About Japan, A teacher's resource

The end of Japan's seemingly endless "postwar" period is a topic of much debate. The materials covered by this theme encompass the broadest definition, covering the period right up until the present, offering ample chance for students to debate the end of Japan's postwar. During this period, Japan has experienced extraordinary and often rapid changes in daily life, material culture, as well as economics and its role in the world. The diverse resources and essays here, as well as the soon to be posted lesson plans, offer multiple entry points for teaching about Japan between 1945 and the present.

Essay: Japan's Rebirth at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics


Professor Paul Droubie gives an overview of the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, which were the first hosted in a non-white, non-Western country. The essay highlights the significance of these games in the context of Japanese social and diplomatic history.

View

Resource: Souvenirs At Yasukuni Shrine


Pictures of souvenirs, which can be interpreted as nationalistic, being sold at Yasukuni Shrine. This Shrine, dedicated to Japanese war dead, is extremely controversial.

View

Lesson: Popular Culture and Japan’s Gross National Cool

Grade Level: Secondary
Subject Area: Social Studies

Modern Japan's pop culture, from Hello Kitty to Wii, has been successfully exported worldwide. This lesson explores the varied roots of these cultural trends and their significance in a global context.

View

Lesson: The Bubble Economy and the Lost Decade

Grade Level: Secondary,Post-Secondary
Subject Area: English and Language Arts,Social Studies

This lesson uses well-know editorials, speeches, and poems to explore the Japanese reaction to the Bubble Economy and Lost Decade.

View

Resource: Cars for Export, 1970s


Thousands of cars await export in this 1975 picture. The Japanese economy at this time was growing at a very high rate. In 1975 the Japanese economy was booming and was the 3rd largest industrial economy.

View

Resource: Japanese Stock Market 1973


The Japanese stock market in a frenzy after an Arab decision to reduce oil restrictions on Japan.

View

Resource: Starbucks Employees


Starbucks employees, who met as part of a company gathering, posing in front of a Starbucks stand at Ueno Station in Tokyo in October, 2007.

View

Lesson: Japan in the World Since 1945

Grade Level: Secondary
Subject Area: Social Studies

This lesson explores Japan's politics after the Allied Occupation, in particular the close but conflicted relationship with the United States, the sometimes strained relations with China and South Korea, and Japan's military policy.

View

Resource: Anime - An Annotated Filmography for Use in the Classroom


In this filmography, Japanese historian and anime and manga expert Antonia Levi recommends anime movies to use in the grade K-12 classroom. For each movie, she gives a synopsis, suggests age appropriateness, and offers points of discussion.

View

Resource: Shinto Shrine Purification Ritual


This instructional poster from Ebara Shrine in Tokyo shows children the proper way to purify before entering a Shinto shrine.

View

Displaying 1—10 of 45

« PREVIOUS 1 2 3 4 5 NEXT »