Volcanoes can be found all over the world. Often located along tectonic plate boundaries, shield, composite, and cinder cone volcanoes can be beautiful and deadly. The Pacific Ring of Fire is home to volcanic arcs and volcanic island arcs; this includes the volcanoes of Japan. Japan, like many areas of this ring, tends to have numerous volcanoes of various shapes, sizes and textures. According to Japan: A Country Study, “One tenth of the world's active volcanoes are located in Japan, which is located in an area of ​​extreme crustal instability” (Bunge, p. 66). All of these volcanoes affect Japan and its landscape in one way or another. The Smithsonian Institution suggests that Japanese volcanoes can be divided into four regions, Hokkaido, Honshu, Izu and Ryukyu/Kyushu and that each of these has numerous volcanoes (“Japan, Taiwan, Marianas”). The Hokkaido region is located in the northern part of Japan and is one of its largest islands. Hokkaido has many types of volcanoes present. Some notable volcanoes and calderas of this region are as follows. The Akan Caldera is located in the Akan Volcanic Complex. This caldera has been historically active and periodically erupts. However, it has not had a volcanic explosive index level higher than one since around 50 BC. The most recent eruption in the Akan caldera occurred from a cone called Me-Akan on November 18, 2008 ("Japan, Taiwan, Marianas"). The Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes suggests that because earthquakes often precede volcanic eruptions in this area, the Akan Caldera and its cones have been very important in studying how volcanic and tectonic earthquakes relate to magmatic systems (Gates and Ritchie, p. 4). .Yet another volcano in Hokkaido is Tokachi-dake...... middle of paper......chlorine fumes. Ground temperatures began to rise around Sakurajima in 1914. This increase killed the local flora and fauna; eventually the ground became so hot that it could no longer be held. Benzene and chlorine gases also became a problem when livestock and people became ill around vents passing through Sakurajima (Gates and Ritchie, p. 4). Japan offers a wide variety of volcanoes. “The islands of the Japanese archipelago occupy one of the most concentrated areas of seismic and volcanic activity in the world” (Gates and Ritchie, p. 127). Although Japan's volcanoes can be very deadly, many are tourist attractions. Mount Fuji, for example, and the numerous hot springs that form due to volcanic activity are often visited. However, the calderas and volcanoes in this region still cause problems for the people and places of Japan (Gates and Ritchie, p.. 127-128).