THE GEOGRAPHY OF JAPAX 



51 



Photograph by A. Nielen 



LIKE CLOTHES ON A LINK, THE JAPANESE HANG THEIR CORN OUT TO DRY 



This method of ripening and curing grain is necessary in some districts on account of exces- 

 sive rains and the short summer season. 



Again, while the western side of the 

 great mountain mass of these regions ex- 

 hibits leaden skies and biting winds, on 

 the east, toward the Pacific coast, the 

 winter is nearly always delightfully 

 bright and sunny and snowfalls are sel- 

 dom seen. 



AN AVERAGE OP EOUR EARTHQUAKES 

 A DAY 



One of the most disturbing features 

 (in every sense) of the natural phenom- 

 ena of Japan is the frequency of earth- 

 quakes. There is an average of four a 

 day, but shocks of a very serious kind 

 only occur once in six or seven years. 

 The consolation is that if they came less 

 frequently they would be more disastrous 

 in their results. 



The greatest center of activity is on the 

 Pacific coast, near the Bay of Tokyo, and 

 it is here also that the tidal waves are 

 most destructive. Sometimes the loss of 

 life from the combined agencies has 

 amounted to over 27,000. As many as a 

 quarter of a million houses have been 

 destroyed at once. Active volcanoes, 

 however, provide a safety-valve for the 

 disquieting forces at work below the 

 earth's crust, and consequently the re- 



gions where these are found are seldom 

 harmed by seismic shocks. 



Typhoons (or cyclones), unlike the 

 earthquakes, can be counted upon with 

 much more certainty, and invariably and 

 appropriately usher in the break up of 

 the summer heat, during the second week 

 in September, though occasionally they 

 appear at other times. This may be 

 counted upon as an absolutely regular 

 fixture. Their effects are usually more 

 destructive on the coast, and occasionally 

 one may find vessels of considerable size 

 deposited high and dry in the back street 

 of a large seaport town. 



PEASANTS DELIGHT IN HOT SPRINGS 



There are more than 1,000 mineral 

 springs to be found in the mountain re- 

 gions of Japan, and in the more secluded 

 spots they form a feature of peculiar in- 

 terest. They constitute a great asset to 

 the peasantry in those regions, who resort 

 to them by the thousands, for the sake of 

 health or to kill time pleasantly in the 

 company of their friends. Whatever else 

 may be thought of the alleged fickleness 

 of the Japanese character, it is certain 

 that their love for hot water has never 

 grown cold. 



