Tokyo, Japan, Essay Example

Overview

The city which this paper is reviewing is Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo is located in Asia, on its own island of Japan on the Pacific Ocean which is the farthest eastern part of Asia. Tokyo’s coordinates are 35.6833° north, 139.6833° east. Elevation for Tokyo stands at 12 meters above sea level.

Tokyo is the capital of Japan and houses the Emperor of Japan. The Greater Tokyo Area holds the highest metropolitan area population in the world. Trip Advisor’s world city survey ranked Tokyo number one in 2014 for the category of “best overall experience”. The Economist Intelligence Unit named Tokyo the most expensive city in the world. Tokyo is unique as it consists of elements from both prefecture and city.

Climate

Based on the Koppen climate classification system, Tokyo is listed in the humid subtropical climate zone. With this climate, visitors can expect hot and humid summers and mostly mild winters. The Tokyo region, much like that of Japan itself, undergoes a one month seasonal lag. The hottest month is August, which averages at temperatures of 27.5 °C or 81.5 °F, and the coldest month is January, averaging temperatures of 6.0 °C or 42.8 °F. Being located on a tropical island is what causes Tokyo’s climate. Because Tokyo is located on the coast of Japan, the city is more prone to damage from typhoons. Typhoons are popular in Japan and occur most often in the late spring or early summer. The heavy winds can result in tide waves from the ocean impacting the coast, including Tokyo. However, Japan has become accustom to this weather pattern and is well safeguarded against such seasonal typhoons. Japan being an island makes it especially susceptible to earthquakes. Unfortunately, these earthquakes sometimes occur under the ocean, causing massive tide waves. In March 2011, Japan suffered a groundbreaking tsunami which resulted in damage and casualties along the east coast.

Ecosystem

Tokyo is located under the deciduous forest biome. In this Biome, rain fall averages at around 30 to 60 inches per year. Plants in this biome have learned to adapt with the forest environments as well as the weather by leaning towards the sunlight. The four distinct seasons are present in this biome, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The autumn season changes the color of the leaves on the trees, where they fall off in the winter. Animals in this biome adapt to the climate in this biome by hibernating in the winter while living regularly in the other seasons.

This biome allows for common plants in the area such as temperate deciduous broad leaf forests consisting of maple trees, oak trees, and beech trees. Bamboo is also known to grow throughout Tokyo. The most popular and traditional plant in Tokyo is the cherry blossom trees. These trees sprout little pink flowers on them once a year, where they gradually fall off as the green leaves grow for the summer season. Popular animals found in Tokyo are the red crowned crane, the snow monkeys, and the raccoon dogs otherwise known as “tanookies”.

Landforms

Tokyo is located on the lower part of the Okhotsk tectonic plate. This plate is slowly rotating in a clockwise rotation. Tokyo is located just next to the southern boundary of this plate, which is a continental/ oceanic convergent boundary. Landforms in and around Tokyo include ranges of mountains, rivers, volcanos, plains, and a bay area. There are 12 rivers that flow through Tokyo. These are the Arakawa river, Asa river, Edo river, Kanda river, Katase river, Meguro river, Naka river, Shakujii river, Shibuya river, Sumida river, Tama river, and the Tsurumi rover. The most popular mountain in the Tokyo area is Mount Fuji. Mt Fuji surfaced at the base of the Komitake Volcano an estimated 100,000 years ago. Later on around between 80,000 and 20,000 years ago, explosive volcanic eruptions created Mt Fuji about 300 meters high. Mount Fuji is also a volcano and last erupted December 16, 1707. Currently, Mt. Fuji is considered an active volcano and is in a critical state, meaning it could erupt at any moment. The Kanto plains are the largest plains in Tokyo, while the Tokyo bay is the only bay belonging to the city.

Natural Hazards

The most natural hazard that poses the greatest threat on Tokyo is the tsunamis and earthquakes. This is because they are unpredictable and have historically shown to cause massive damage to the city and the natural environment. The next greatest natural hazard is the threat that Mt Fuji poses to Tokyo. The threat of an eruption with Mt Fuji works in conjunction with earthquakes and tsunamis because the intense vibrations under the plate tectonics can contribute to a possible volcanic eruption. The typhoons are also an ongoing natural hazard. However, typhoons do not pose a high threat due to the population adjusting to them through technology and safety measures.

The tsunami of 2011 caused damage to the nuclear reactors in Fukushima. Although they pose a nuclear energy and emissions threat to Tokyo, they are not considered natural.