Japan

Japan stretches in a long arc of islands off the eastern edge of Asia. Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku hold most of the land, and the Ryukyu chain trails south-west into subtropical seas. Steep, forested mountains cover most of the country, so cities and rice fields crowd onto narrow coastal plains such as the Kanto plain. The islands sit where four tectonic plates meet, which brings earthquakes, tsunamis, hot springs and more than a hundred active volcanoes. Winter buries the Sea of Japan coast in snow.

Rice farming reached the islands from the mainland, and later so did Buddhism and the Chinese script. From the late twelfth century real power lay with warrior governments led by shoguns, while emperors reigned in Kyoto. The Tokugawa shoguns kept the country largely closed to foreigners until American warships forced it open in 1853–54. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 launched rapid industrialisation, followed by military expansion across Asia that ended in defeat in 1945, and a constitution renouncing war took effect in 1947.

Shinto, the native faith of kami and shrines, sits comfortably beside Buddhism: many families visit a shrine at New Year and hold funerals with Buddhist rites. The seasons are watched closely, from cherry blossom in spring to the turning maples of autumn. Sushi, ramen, kabuki, haiku, anime and video games have travelled far beyond the islands. The economy rests on cars, electronics, robots and precision machinery, and Shinkansen bullet trains, running since 1964, tie the cities together.