Japan- Chapter 12 key concepts

Question 1

Japan’s Geography

• Physical Location
• Major Island Name
• Close Countries
• Nearby Water
• Landscape
• Mountains (Amount)
• Farmland (Amount and Quality)
• Food Sources (Food Staples)
• Climate

Answer 1

The country of Japan is composed of a long, narrow series of islands along the Eastern Pacific coast of Asia. There are 4 major island in Japan and those are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku , Kyushu. The closest countries are South Korea, Russia, and China.
Japan is surrounded by Pacific Ocean. About 73% of Japan is surrounded by the mountains, there is also flat area of cultivation for farming. As Japan is surrounded by the sea, Japanese always looked for sea food. Rice was the main food in Japan. Growing rice is labour intensive.
winter predominates; the south has a milder climate where rice and other warm weather crops grow well.
climate tends to be cool in the north and subtropical in the south, the seas that surround Japan moderate the climate. The moderate moist climate allows farmers to grow rice and fruits.

Question 2

Japan’s Self-sufficiency

- Japan’s natural resources

Answer 2

Japan is a self-sufficient because Coal, iron ore, zinc, lead, copper, sulfur, gold, and silver are among the most abundant minerals (in relative terms), with lesser quantities of tungsten, chromium, and manganese. Japan also has large deposits of limestone.

Question 3

History of the Ainu

The basic idea of who they are and what happened to them.

Answer 3

Ainu were the Japanese aboriginals living in the northern Japan for various thousands years. Ainu means “human in the Ainu language. Japanese began to Ainu land and then in 1264. The Ainu fought against the Japanese for several years but then they were defeated.

Question 4

Shinto Religion

The foundation of the religion.

Answer 4

Shinto religion was the ancient religion of Japan. Shinto is based on the belief that sacred spirits called kamikaze take the form of objects in nature such as mountains, trees, and stones. The foundation of the religion is Shinto kamikaze spirits and Buddhist Bodhisattva were formally combined to create a single deity, thus creating Bury Shinto or ‘Double Shinto.

Question 5

Importance of Rice

Demonstrate status

Answer 5

Rice is Japanese main food in Japan. Rice’s status is about 85% in Japan. About 2.3 million farms in Japan plant rice yearly. Japanese diet and of such fundamental importance to the Japanese culture that it was once used as currency, and the word for cooked rice has become synonymous with the general meaning of meal.

Question 6

Homogeneous Society

Why and how?

Answer 6

A homogeneous society consists of people who see themselves as having a similar nature and character.
However, the people of Japan have long thought of themselves as a homogeneous society, a great unified family with common values and beliefs.
On the one hand, Japanese like to think of their society, their culture, as having this unique identity that is sort of inaccessible to foreigners.