Japan -- Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition - 0 views
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Japan is a country marked by contrast between old and new. The country values its complex and ancient cultural tradition.
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The islands of Japan form an arc that stretches about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from northeast to southwest.
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Much of Japan's original vegetation has been replaced by farming or by plant species brought in from other countries.
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The burakumin (people of the village) are ethnically the same as the majority of Japanese. However, their ancestors were members of the former outcast class. The burakumin are often treated unfairly.
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Japan has a rich and complex culture. Native Japanese traditions have been mixed with cultural styles adapted from China and, later, from the West. Japanese culture and art emphasize understated simplicity, elegance, and grace. For example, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, flower arranging, and garden design are highly stylized and refined. On the other hand, contemporary Japanese society fully embraces Western-style popular culture—influenced by television, motion pictures, and advertising.
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modern Japanese writers include Soseki Natsume, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Osamu Dazai, Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, and Yukio Mishima.
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Today the martial arts are more important as competitive sports and as aids to physical and mental fitness.
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Historical records, however, show that Japan was not united as one state until the late 4th or early 5th century AD. It was ruled by the Yamato dynasty.
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By the mid-19th century the Tokugawa shogunate was unable to keep European and United States traders away.
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A new government was established under the young emperor Mutsuhito, who took the name of Meiji, meaning “enlightened government.”
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Japan soon sought to build an empire. It successfully fought a war with China (1894–95) and with Russia (1904–05).