Relative Location

While the Ryûkyû Islands which include Okinawa are located near the Tropics, most of Japan lies between 31 and 45 north latitude. Parts of Japan receive a great deal of snow and the nation has hosted the Winter Olympics on two occasions.

Still, most live in the area between Tokyo and Osaka. On the map to the right we see that places them at about the same latitude as Americans living in North Carolina (or the area north of Los Angeles on the West Coast).

Map: