Japan: A Brief Introduction

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the North Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin" (because it lies to the east of nearby countries), which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".

Japan is an archipelago of islands. The four largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for 97% of Japan's land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.

Sources :

http://www.hcteurope.com/japan/Travel_files/Japan_map.jpg

http://www.bestpaper.ru/Regions/Japan/Garden%20Staircase,%20Kyoto,%20Japan.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Japan#National_character