The earliest traces of human habitation in Japan are at least 30,000 years old, when it was still linked to East Asian landmass forming a ring from Siberia to Korea around present-day Sea of Japan, which was then a lake. It was the land connections that provided entry for the people moving eastward from the continent. Some 15000 years ago at the end of the last ice age the melting glaciers caused the sea level to rise, gradually submerging the lowland links and creating the fringe of island as we know them today. Japan today consists of four main islands – Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu along with hundreds of smaller ones. This period was dominated by hunter-gatherers, who crafted stone tools and gradually developed the ability to produce pottery. The distinctive pottery Jomon provided the culture its name. People lived in pit-homes