Japan

Japan

By Karate King

Japan (Japanese: 日本, Nippon or Nihon, and formally 日本国) is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 6852 islands covering 377,975 square kilometers (145,937 sq mi); the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city; other major cities include Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.

Japan lesson by Karate King

Japan is the eleventh-most populous country in the world, as well as one of the most densely populated and urbanized. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its population of 125.44 million on narrow coastal plains. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37.4 million residents.

Japan lesson by Karate King

Japan has been inhabited since the Upper Paleolithic period (30,000 BC), though the first written mention of the archipelago appears in a Chinese chronicle (the Book of Han) finished in the 2nd century AD. Between the 4th and 9th centuries, the kingdoms of Japan became unified under an emperor and the imperial court based in Heian-kyō. Beginning in the 12th century, political power was held by a series of military dictators (shōgun) and feudal lords (daimyō), and enforced by a class of warrior nobility (samurai).

Japan lesson by Karate King

After a century-long period of civil war, the country was reunified in 1603 under the Tokugawa shogunate, which enacted an isolationist foreign policy. In 1854, a United States fleet forced Japan to open trade to the West, which led to the end of the shogunate and the restoration of imperial power in 1868.

Japan lesson by Karate King

Draw

Is this picture captured in Tokyo?

Draw a tick if your answer is yes

Draw a tick if your answer is no

In the Meiji period, the Empire of Japan adopted a Western-modeled constitution and pursued a program of industrialization and modernization. Amidst a rise in militarism and overseas colonization, Japan invaded China in 1937 and entered World War II as an Axis power in 1941. After suffering defeat in the Pacific War and two atomic bombings, Japan surrendered in 1945 and came under a seven-year Allied occupation, during which it adopted a new constitution. Under the 1947 constitution, Japan has maintained a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature, the National Diet.

Japan lesson by Karate King

Japan is a great power and a member of numerous international organizations, including the United Nations (since 1956), the OECD, and the Group of Seven. Although it has renounced its right to declare war, the country maintains Self-Defense Forces that rank as one of the world's strongest militaries. After World War II, Japan experienced record growth in an economic miracle, becoming the second-largest economy in the world by 1990.

Japan lesson by Karate King

As of 2021, the country's economy is the third-largest by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest by PPP. Ranked "very high" on the Human Development Index, Japan has one of the world's highest life expectancies, though it is experiencing a decline in population. A global leader in the automotive and electronics industries, Japan has made significant contributions to science and technology.

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

What was the main obligation of a samurai?

• defend the peasants
• conquer lands
• defend the daimyo
• manage the land

Multiple Choice

The highest ranking member of Japanese feudal society was the 

• Emperor
• Shogun
• Daimyo
• Samurai

Multiple Choice

Because it is so mountainous, only 15% of Japan's land can be....

• polluted

• walked

• watered

• farmed

Multiple Choice

What are two geographic features of Japan?

• Mountains and deserts
• Mountains and volcanoes
• Rivers and lakes
• Rivers and plains

Multiple Choice

These islands have heavy snows.

• Southern

• Northern

• Eastern

• Western

Multiple Choice

Which members of the social hierarchy were considered to be the least important people in Feudal Japan? 

• Merchants
• Artisans 
• Peasants
• Farmers 

Multiple Choice

Which person had very little power in feudal Japan and was more of a figurehead

• Women

• farmers

• shoguns

• emperor

Multiple Choice

When Japan closed their ports and refused to interact with other countries, this is known as

• Segregation

• Isolationism

• Militarism

Multiple Choice

Because it is so mountainous, only 15% of Japan's land can be....

• polluted

• walked

• watered

• farmed

Multiple Choice

People who follow Shinto believe

• in one god

• everything in nature has a spirit

• in Buddhism

• they should follow a vegetarian lifestyle

Multiple Choice

Prince Shotoku looked to this country as an example of centralized government and a constitution

• China

• Egypt

• Italy

• Korea

Multiple Choice

Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote this book

• The Tale of Genji

• The Tale of Heike

• A Shogun Tale

• Samurai Warrior

Multiple Choice

What is bushido?

• Samurai code of rules 
• Shinto's religious leader
• Another name for the emperor
• type of government with social classes

Multiple Choice

a short, three lined poem of 17 syllables that describes nature scenes

• haiku
• samurai
• shogun
• daimyo

Multiple Choice

Many ancient Japanese followed the teachings of these two religions:

• Christianity and Buddhism
• Buddhism and Shintoism
• Hinduism and Shintoism
• Shintoism and Islam

Multiple Choice

Many great works of early Japanese literature were written by

• Buddhist scholars
• Samurai warriors
• Shinto priests
• Noblewomen

Multiple Choice

Why was Zen Buddhism appealing to Samurai warriors? 

• Helped them learn more about God
• It taught discipline and self-control 
• It taught concentration and purity 
• It rid the mind of evil spirits 

Multiple Choice

A new type of drama in feudal Japan that used elaborate makeup to highlight important facial features

• kowtow

• haiku

• matsuo

• kabuki

Multiple Choice

The most powerful member of feudal Japanese society was the 

• Emperor
• Shogun
• Daimyo 
• Samurai 

Multiple Choice

What was the role of the emperor during Japan's feudal period?

• absolute control
• cruel dictator
• seen as the Buddha
• a figurehead

Multiple Choice

Japan entered a period known as _________ after the victory from the Mongols.

• Zen Buddhism

• Warring States

• Pax Romana

• Golden Age

Multiple Choice

This image shows

• A Shinto shrine
• a Buddhist Temple
• A Samurai
• Origami

Multiple Choice

Which type of garden is represented in the picture?

• Dry Landscape

• Stroll Garden

• Paradise Garden

• Tea Garden