CHAPTER 29: JAPAN
Subtitle
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
• 6800 island archipelago
• 4 main islands: Hokkaido,
Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
• Created by volcanoes (Ring of
Fire)---50 active on islands
• Mount Fuji is tallest peak
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
HISTORY
• China and Korea had significant
impact
• Ruled by CLANS: family groups
• Clans united under Yamato
dynasty
• Yamato adopt Chinese
philosophy, writing, art, science,
and government
SAMURAI
• Japan eventually becomes an
empire
• Establishes a feudal system
• Emperor at top
• Shogun (military ruler)
• Samurai (professional warriors)
CONTACT WITH THE WEST
• 1542: Portuguese land in Japan
• Catholic missionaries come
• Shoguns began restricting foreign
access and expelled all foreigners
• 1854: Commodore Matthew C.
Perry arrives
• Trade negotiations with U.S.
• Sparks a samurai rebellion
MEIJI RESTORATION
• 1868-1912
• Rapid modernization and
westernization of Japan
• Japan expanded into Manchuria
(China) and Korea
• By 1910, Japan was the most
powerful empire in Asia
WORLD WARS
• WWI: sided with Allies
• After, military leaders began to take
over
• 1931: Japan invades NE China
• 1937: invade rest of China
• 1939: Joined Axis Powers
• 1941: Attacked Pearl Harbor
• 3 million Japanese killed in WWII
• Atomic bombs dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
AMERICAN OCCUPATION
• Japan was stripped of its empire
and military
• Built a democracy
• A constitutional monarchy today
• 3rd largest economy in the world
SOCIETY AND CULTURE TODAY
• Writing: from Chinese
• Religion: Shinto—reverence to
nature; Buddhism
• Health: longest life expectancy in
the world (83 years)
ART
• Origami—paper folding
• Tea ceremony
• Kabuki theatre—blend of music,
dancing, costumes, elaborate
makeup, and well-timed special
effects
• The Tale of Genji: one of the
world’s first novels (1010)
• Haiku