Unit 4: Japan

1. How did Japan's geography shape people's beliefs and values?
2. In what ways did the isolation policy of the Edo period and contact with other cultures during the Meiji period affect the Japanese identity?
3. What impact did contact with Western cultures have on the Japanese worldview?
4. What tensions can occur when a society must adapt to rapidly changing circumstances?
5. How can different cultures learn to appreciate and benefit from each other?

Read through the first page and discuss the question:

By 1281, Japan had twice been saved from invasion by a typhoon. How might this repeated experience influence the worldview of the Japanese people?

How might it influence their view of people from other places?

Chapter 12: Shaping a Unique Identity

Chapter 13: Japan Under the Shogun

Chapter 14: Edo Japan: A Closed Society

Chapter 15: Contact and Change in Meiji Japan

Chapter 16: Return to Roots

Unit Project