Japan 

is an island country in east Asia located to the northwest Pacific Ocean and bordered by
the Sea of Japan to the west. It is comprised of 6852 islands extending along the Pacific coast of Asia.
The countryside main islands from north to south are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and
Okinawa. Tokyo is Japan's capital and largest city. Other major cities include Yokohama,
Osaka Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe and Kyoto.  
The greater Tokyo area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world with more
than 37.4 million residents. Japan 2020 formulation is estimated at 126,476,461 people at media
according to UN data. Japan population is equivalent to 1.62% of the total world population. Japan is
substantially prone to earthquakes, tsunami and volcanoes because of its location along the Pacific Ring
of Fire. The prevalence of earthquakes has favored wooden construction in which the Japanese exhibit
scientific ingenuity in the framing together of the various parts. Stone in Japan is unstratified hence, it is
frequently used in polygonal blocks particularly for the lower part of walls on which is erected the upper
wooden construction. Forests occupy four times the area of the tilled land with a greater diversity of
trees than any other country in the world. Bamboo is largely used in house construction.  
The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate but varies greatly from North to South. The
northernmost region Hokkaido has a humid continental climate with long cold winters and very warm to
cool summers. Houses were possible face the South as a protection against cold. The deeply
projecting eaves protect from the summer sun and the high enclosing walls of courtyard against the
winter wind. In summer the movable casement windows and partitions forming the fronts of the houses
and offering little resistance to the penetration of heat are removed leaving them entirely open to the
breezes.  
Japan's constitution guarantees full religious freedom. Upper estimate suggests that 84%
to 96% of the Japanese population subscribe to Shinto as its indigenous religion. However, these
estimates are based on people affiliated with a temple rather than the number of true believers. Many
Japanese people practice both Shinto and Buddhism they can either identify with both religions or
describe themselves as non-religious or spiritual, despite participating in religious ceremonies as a
cultural tradition. As a result, religious statistics are often underreported in Japan other studies have
suggested that only 30% of the population identify themselves as belonging to a religion. Nevertheless,
the level of participation remains high especially during festivals and occasions such as the first shrine
visit of the new year. Taoism and Confucianism from China have also influenced Japanese beliefs and
customs.  
Christianity was first introduced into japan by Jesuit Missions starting in 1549. Fewer than 1% to
2.3% are Christians, most of them living in the western parts of the country. As of 2007 there were
32,036 Christian priests and pastors in Japan throughout the latest century, some western customs
originally related to Christianity including western style weddings, Valentine's Day and Christmas have
become popular as secular customs among many Japanese. The Buddhist religion with its mysterious
and all inspiring symbols acted on the artistic Japanese nature ever ready to depict beautiful and
fantastic forms. Thus, demons, monsters, and conventional representations are found in conjunction
with the birds and landscapes.