ELI5: Why does Japan get so many earthquakes?

Imagine the Earth's crust is like a giant jigsaw puzzle made of big pieces called tectonic plates. These plates are always slowly moving around, bumping into each other.

Japan sits right on top of four of these puzzle pieces! It's like being in the middle of a crowded room where everyone's bumping into each other all the time.

• The Pacific Plate is pushing under the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate.
• The North American Plate is also interacting with the Eurasian Plate.

Think of it like this: Imagine you're pulling on a rubber band. You keep pulling and pulling, and it stretches and stretches. Eventually, it either snaps, or it slips out of your hand. That "snap" or "slip" is like an earthquake. The bigger the snap, the bigger the earthquake.

Because Japan is in such a busy area with so many plates pushing against each other, these "snaps" happen more often. That's why Japan gets so many earthquakes. And because most of Japan is surrounded by water, underwater earthquakes can also cause big waves called tsunamis, which can be very dangerous.