Throughout this whole blog I have compared Japan to California, and again for this assignment Japan in a few different ways is like California, because it is so elongated. The minimum latitude is 20.38N, while the maximum latitude is 45.33N. The maximum longitude is 153.59E, and the minimum longitude is 122.56E. Japan is also located in the northern hemisphere and there are also some scientists say that it is located in two hemispheres; the north and the south. The two cells in which Japan is located is the Hadley cell and the Ferrel cell. The wind belts that Japan resides in are the north westerlies and the northeast trade winds. The country is located near the high pressure belt called the subtropical pressure belt. Japan is located around a few different "special" areas. Northern Japan goes right through a horse latitude, and is close in proximity to a polar front. Doldrums happen at the southern part of Japan.
Japan has very moderate weather and I think it has a ton to do with the major cells, wind belts, and pressure. Japan is located in two separate cells, but mostly is identified with the ferrel cell. This causes more sporadic winds and brings in the rain that Japan gets so often, along with cold air moving towards the polar fronts. The wind belt that Japan is on is the westerlies and northeast trade winds. This can cause light winds and some humidity. In Japan, we are at the top of the subtropical pressure belt which causes higher pressure in Japan. This explains the colder weather we have in Japan, instead of the more extreme heats you would see on other islands or places of the size of Japan.
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http://www.weather-forecast.com/static_maps/Japan/wind/6
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Because Japan is an island, but also has a very mountainous terrain it has both mountains and a coastline. The 5 types of winds that are associated with mountains are valley breezes, mountain breezes, chinook winds, katabatic winds, and Santa Ana winds. Japan experiences many winds but not all of them. Japan winds include valley breezes, mountain breezes, and chinook winds (especially near Mt. Fuji. Japan also experiences coastline winds and breezes. The two types of breezes associated with the ocean and the coastline are land breeze and sea breeze. Japan experiences both land and sea breeze on a daily basis, just like Oahu.
Hey Jessica, I enjoyed reading about the global and local winds of Japan. It is refreshingly less oppressive as the weather in El Salvador, which is the country I was assigned. This might have something to do with the fact that my country is located in the Hadley cell just north of the equator, and yours is located in the Ferrel cell which is considerably more north.
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