Japan is a land of great natural beauty, forested mountains and hills cover about 70% of the country's jagged peaks and thundering mountain waterfalls provide some of the country's most spectacular scenery. Many lakes nestled among the mountains; some lie in the craters of extinct. A large number of Hot Springs gushed from the ground throughout the country and Hot Springs resorts are popular vacation spots. The towering peaks of what are known as the Japanese Alps rise in central Hanshu the numerous snow-covered mountains provide superb ski areas and skiing and ice skating. Favourite winter sports in Japan, east of the Japanese Alps, is a chain of volcanoes. Among them stands Japan's tallest and most famous peak, Mount Fuji. The Japanese call it Fujiyama and have long considered it a sacred mountain. Every summer, thousands of people make a pilgrimage to the top, which contains an inactive volcanic crater. It rises 12,388 feet or 3776 meters and overlooks Lake Kawaguchi. Japan is also a land of large, crowded cities because the mountains and hills take up so much land in the interior of the country, the great majority of the people live on the narrow plains along the coasts. Along the coast of Honshu lie the largest cities of Japan, led by Tokyo.