1. J APAN From Isolation to Adaptation

2. O RIGIN OF J APAN Izanagi and Izanami Two divine beings who created the island of Japan Created Kami: Thousands of God’s that ruled Japan This is the base of Shinto religion Two Deities had a daughter named Amaterasu (Sun God) The Emperor of Japan was considered a descendent of the Sun God

7. S OME FACTS Japan could fit inside in Alberta, with lots of room left over 127 Million people 12 million in the year 1600 Mountains and steep valleys cover 80% of Japan 18% of land is flat enough to farm Places with the highest number of people are on the coast What does all of this tell us about what kind of place Japan is?

8. W HY ARE WE STUDYING J APAN ? Aztecs: We saw an isolated culture come into sudden contact with another culture We learned about the worldviews of the Spanish and the Aztecs and what happened when they met Japan was an isolated country for hundreds of years Had its own distinct worldview and culture After hundreds of years they made contact with the rest of the world We want to see how their world view changed, and how they changed other world viewss

9. G EOGRAPHICALLY I SOLATED Closest country is China, 185km of ocean away Travel was very difficult Travel from Europe was next to impossible Thousands of years ago, Japan first began to develop its culture by borrowing from the Chinese Elements of religion, language, food and entertainment were modified by the Japanese Example: Kanji Buddhism Kabuki

10. K ANJI

11. H IRAGANA ( WA SU ME )

12. K ATAKANA

13. G EOGRAPHY How did Japan’s geography shape people’s beliefs and values? Japan’s beautiful natural landscape has always been a great source of pride Japan experiences four distinct seasons Celebrations and rituals bring in each season and are an important part of Japanese life Ex. Cherry Blossoms New Beginnings Beauty Shortness of beauty and life

14. S HINTO The ancient religion of Japan Love of nature is most important aspect Harmony with nature Kami take the form of objects in nature, mountains etc. Amaterasu is the most important Kami Shinto has no founder and no laws! VIDEO! However, Japan has inherited many Buddhist beliefs and traditions!

15. M ATSURI F ESTIVAL This festival is held to please and celebrate the Kami

16. W HEN N ATURE H ITS B ACK ! There are hundreds of Earthquakes in Japan every year Once a decade a huge one hits Earthquakes and underwater volcanoes also create giant waves called Tsunami (harbour wave) Typhoons are powerful storms that bring strong winds, rain and lightning

19. T WO THINGS HAPPENED TO THE P EOPLE BECAUSE OF ALL THE DISASTERS They became stoic Stoic: someone who controls their emotions and endures difficult experiences with patience Japanese are seen as a stoic people in all aspects of life Adaptation to sudden change became important to Japanese life Recovered from disasters and wars very quickly

20. R ESOURCES AND C LIMATE Japan has very few natural rescources However, they were completely self sufficient for over 400 years. NO TRADE Warm, wet climate and good soil allowed for long growing seasons Island: lots of fishing

21. RICE Rice was the main food in Japan Growing rice is very hard When their was a lack of rain, millions would die in a famine Rice was used for their money system, and taxing Rice has become a cultural symbol for Japan

22. H OMOGENOUS S OCIETY Canada: Mulitcultural or Heterogenous Japan: Homogenous Japanese: a great unified family with common values and beliefs See themselves as having the same nature and character The geographic factor that contributed the most was the sea Everyone live on the coast and developed similar ways of life Isolation kept immigrant from joining society