Japan: Our First Glimpse

Urbanized 

                    The evidence suggests that Japan has been inhabited continually for about 30,000 years, that's since the Upper Paleolithic. You probably know that it is an island nation in the Pacific ocean not far from the east coast of China. You may not know, that although it is a relatively small country, that it is also an archipelago of over 6,800 islands, the 11th most populated country on Earth, and the most urbanized in the world.

                    The people we have called Japanese call their country Nippon and sometimes Niho. Perhaps we could call them ipponese.

                    The people on the Japanese islands were beginning to take on some of there present characteristics by about 17,000 BP. At that time they lived in villages, hunted, harvested the country-side, practiced some agriculture, and fished ocean, and stream.

Jomon:

                    Their homes are recognizable by being constructed partially below ground level. They used baked clay vessels that are some of the earliest dated anywhere in the world to so early a time. We have called these people Jomon and there culture has been recognized as having lasted for well over 10,000 years.

Yayoi:

                    In historical times, about 1,000 BC, another people began to enter islands of the archipelago and began to intermingle with Jomon people. I believe the southernmost of the islands were the first they entered and began to move into other islands from there They may have come to the main Japanese islands from Okinawa.

                    By 660 BC thes Yayoi people had brought their culture to most of the islands. They brought metal work, wet rice farming, and a new style of  pottery, most of which seems similar to that of China and Korea. In fact, by this time the son of Amaterasu had founded a kingdom in central Japan. The royal line of that kingdom is the one which exists in Japan today. By the way, I believe that most Japanese now refer to Amaterasu's son as, Emperor Jimmu.

                    We have a lot to learn. 

                    I hope to write more about Japan soon. Please remind me to do so.

                    Thank you for reading.

                                                                                        rcs