Japanese archipelago

The island chain east of the Asian mainland that forms Japan’s main territory, extending from Hokkaido through Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu to the Ryukyu Islands.

Honshu: The largest Japanese island, containing Tokyo and most of Japan’s population and major cities. It is the archipelago’s central and most populous island.
Japan Trench: A deep ocean trench east of northeastern Honshu, where the Pacific Plate descends beneath the Okhotsk microplate. Subduction along it drives major earthquakes off northeastern Japan.
Japanese Sea: A marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, the Korean Peninsula, and the Russian Far East. Its opening accompanied the separation of Japan from continental Asia.
Seto Inland Sea: A sheltered sea between Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, connected to the Pacific and Sea of Japan. Its protected waters became a major route between the main islands.
Japanese geography: The study of Japan’s physical landscapes, climate, population, and spatial relationships. It places the island chain within the country’s broader geographic patterns.
Hokkaido: The northernmost of Japan’s four main islands, separated from Honshu by the Tsugaru Strait. It anchors the archipelago’s northern end.
Nankai Trough: A submarine trench south of Japan where the Philippine Sea Plate subducts beneath southwestern Japan. Its subduction zone lies beside the archipelago’s densely populated Pacific coast.
Back-arc basin: A basin formed behind a volcanic arc as a subducting plate causes extension in the overriding plate. Back-arc extension helped create the sea separating Japan from the mainland.
Tsugaru Strait: The strait separating Hokkaido from Honshu and connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It is a decisive maritime passage between two main islands.
Japanese coastal settlements: Communities built along Japan’s shores, where access to the sea meets exposure to coastal hazards. The archipelago’s long coastline concentrates settlement near the water.

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