Japanese Culture and History Notes

UNIT 1 :

Geography & Culture Overview




If
Hokkaido
Geography
:




Gr
Lisland country

Japan is a SHIMAGUNI
& -
Hokkaido
-




o

... N
-


4 main islands
w E


①
Hokkaido Sea of Japan
S




=
② Honshu




·
-
③ Shikoku

①
Kyushu




& Pacific Ocean
-




East China Sea -




9 regions
- &
Hokkaido

②
Tohoku

②
Kanto




↳
O

.. main islands are ① Chubu

6x far from ⑤ Kinki
as

g mainland Britain
⑧
O Okinawa
as
chugoku
③ Shikoku
-

5 from Europe
8 ⑧
Kyushu
⑨ Okinawa

Topography :




mountains forrests swift rivers
-




, ,




15 % of land is suitable for agriculture
only
-




earthquakes are common
active
-




Japan's mountains contain 10 % of the world's volcanoes
-




typhoons
-




beautiful scenery
-




-




most of the plains are small
Climate :




temperate climate
-




currents improve fishing climate
a
-




ocean

-



cold wind from Asia drop heavy snow in NW coasts

-



abundant rainfall
-




rainy season + hot summer =
good rice

,About the Regions :




⑦ Hokkaido : ⑧ Kyushu :




-




different climate (generally cooler)
-




1400 surrounding islands

-



mountains natural scenery mountainous interior + volcanoes hot springs
-




+
,




fishing +
forestry subtropical climate
-
-




capital Sapporo agriculture stock farming fishing
-
-


:
, ,




② Tohoku :
& Okinawa :




largely mountainous climate
- -




warm

-




short summers , long winters -




used to be independent kingdom until 17th century
-




agricultural (70 % rice paddies) -




big tourism industry
Sendai controlled by US after WWI
largest city
-

:
-




⑤ Kanto


Kanto plain (Japan's largest plain)
-




-




mild climate

-




key cities (Tokyo , Yokohama , Chiba , etc. )

center of arts , commerce
industry
-




,




① Chubu :




climate greatly varies
-




Japan Alps
-




has longest rivers
-




one of the largest rice-producing areas
-




-


Mt Fuji !! .




⑦ Kinki :




2nd most important industrial area
-




Kyoto , Osaka , Kobe
-




-




rice , citrus , lumbering fishing ,




Kansai area around Kyoto, Osaka
-




:




Cused in cultural context (

⑤
Chugoku :




-




mountainous +
basins +
coastal plains
-




Inland Sea coast :
important for commerce


dry climate
-




warm ,


-




Hiroshimd

⑦
Shikoku :




-




includes satellite islands

nigh steep mountains +
whirlpools
-




,




Shikoku
two
bridge chains
connecting Honshu
+
-




subtropical climate Pacific side
-




-




Naruto strait

Ainu people
-

, UNIT2 :

Mythology ,
Religions , and Prehistory

Religions :




Shintoism Buddhism

Shinto "the way of the gods" from China Coriginated in India)
-




=
came
-




polytheistic provided rituals beliefs for death
-
-
·




-


rooted in nature worship &
agriculture
-




Onmydo :
cosmology/divination
-



death was not considered (no afterlife)
-




families will have an affiliation w/ a Buddhist temple
-




valued cleanlinessa life a
community
-




butsudan :
memorial tablets

thousands of shrines ie traditional Japanese family
-


-
:




-




deities are called Kami (can be anything -


Edo period law required affiliation to a temple

torii gates at shrines ancestor worship is
exclusively Buddhist
-
-




-




no official sacred scriptures
-




Prince Shotoku considered true founder of Buddhism in Japan



Christianity
-




from Korea (same time as Buddhism)

at odds w/Shinto (monotheism vs polytheism)
-




.




-




only had an impact on social movements , education , Xmas , weddings
-


# of Christians has never been > 1%


-


Meiji period :
christianity was influential in women's education &
abolition of prostitution

initially tolerated then persecuted
-




,



-




could
finally worship openly in 1873 (after seclusion period)


New
Religions
600 + new movements
-




Tenrikyo 1838 ; has 250 000
-




:
,
+
members


Clean Gov't Party :
1964 ; new religion political activities
-




Rissho Kosei-Kai 1938 ; Buddhist new religion ; sponsors political candidates
-




:




many founded by women a
majority membership is female
-




-




gives community to those not supported by traditional religion