Japan is an island country, lying off the east coast of Asia, in the western North Pacific Ocean Most of the land area is taken up by the country’s four main islands; Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. In addition, there are many smaller islands. The national capital, Tokyo, is situated in east-central Honshu.
Japan is one of the world’s most geologically unstable areas. The country experiences some 1,000 tremors annually, most of them minor, though major quakes – as in Tokyo-Yokohama in 1923 and Kobe in 1995 – cause considerable loss of life and widespread destruction. Violent volcanic eruptions occur frequently. The country’s abundant hot springs are mostly of volcanic origin.
The current (2025) population of Japan is 123.1 million, of which 14.3 million reside in Tokyo.
Sailing off to Sparta 