52 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



SHOOTING RAPIDS IN JAPAN 



Mountain chains which extend throughout the principal islands form a watershed which 

 -makes all the rivers of the empire short and in the main swift and of little value as commerce- 

 carriers. They present opportunities for hydro-electric development, however. 



Photographs by Kiyoshi Sakamoto 



FTSHERS DRAWING A NET ON THE BEACH 



Japan has a mile of seacoast for every nine square miles of area, as compared with Great 

 Britain's mile to every thirteen square miles. 



