Explore Essays
Are the Japanese People Religious?
Professor Helen Hardacre analyzes the question of whether the Japanese are religious through historic and cultural lenses.
Origami in the Classroom: Where Every Child Counts!
Practical tips and techniques for using origami in the elementary classroom.
Social Media and the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011
Examination of the role social media played in communication after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident of March 11, 2011. The article explores the relationship between "scientific communication" and "ordinary communication."
Recent Trends In Education Reform in Japan – The Impact on International Comparisons on Educational Policy
Essay summarizing recent trends in Japanese education reform, which is particularly relevant in light of the release of the 2009 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) scores on Dec. 7. Japan’s education policies this past decade have been influenced by Japan’s performance on tests comparing the educational skills of its students, including PISA.
Hibakusha Testimony as Oral History: Thoughts for Teachers
Associate Professor James Orr provides insight as to how a-bomb survivors, or hibakusha's, testimonies should be approached, heard, and of course, discussed.
Hiroshima: History, City, Event
Indiana University Associate Professor Scott O'Bryan expands the story of Hiroshima beyond the 1945 atomic bombing. A broader history of the city and its importance in national developments are introduced, while remaining mindful of the significance of the bombing itself. Suggestions encouraging students to investigate multiple perspectives of the event are included.
The Japanese Missions to Tang China, 7th-9th Centuries
From 630 to 894, the Japanese court sent a number of official envoys to Tang China. These missions profoundly affected Japan's government, economics, culture and religion. This essay helps clarify how cultural interaction between Japan and China worked during this early era -- an essential element for understanding and teaching East Asian history in the 7th-9th centuries.
Is that really funny? – humor and identity in Japan and China
Cambridge University historian Barak Kushner looks at how to use the humor to understand how Japan and China have understood one another. Includes references to good primary sources.
Japan's Forests: Good Days and Bad --Rhythms of Damage and Recovery -
Japan historian Conrad Totman provides an overview of Japanese history from the viewpoint of the relation between humans and forests. This view of history incorporates the relationship between environmental, political, technological, and economic history.premodern Japan
What's the Matter with Saying 'The Orient'?
Yale professor Chris Hill argues against using terms like "the Orient" and "the Far East" and offers suggestions for alternatives.
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Education Programs are made possible by generous funding from The Freeman Foundation.
Additional support is provided by The Norinchukin Foundation, Inc., Chris A. Wachenheim, Joshua N. Solomon, Jon T. Hutcheson, Lesley Nan Haberman, Joshua S. Levine and Nozomi Terao.
About Japan: A Teacher’s Resource is generously funded, in part, by a three-year grant from the International Research and Studies (IRS) Program in the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education (P017A100018).
Student and Family Programs are supported by the New York City
Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
