also: にっぽんれっとう
the Japanese archipelago; the Japanese islands
Refers to the chain of islands that make up Japan, including the four main islands and many smaller ones. Often used in geographical, historical, and cultural contexts.
日本列島は南北に長く伸びている。
The Japanese archipelago stretches long from north to south.
There are many volcanoes in the Japanese islands.
A powerful typhoon struck the Japanese archipelago.
He rode his bicycle the length of the Japanese archipelago.
The typhoon made landfall on the Japanese archipelago near Kyushu.