Japan's Environment
Japan is on the ring of fire. This means that there are lots of interesting things to see in Japan: volcanoes, bubbling mud pools, hot springs, rice paddies and bamboo groves.
Volcanoes
Another active volcano is Sakurajima. It has erupted quite a few times in the last hundred years.
Even now you can see dust everywhere in the vicinity of the volcano. Look at the windscreen of this car and look at how much ash has built up on these steps.
Mount Aso is another active volcano. It is the biggest active volcano in Japan. People go to see the sulphur lake in the crater. It is a very strange colour and smells like rotten eggs!
Hot Springs (Onsen)
Hot springs are pools of hot water that have been heated naturally because of the geothermal activity in the area. Sometimes they are hot enough to bathe in. Other pools are too hot to bathe in but you can cook food in them. The word jigoku in Japanese means hell. This is the entrance to the hot springs in Beppu.
Hot springs are pools of hot water that have been heated naturally because of the geothermal activity in the area. Sometimes they are hot enough to bathe in. Other pools are too hot to bathe in but you can cook food in them. The word jigoku in Japanese means hell. This is the entrance to the hot springs in Beppu.
Even the monkeys like to bathe in the onsen!
Ibusuki
This black sand is volcanic sand. The sand is heated. It is full of minerals which when heated soak into your body. It is very good for you. Eventually it gets too hot to lie there!
This black sand is volcanic sand. The sand is heated. It is full of minerals which when heated soak into your body. It is very good for you. Eventually it gets too hot to lie there!
Here are some more photographs of hot springs:
Bubbling Mud Pools
The mud in the pool is so hot that there is steam coming off it.
The mud in the pool is so hot that there is steam coming off it.
Click on the video to see a bubbling mud pool in action!
There are lots of interesting plants growing in Japan.
Rice Paddies
Here are some more pictures of rice growing:
Bamboo
Cherry Blossom
Rabbit Island