Influence of Geography on Japan and the Japanese

Focus on the influence of geography on Japan and the Japanese, and the nature and danger of national character stereotypes. Three different geographic forces influence the history of a country: (1) Geography – location on the map. Also called spatial organization.. (2) Topography – physical features (mountains, rivers, deserts, plains, etc.) (3) Physical processes – weather, climate, tsunamis, volcanoes, typhoons, ocean currents, etc.) Each one of these three factors shaped and influenced the history of Japan and the Japanese people. In what ways have the Japanese people and Japanese society been shaped by geography? For more information, you can go here: East Asia in Geographic Perspective http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/geography/