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The earliest of these people, who are thought to have migrated from Korea to northern Kyushu and intermixed with the Jomon, also used chipped stone tools.

Their irrigated, wet-rice culture was similar to that of central and south China, requiring heavy inputs of human labor, which led to the development and eventual growth of a highly sedentary, agrarian society.

The earliest written records about Japan are from Chinese sources from this period. Wa (the Japanese pronunciation of an early Chinese name for Japan) was first mentioned in A.D. 57.

Japanese painters used the devices of the cutoff, close-up, and fade-out by the twelfth century in yamato-e, or Japanese-style, scroll painting, perhaps one reason why modern filmmaking has been such a natural and successful art form in Japan.

The calligrapher--a member of the Confucian literati class, or samurai--had a higher status, while artists of great genius were often recognized in the medieval period by receiving a name from a feudal lord and thus rising socially.

Artists divided into two main camps, those continuing in traditional Japanese style and those who wholeheartedly studied the new Western culture.

After World War II, many artists began working in art forms derivied from the international scene, moving away from local artistic developments into the mainstream of world art.

Two terms originating from Zen Buddhist meditative practices describe degrees of tranquillity: one, the repose found in humble melancholy (wabi), the other, the serenity accompanying the enjoyment of subdued beauty (sabi).

The Cultural Affairs Division is concerned with such areas as art and culture promotion, arts copyrights, and improvements in the national language.

A new generation of the avant-garde has broken with this tradition, often receiving its training in the West. In the traditional arts, however, the master-pupil system preserves the secrets and skills of the past.

Another seminal center is Tama Arts University in Tokyo, which produced many of Japan's late twentieth- century innovative young artists

In 1989 the fifth woman ever to be so distinguished was cited for Japanese-style painting, while for the first time two women--a writer and a costume designer--were nominated for the Order of Cultural Merit, another official honor carrying the same stipend.

The Cultural Properties Protection Division originally was established to oversee restorations after World War II.

During the 1980s, many important prehistoric and historic sites were investigated by the archaeological institutes that the agency funded, resulting in about 2,000 excavations in 1989.

A 1975 amendment to the Cultural Properties Protection Act of 1897 enabled the Agency for Cultural Affairs to designate traditional areas and buildings in urban centers for preservation.

Individual artists and groups, such as a dance troupe or a pottery village, are designated as mukei bunkazai (intangible cultural assets) in recognition of their skill.

A growing number of large corporations join major newspapers in sponsoring exhibitions and performances and in giving yearly prizes.

A number of foundations promoting the arts arose in the 1980s, including the Cultural Properties Foundation set up to preserve historic sites overseas, especially along the Silk Route in Inner Asia and at Dunhuang in China.

After World War II, artists typically gathered in arts associations, some of which were long-established professional societies while others reflected the latest arts movement.

By the 1980s, however, avant-garde painters and sculptors had eschewed all groups and were "unattached" artists.

early all of the country's inhabitants belong to the same ethnic group and share the same racial background and cultural characteristics.

Within the villages, households consist of large families. This usually includes a farmer, his wife and children, grandparents, and grown sons and their families.

Yayoi culture originally developed in northern Kyushu, the western and southernmost of Japan's main islands.

Japanese city life is much more Westernized than that of the countryside.

ayoi culture spread into Honshu (Japan's largest island) and present-day Tokyo in the Middle (100 BC-100 AD) to Late Yayoi (100-300AD) period.

Modern entertainment is also active in the cities of Japan.

The Japanese celebrate many holidays and practice many customs throughout the year.

On May 5 Kodomo-no-Hi (Children's Day) is celebrated. This is a day set aside to honor all children.

Perhaps the most important development of the Yayoi period was the cultivation of rice, probably introduced from the area near the Yangtze River delta in southern China.

November 23 marks Kansha-no-Hi (Labor-Thanksgiving Day). On this day, the Japanese give thanks to laborers and for a successful harvest.

apanese men and women did not choose their marriage partners based on love. Instead, marriage was arranged by families who paired couples based on their social and economic status.

At the end of the day a large bathtub is filled with hot water. Then, each family member, in turn washes and rinses thoroughly before getting into the tub.

In addition to pottery and iron and bronze tools, archaeologists have depended largely on burial remains to uncover Yayoi culture.

For years, the Japanese have taken great pride in their performing arts. Dance and theater are essential parts of Japanese culture.

n northeastern Japan, secondary burials were conducted in which the bones of the dead were exhumed, painted decoratively, and placed in ornamental clay jars.

"No plays" are other types of theatrical performances common in Japan.

The gagaku, for example, is classical music that was introduced into Japan from China in the 8th century A.D.

Western music is also popular in Japan.

For many years the Japanese style of dress consisted of long, flowing robes called kimonos.

The climate of Japan varies a great deal from heavy snows and extreme cold along the west coast to warm and humid summers in the rest of the country.