ABSTRACT
Japan and its beautiful but rugged terrain are more easily described in literary fashion than in the objective terms of the earth sciences. The physical structure resultant from awesome volcanic disturbances is something like Japan’s social fabric, a sort of fault line between East Asian and Western cultures. For sheer grandeur of scenery Japan is a tourist’s paradise. The neighborliness of mountain and sea, celebrated in art and in a Japanese word (sansui), makes for fascinating vistas. Nature has blessed the Japanese islands in several ways: a significant location, magnificent landscapes and many Japanese people. On balance, however, these assets are weighed against heavy liabilities.
