File:Japan (MODIS 2015-05-10).jpg

English: On May 2, 2015 the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA�s Aqua satellite flew over Japan and captured this true-color image of the region.

In this image, vegetation appears green, while tan represents non-vegetated land or early spring grassland that has not greened with new growth. The mottled white over parts of Japan are small clouds which have formed over higher elevations. To the north, a long cloud bank hides much of the Korean Peninsula and extends over China and parts of southeastern Russia. Smoke from fires burning in North Korea, eastern Russia and China hangs over the Sea of Japan. The Russian fires can be seen as a cluster of red hot-spots, while other fires are hidden under heavy cloud cover.

Japan is an island nation made up of over 6,850 islands. The four largest islands make up about 97 percent of the land area of Japan, and are easily identified in this image. Hokkaido is the northern-most island, and appears roughly diamond-shaped. Just south of Hokkaido is Honshu � the largest and longest island. Shikoku lies just south of Honshu, and Kyushu is the most southerly of the large islands.

Japan is a volcanic archipelago and is located at the junction of four shifting tectonic plates. With over 100 active volcanoes, Japan has approximately 10% of the world�s active volcanoes. The region is also seismically active, so earthquakes are common. In late April and early May, 2015, seismic activity increased, especially under the Owakudani hydrothermic field near the Hakone volcano. The intense earthquake swarms, along with slight deformation of the ground around the volcano, caused the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to raise the alert for the Hakone volcano to level 2, and to close access to the popular tourist region near the volcano on May 7.