for a long time.time. Now the state is divided into 8 main districts with prefectures and municipalities. All regions differ from each other in nature, culture, sights and even language dialects. This feature of the country is explained by the fact that the islands of Japan stretch along several climatic zones.
