2. • Made of four main islands.
• Abundant rainfall and a cool climate: large
impact on Shinto religion as focuses on keeping
clean and therefore pure.
• Very mountainous, only 15%of land used for
farming/agriculture therefore they had to rely on
foreign traders for their main food sources.
• Mountains of Japan contain up to 10% of all
active volcanoes.
• The lack of natural resources meant they needed
to build an empire so they could gain supplies.
3. • The lack of natural resources meant they needed to
build an empire so they could gain supplies.
• As they are an island it was fairly easy to isolate
themselves from the rest of the world and it was
harder to invade.
• No one lives further than 70 miles from the coast.
• Lots of natural diversity.
• Frequent earthquakes.
• Japan had quiet forests, waterfalls and was
overall a place of serene natural beauty. This ties in
with Shinto religion.
5. Natural Features of Japan
◻ Abundant rainfall and a cool climate
◻ Very mountainous, only 15%of land used for farming/agriculture
◻ No coal in the ground, reliant on other energy types.
◻ Mountains of Japan contain up to 10% of all active volcanoes.
◻ Lacked natural resources
◻ No one lives further than 112 kilometres from the coast.
Read pages 190 – top 191. This was a similar time period to that of
Medieval Europe. Knowing what you do about Medieval Europe –
What do you think the challenges would have been for the people who
lived in Medieval Japan?
◻ Discuss this question and write a paragraph about it
