( <20 D 



spring. Crape vines are -always mulched in this part bfefoie 

 -winter sets in ; but it is merely to prevent their breaking down 

 by heavy snowfalls and has nothing to do with frost or freezing. 

 • ;. Owing to the winter, drought the Pacific Belt is much 

 liable to the' winter injuries of frost and freezing..; These inju'- 

 ries are severe especially in the cold dry interior valleys: of Kai, 

 Shinano and Iwashiro, as well as on the open plains of Kwanto. 

 ' ..The oCean currents having most influence on our climate 

 seem to be the two large ones called the.Tsushima Current and 

 tiie ." Oya-"Shi>vo " (Majn Cntrent). The former passes through 

 the Korean Channel from south to north into the Sea of 

 Japan, and sweeps along the coast of Ura-Nippon. The 

 north-west winds prevalent in the winter, which take up 

 warmth in. sweeping over the current, have the effect of amel- 

 iorating to some extent the winter cold, of Ura-Nippon. 



Qn the other hand, the " Oya-Shiwo ", or the cold current 

 running southwards along the east and south coasts of Hok-^ 

 kaidp and the. east, coast " of Hondo., is largely influential in 

 Ipwering, the temperatures of those Vegioiis in summer. 



Besides these two currents, there is another large warm 

 current called." Kuro-Shi wo " (Black Current), which sweeps 

 along the south and east coasts of Japan. It is larger and 

 higher iri temperature than the above currents. . But its influ- 

 ence on the land, is rather srnall since in winter, the north-west 

 winds prevail, as above, stated. In summer the winds. from. the 

 Pacific become heavily charged with moisture in crossing this 

 current and cause abundant rainfall upon their arrival on the 

 land ; but th$ land is then heated to a much higher temperature 

 thanlhe current and the warming efifects.of the latter are quite 

 imperceptible, only causing heavy rainfalls on, the Pacific Belt. 



The facts presented above will enable one to grasp the 

 general features of duf climate, land certaiiv of its characteristics. 

 They are quite dififerent frofti. those of other countries. More- 

 over, the two Belts of Omote, and .Ura-Nippon present a strik- 

 ing contrast. Generally: speaking, the continental features 



