Japan has four main islands with abundant rainfall and cool climate influencing Shinto religion's focus on purity. The mountainous terrain leaves only 15% of land suitable for farming, requiring reliance on foreign trade for food. Lacking natural resources, Japan built an empire to gain supplies. As islands, Japan could isolate itself but invading was difficult due to the mountainous terrain and frequent earthquakes.

1. JAPAN UNDER THE
SHOGUNS
Starting a new topic today

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.

4. Landscape of Japan
What do these images
suggest about the
landscape of Japan?

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

6. Questions
◻ Review 12.1 Q1 & 2 (page 189)
◻ Interpret 12.1 Q 1 & 2 (page 191)