Hokkaido Sapporo Otaru Hakodate Furano Noboribetsu Lake Toya Daisetsuzan Shiretoko Rishiri Rebun Akan	Chubu Nagoya Izu Peninsula Kanazawa Nagano Matsumoto Kamikochi Kiso Valley Yudanaka Takayama Shirakawa-go Fujigoko Mt Fuji	Kyushu Fukuoka Dawaifu Nagasaki Kumamoto Kagoshima Beppu
Tohoku Matsushima Hiraizumi Kakunodate Hirosaki Sendai Yamagata	Kinki Kyoto Osaka Nara Kobe Himeji Mount Koya Yoshino Iga Ueno Ise Shima	Shikoku Tatakatsu Kotohira Matsuyama Kochi   Okinawa Honto Yaeyama
Kanto Tokyo Yokohama Kamakura Nikko Hakone Kawagoe Kusatsu	Chogoku Hiroshima Miyajima Okayama Kurashiki Matsue Yamaguchi Hagi

The highest peak in Japan is Mt Fuji at 3,776 meters (12,388 feet).  Mt Fuji is located on the boundary of Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, west of Tokyo.  Japan’s terrain is largely mountainous with many volcanoes – it is estimated that 80% of the country is unsuitable for agricultural, industrial or residential use.  The abundance of volcanoes allows for the Japanese traditional onsen (hot spring), which is a popular activity for many Japanese.  There are several resorts boasting natural hot springs throughout Japan. 

Japan’s population is estimated to be around 127,810,000 people, making it the 10^th largest population in the world.  The capital of Japan is Tokyo, which has a population of over 30 million people, and is the largest metropolitan area in the world.  Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world – 82.5 years for women and 78.3 years for men.  The Japanese population is aging rapidly with approximately 20% of the population over the age of 65 years.

Japan has two main religions: Shinto and Buddhism.  It is estimated that 85% of the population follow one of these two main religions although it is common for people to respect values from both religions.  For example, it is common for families to celebrate Shinto rituals throughout their lives and then hold funerals at Buddhist temples. 

Japan’s education system is highly competitive.  Compulsory education is from ages six to fifteen (elementary school and junior high school), after which students can choose to attend high school and then university.  It is estimated that 96% of high school graduates engage in further education via university, trade school or other post-secondary education.  Most public and private schools educate students in both Japanese and English language.