Asia
Japan
Everything you need to know about Japan for geography games and satellite imagery — capital, population, time zone, and how to recognise it from above.
Quick facts
How to spot Japan from satellite imagery
Japan is small relative to other major countries on the geography-game circuit — roughly 378,000 square kilometres, about the size of California or Germany — but it shows up disproportionately often because its landscapes are so visually distinctive. A satellite frame of Japan, once you have learned what to look for, is almost impossible to confuse with anywhere else on Earth. The combination of mountainous interior, narrow coastal plains, extreme population density, and the country's specific style of small-scale agriculture produces a fingerprint that is genuinely unique.
This guide breaks down how to spot Japan from orbit — and once the country is identified, how to localise quickly between Hokkaido in the north and Kyushu in the south.
Read the full satellite guideCan you find Japan from above?
Test your geography skills on a 3D globe and see how often you place this country correctly.