Japan: History, Geography, Economy & Culture

This is the story of Japan. In this video, I explore the long and unique history of Japan, the diverse geography of Japan - an archipelago of mountains, forests and volcanoes, the Japanese Economy - perhaps the most sophisticated in the world, and the remarkably rich Japanese culture that has influenced the world in so many ways.

🕐CHAPTERS🕖
👉0:00 Opening Montage
👉1:57 Introduction and Titles
👉3:15 Origins and Early History
👉7:14 Modern History
👉15:16 Government
👉17:01 Physical Geography
👉22:17 Human Geography and Language
👉25:13 Economy
👉28:07 Culture and Summary
👉31:22 Outro

Japan's history as old and rich as any, and is strongly influenced by its geography, an island chain isolated at the end of the Eurasian continent. Its origins begin in the myths of the first Emperor of Japan, with recorded history beginning in the with the Yamato state of the 1st Century AD. Buddhism came to Japan in the 6th Century and fused with the native Shinto religion, which has continued to this day. Various dynasties went forward in the Asuka Period, the Nara Period where the capital of Japan moved to Kyoto, the Heian Period and the Kofun Period where the power of the Shogun, a military commander with greater power than the Emperor began.

But the Shogun's power waned until by the 15th Century, competing warlords ("Daimyo") fought each other in what became known as the Sengoku Period ("Warring States"). Samurai warriors, who ruled their lives by the Bushido Code, fought each other for 150 years. Oda Nobunaga was the one who ultimately triumphed out of the chaos, but he was soon assassinated, and his successor Tokugawa Ieyasu became Shogun after one final contest, the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. The Shogun Tokugawa moved his court to Edo, later renamed Tokyo, and for the next 250 years, peace and isolation reigned in this Edo Period, as foreigners were expelled.

The Edo Period came to an end in 1860 as Admiral Perry of the USA forced Japan to open up. The Shogun was deposed and the emperor restored to power in what became known as the Meiji Restoration. In the next few decades, Japan went from a feudal society to a modern industrialised nation. But this progress was overshadowed by the rise of ultra-nationalist politicians under Hideki Tojo, who invaded China, leading to the Nanking Massacre, and the entry of Japan into World War II. The Empire of Japan was short lived, however, as Great Britain and the USA pushed back its forces, and the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saw the unimaginable surrender of the country in August 1945.

Since the war, the Japanese Economic Miracle took place, as Japan went from ruins to the #2 Economy in the world by the early 1970s. It soon dominated electronics, robotics and automotive sectors, with Japanese brands such as Sony, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Canon and Panasonic becoming household names.

The geography of Japan comprises four main islands Hokkaido in the north, the largest island of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu in the south. Okinawa is also notable, part of the Ryukyu island chain that extends as far as Taiwan. Earthquakes are a continual menace to Japan, with the most recent devastating Tohoku Earthquake of 2011 resulting in a devastating tsunami that led to the loss of 10,000s and the nuclear disaster of Fukushima.

Japanese culture is easily among the world's richest, with its art, ikebana, bonsai and Japanese garden design prized around the world. It has a rich tradition of martial arts, from samurai to judo, karate to sumo. Its cuisine of ramen, sushi, teppan and teriyaki is sophisticated and popular the world over. Manga and anime are the latest globally desired trend of a tradition of centuries of illustration. Japanese strength in both electronics, art and story-telling resulted in its early entry into video games, which it continues to dominate to the present.

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📷📹🎥 VIDEO & PHOTO CREDITS ❤️❤️❤️

Title Music: "Japan Travel" by Cyril Nikitin

End Music

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Media Procurement Assistance, Spanish CC Translation: Richard Torres

Narrated, Written and Produced by
B.J.Ranson

[Geodiode]

Kon'nichiwa everyone! I hope you enjoyed this video as it almost killed me producing it! Please let me know your thoughts about this beautiful and inspiring country, whether you are Japanese or "Gaijin" ;), whether you live or have travelled there

[wfrqbsk]

I am from mainland China, and I like Japanese culture very much. One of the main reasons is that Japan has not experienced China's Mongolian descent to the south and Manchu Qing entry, so it has retained a lot of traditional culture and East Asian culture. Reminds me of the former Tang Empire, powerful, beautiful, peaceful and free
Maybe there are many historical problems between our two nations, and some of them are not perfectly resolved now, but I think the Chinese nation and the Yamato nation are friends and relatives for thousands of years. In the hundreds of years of the decline of the modern East, modern Japan will It is a good example for China and one of the references for modern Chinese political reform. The former students are now our teachers.

[Nobody-mewu]

I am ethnically Chinese, and I naturalized to Japan last year. Proud of being a Japanese citizen.

[shamima_shumy]

Japan is my most favorite country. I don’t know why… but I just love Japan…

[storiedworlds]

I’m a gaijin who lived almost ten years total in Japan and I applaud you for capturing so much of Japan in such a short video. Very well done.

[nile]

As a Japanese, I don’t know why some American people still adhere to the myth that the atomic bomb forced Japan to surrender. It was Soviet Union participation that forced Japan to surrender. The Japanese government was not shaken by Nagasaki on August 9th as with Hiroshima on August 6th. They were rather shocked by the participation of Soviet Union that they had asked to mediate peace, and then they understood that there was no other way but to surrender. This has already been settled academically by revealed various documents. The atomic bomb was completely unnecessary.

[standin.excaliblur]

my favorite country ever. miss this wonderful nation. i lived in japan for 3 years. 2.5 years in chiba near tokyo, and 8 months in a small valley town named tendo in yamagata. despite being just appx 300km apart, both are having very different climate.

tokyo is hot, humid, and stormy during the summer, you just simply can't leave the apartment without an umbrella! winter in tokyo is much sunnier, cool and pleasant with very rare and little amount of snow, you can just go around without wearing a knit hat. in fact, the sea water in tateyama beach (the very southernmost tip of chiba, far away from the city) is still warm due to the effect of kuroshio current ! amazing isn't it?

yamagata on the other hand, is freezing cold(not as cold as ukraine) and very snowy during the winter ! And the winter is much longer than tokyo, the snowfall starts to occur as early as november. the snow can last until the mid of march, where most of the places in japan are already enjoying the blooming of sakura. according to my coworkers, the region in nagano and the island of hokkaido are much more snowier than here! very distinct variation of weather, given the size of this country. would like to travel to japan as a tourist again in future. too many places have yet to explore!

[alidanish]

One of the best documentaries, precise and concise and encompass almost everything.

[Borntoschnitzel]

Wow man! Really clear way of presenting the information about Japan, in chronological order and even including the climate. I absolutely love the way this video has been made. I appreciate your efforts and thank you for making this, quite literally, art.

[BettyNi-wkzi]

i travelled to Japan last week, and i've experienced the traditional Japanese culture and cuisine, these Japanese cultures are kept very well, and Japan is very clean, especially in the lavatory, almost there is no trash bin in the street, this quality education should be learned.

[LittleJerry-kril]

Japan is a very mysterious country. I was lucky to visit there several years ago. I can feel a completely different cultural atmosphere

[vyugruc]

日本の凄い所は10, 000年以上昔の縄文文化が現代でも少なからず影響していて、

[angelinegeorge]

I love Japan. Been there 26yrs ago n plan to visit again in the near future. Its an amazing country that has so much to offer the world thru its arts, traditions, wonderful landscapes, creativity, cuisine n warm friendly people. Its a timeless wonder n fascinates any visitor to this nation. Amazing Japan. Thank u for this great video . Hope to see more videos on Japan.💮🇯🇵💮

[Bryggyth]

Japan is a really interesting country! I studied abroad there during college, and it was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. I've been studying Japanese for a few years now, and hope to go back eventually once the whole pandemic situation is sorted out.
Love your videos, thanks for making them!

[JeffreyDeCristofaro]

A place that I have yet to visit, yet I already love from the bottom of my heart!

[TheVigilantStewards]

Woooow.... I didn't think your videos could get better produced but look at this one! Masterpiece! I've also always been fascinated by Japan

[stoby]

As a Brit who has been living in the heart of Tokyo for 24 years, the most fascinating thing about its people is that just when i think I know everything about them, I learn something new.

[SCHRANZ]

I have full utter respect for nippon people. I was most touched by this video as well. Kind thank for the upload 🇬🇧🇯🇵

[swanywhite]

I’m a Japanese.
There are many different understandings from the facts about Japan’s history.
This is a stereotypical western view.

[IanBaluwa]

This is the most well explained and comprehensively documented YouTube video I've ever watched. Thanks a lot for making after it and spending time doing research,