The Vegetation of Japan. 41 
out the bed, the purest blue green of the clear water may be enjoyed. 
It is generally considered in Japan, that a landscape is perfect only 
when water is present. 
Very good examples of beautifully developed picturesque valleys 
can be seen amongst the greater archaean and palaeozoic mountains. 
Here the various degrees of hardness and folding of the rocks offer 
a very unequal resistance to the weathering and eroding power of 
the running water. 
It only remains now to mention the climate. As I have 
already pointed out, the Empire of Japan stretches over 30 degrees 
of latitude. Owing to this considerable length and the great variety 
in the orographic character of the country, uniformity of climate is 
out of the question, but to deal with this in detail would occupy too 
much space. In a word, the climate is much influenced by that of 
the neighbouring countries, and is modified by the warm and cold 
currents previously mentioned. The climate of the region from 
Formosa northward up to the mouth of the Amur River is practi¬ 
cally under the control of the monsoons, which are formed by the 
warm damp south wind in the summer and cold strong north-west, 
north, and north-east winds in the winter. The Loochoos down to 
Formosa are sub-tropical and have practically no winter, while the 
Kuriles, the southern portion of Saghalien, which now again belongs 
to Japan, and certain parts of Yezo have the climate of Nova Scotia 
or Iceland. In the winter drifting ice is carried along by the 
currents and wind in the Kuriles and blocks up harbours, so that 
navigation is impracticable from November to April. On the 
northernmost islands of this chain, not until June does the snow 
disappear from the ground and vegetation then comes to life. Even 
in the north-east of Honto, and especially in the so-called deep-snow 
districts, the snow lies on the ground during the winter some twenty 
feet deep, so that a whole village is often buried. 
The rainfall is very large, and especially in the summer, 1 the 
air is very damp indeed, except in Hokkaido (=Yezo and the 
Kuriles) which is not affected by the monsoon. The winter is dry 
and fine. The air is clear, the wind refreshing, and the sun bright. 
The seasons are very distinctly marked and the temperature is 
fairly even during each season. The annual range of heat and 
1 An example of the rainfall in Tokyd will be seen in the following table 
(in mm.):— 
Jan. Feb. March April May June July 
55-2 75-1 110-5 128-1 150 0 165-8 131-2 
Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year 
168-8 203-4 184-8 108 6 53 7 1475 2 
