* Mountains cover about 75% of Japan's land. Mt. Fuji is Japan's highest mountain, with an altitude of 12,388 feet. It is an active volcano, but with a very low risk of eruption. In fact, the last time it erupted was 300 years ago. That's not very active; it sounds more like a lazy volcano to me! :)
Mt. Fuji is a famous symbol of Japan, and has appeared in Japanese art and literature for centuries. The picture in the top right-hand corner of this blog, The Great Wave at Kanagawa, is from a series of woodblock prints by Hokusai titled 36 Views of Mt. Fuji. Can you find Mt. Fuji in the picture?
Here is a haiku by Issa (1763-1827), one of Japan's most famous poets, which mentions the famous mountain.
Oh snail,
climb Mt. Fuji,
but slowly, slowly
