How did Japan's self-sufficiency contribute to
the Japanese worldview?
self-sufficient with
silk worms and cotton plants for clothing
trees for buildings and fuel
metal for arts
fish for food
farms for providing food
arable - land suitable for farming
Compared to Canada, Japan has a longer growing season because rain and temperate climate.
What symbols are associated with Canada?
Japan has a symbol that is connected to its country, too; rice. Rice production requires a lot of time and energy. It is also very dependent on the climate.
Rice was historically used as a system of money. The worth of a piece of land was based on the how much rice it produced. A person's wealth was also determined by the quantity of rice they were able to produce a year.
Two other food sources that were central to the Japanese diet were:
Soy
fish
homogeneous - a group of people similar in nature and character
The Japanese people have always thought of themselves as homogenous people. They shared many aspects of their lives and related to similar worldviews. For many cultures, geography plays in important part to their worldview. However, the Japanese landscape did not allow for the distinct cultural differences that can be found in many other nations. Ex) People living in the prairies related to farming, while those who live in the large cities are accustomed to the faster pace.
The one geographical aspect the Japanese relate to is the sea. Most ideas, beliefs, values and goods were shared via this mode of transportation.
Like many other countries, there was a group of people that suffered from forced assimilation. The Ainu were forbidden to speak their language and practice their customs, and were forced to live in certain areas that involved farming, even though the Ainu were traditionally fishermen and hunters.
Imagine a country that has everything it needs—fresh water, food, energy, and natural resources. The people in that country might feel very independent and believe they don’t need help from other countries. Because they can meet their own needs, they might not worry much about what’s happening in other parts of the world. This could affect how they think about trade, global problems, or working with other nations.
Think about Canada. Do you think we can meet all our basic needs with our own natural resources? Why or why not? How might that affect the way Canadians see the world?
Group Word Association Challenge
Your task is to link at least 3–5 of these words together to explain how Japan’s natural resources shaped the Japanese worldview.
Example response:
Because Japan could grow rice and fish the sea, people depended mostly on themselves. This led to a self-sufficient mindset and a shared way of life.
How is Japan’s worldview similar or different from Canada’s?