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Nature and the Environment in Postwar Japan
LessonModern Japan has a particularly fascinating relationship with the environment. Students will explore Japan's seemingly contradictory attitude and actions, characterized both by a profound, self-proclaimed respect for nature along with a proclivity to exploit and degrade the natural environment. Students will use a variety of sources including informational texts, poetry, and traditional and modern art to explore this paradox. They also will evaluate the government's response and the social reprecussions.
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Asakusa Park After 1923 Earthquake
ResourcePhoto of Asakusa Park after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.
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Kanto Earthquake Destruction in Tokyo
ResourceA shopping center in Tokyo suffered incredible destruction during the Kanto Earthquake in 1923.
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Earthquake Destruction in Fukui Prefecture
ResourceDamage to a highway by an earthquake in July 1948
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Canned Whale Meat
ResourceEating whale, a controversial issue, is permitted in Japan. In fact, whale meat provided a key source of cheap protein in the early postwar period. A discussion of this picture can be used as an entry point to discussing issues of cultural taboos, cultural relativism, and the extent to which the debate over the protection of whales is based on "science" vs. culturally ingrained ideas.
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The British Isles and Japanese Archipelago: A Comparison of Environmental Basics
EssayJapan Historian Conrad Totman explores the ramifications of the environmental similarities and differences between the Japanese archipelago and the British Isles.
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Japan's Forests: Good Days and Bad --Rhythms of Damage and Recovery -
EssayJapan 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
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Countryside
ResourceThis picture of orange fields in Arida City, Wakayama, Japan provides a good illustration of terraced farming very popular in Japan.
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Copenhagen & Beyond: A Multilateral Debate about Climate Change Policy, Overview
ResourceClimate change experts and government leaders and dignitaries from China, Japan and the US met at Japan Society to discuss the upcoming climate change summit in Copenhagen. This resource gives a background to the issue and links to video clips from the event.
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Natural Disasters
ResourceA collection of resources related to natural disasters in Japan.
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