POPULATION 126,974,628
SHINTOIST AND/OR BUDDHIST 90 percent
"NEW RELIGIONS" c. 10 percent
CHRISTIANITY c. 1 percent

Country Overview

Introduction

The nation of Japan is an archipelago off the east coast of Asia, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Japan to the west. Approximately the size of California, Japan consists of four main islands (from north to south: Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku, Kyūshū), the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa), and thousands of small islands. Hundreds of sacred mountains and natural hot springs dot the landscape. The center of the ancient kami (native deities) cults and early Japanese Buddhism stretches from Mount Hiei (headquarters of Tendai Buddhism) in the Nara-Kyoto area to Ise (site of the Great Imperial Shrines) and Kōya-san (Mount Koya; headquarters of Shingon Buddhism). Japan's population is concentrated in major urban areas, including Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Kobe, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.

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