TOPOGRAPHY. Japan is a land of high moun tains and deep valleys, with few plains of any extent. Its scenery is. in the main, pleasing rather than grand or sublime, rounded heights clad with forests, or with the verdure of a re markably luxuriant vegetation predominating, though a large number of lofty, more or less shat tered and craggy volcanic peaks are found.
The level land lies chiefly along the lower courses of the principal rivers, or consists of stretches by the seashore, or of plateaus and gentle slopes along the feet of the mountain ranges. The most extensive plains are those which border the Ishikari and Tokachi rivers in Yezo, or stretch along the seashore at Kushiro and Ne niuro. In the northeast section of Hondo is the Oshiu plateau, watered by the swift-flowing Kith gami, and extending over portions of four pro vinces. In the central region is that of the Tone gawa, or plain of the Kwanto, which spreads into the provinces of Musashi. Kodzuke. Hitachi. and Shimosa. Next comes the Kisogawa, which forms part of Mine and Owari. The most ex tensive of the littoral plains is round in Etehigo. along the lower waters of the Shinano River. In the Five Home Provinces are several compara tively wide plains along the dodo and Yamato Rivers aml their feeders, while in Shikoku flat lands lie along the •oshino lfivir and in Kinshiu along the Chikugo. In Formosa a plain 20 Milt's wide, expanding toward the south, lies between the mountains and the western coast.
The general trend of the mountain systems is along the longer extension of the islands—that is, froin southwest to northeast, or from south sontbweSt to north-northenst—but in several places the main chains are intersected by other lofty ridges, running in a general way from north to sonth, as in Kiushiu. Central Iloudo. and \ezo. It is at these points that the greatest. mountain masses and the most imposing scenery are found. In Formosa, also. the great backbone of the island extends from north to south, several of its peaks exceeding in height those of Japan proper. Beginning with the volcanic elevations of the Kurile group, whieh form a line of 32 step ping-stones from Kamtehatka to the island of Yezo, a range of trachytie and basaltic rocks ii intersected near the centre of Vezo by a loftier and more massive chain composed of granite and old sehists, from Cape Soya On the north (a continuation of the Saghalin system), the highest peak of which is the Tokaehi, with an elevation of s200 feet. Farther on toward the southwest this volcanic Kuril inn range merges into the west coast range from Cape Soya, and is marked by some remarkable volcanoes, the most noted though not the highest of which is Komagatake, or 'Foal Mountain' (a name of common occur rence in Japan), with a height of nearly 4000 feet. Branching into two lines after the long western arm of the island rounds Volcano Bay, these mountains reappear on the main island in two parallel chains. One, the Northern Schist range, separates the Valley of the Nitagami River from the Pacific; the other, the main chain, continues toward the southwest, forms the backbone of the island until it meets the great complex of massive intersecting ridges which inclose the plateau of Shinano (2550 feet above the sea), and occupies the central portion of the main island whore it is widest. It sends out important branches and Continuations south east, through the Ilakone into Idzu: south west through Yamato and Shikoku to Kinshin and westerly through the centre of Chiugoku to Shimonoseki, forming in its course the dividing line between the group of provinces known as San-yodo and that called San-in-do.
In this central mountain mass. which covers the provinces of Kaga. Et•hiu, Ilida, Shinshiu. Koshin, and part of Nodzuke are found the lofti est peaks of Japan proper (next after Fujiyama 'the Peerless,' with its elevation of 12.305 feet. which soars near the southeast coast. not very far from Tokio). They also offer the grandest seen cry, and hence are frequently called the 'Japanese ..1.1ps.' The principal summits are: Haku-san in Kaga, an extinct volcano, with a height of S920 feet : Yariga-take,10.000 feet. in Ffida; ifolionsba, the highest peak of theTate-yama raime.9500 feet : Ko-ma-ga-take, ]0.3S4 feet : and scores of others. Farther north in the Nikko range of Shimotsuke is Shirane-san. S580 feet ; Nantai-san. R150 feet; and farther north still, on the shores of Lake Banda i-san. 02q0 feet. Thence north ward are Owassan. 0200 feet : ilan-ju-san. or the Nambn-Fop, 0500 feet: and soot Ii ward along the west coast from lwaki-san or Tsugaru-Emil (45n0 feet), are Cho-kai-san, 7800 feet, and others, each as a rule sacred to some deity and consequently much visited by pilgrims. Snow covers most of them in winter, but, except in a few eases, as, tor exa mple,ilaku-san and the peaks of the great mountain masses of Shinano and Ilida, it disappears before the end of summer. Even on Fujiyama only patches of snow remain from year to year. The toye or passes by which these mountains are crossed ale comparatively low, due to the fact, as Itein points out, that (1) the monnt;dn masses of primitive crystalline rocks and schists do not rise very high, and that (2) the volcanic formations, which have in so fanny places burst through and overlain them, seldom form long or very high ridges.
It is said that there are in Japan, which is of volcanic origin, 170 volcanoes, most of them, however. regarded as extinct, some merely qui escent, but scores still active, sending forth smoke and steam, or serving as landmarks at, night by their fiery glow. Among the more famous voleannes still reckoned as active are Asama-yama, in Shinano: Komaga-take and sev eral others, in Yezo; (Amelia-take, in one of the Kuriles; Shirane-y:uua. in the Nikko range; Mihara-yama, on Oshinm or 'Vries Island,' one the 'Seven Islands,' lying ot• the promontory of Idzo; and Suwa-shima, in Loo-choo. As late as 1SSS Bandai-san (q.v.) was in a state of violent eruption. Earthquakes are of frequent occurrence. and even in comparatively recent times some have been very disastrous. The line of greatest seismic disturbance extends from Loo choo through Kiushin to the northeast. On October 28, 1891, occurred an earthquake, felt in six provinces; 7279 persons lost their lives. 17,393 were injured, and 197,947 buildings were utterly destroyed.
Thermal springs and solfataras are exceedingly numerous. In Japan proper, the former, ehietly sulphur, are said to occur in 388 different locali ties, and almost all are much patronized by the natives. The chief are Kusatsu and Ikao, in Kod zuke; Yumoto, at the foot of Shirane-yania, in the Nikko range: and Enoyu on Kirishima-yama. in Kiushiu. Chalybeato springs, both hot and cold. are also found. The soifataras arc well exemplified by the Ojigoku and Ko-jigoku, or 'Great and Little Hells,' of the Ilakone range.