Japan Talks
Japan is an island country in East Asia. It is in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 14,125 islands, with the five main islands being Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the country's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.
The Japanese archipelago has been inhabited since the Upper Paleolithic (30,000 BC). Between the fourth and ninth centuries AD, the kingdoms of the region became unified under an emperor and the imperial court based in Heian-kyō. Beginning in the 12th century, political power was held by a series of military dictators (shōgun) and feudal lords (daimyō), and enforced by a class of warrior nobility (samurai). After a century-long period of civil war, the country was reunified in 1603 under the Tokugawa shogunate, which enacted an isolationist foreign policy. In 1854, a United States fleet forced Japan to open trade to the West, which led to the end of the shogunate and the restoration of imperial power in 1868. In the Meiji period, the Empire of Japan adopted a Western-modeled constitution, and pursued a program of industrialization and modernization. Amidst a rise in militarism and overseas colonization, Japan invaded China in 1937 and entered World War II as an Axis power in 1941. After suffering defeat in the Pacific War and two atomic bombings, Japan surrendered in 1945 and came under a seven-year Allied occupation, during which it adopted a new constitution.
Under the 1947 constitution, Japan has maintained a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature, the National Diet. Japan is a developed country and a great power, with one of the largest economies by nominal GDP. Japan has renounced its right to declare war, though it maintains a Self-Defense Force that ranks as one of the world's strongest militaries. A global leader in the automotive, robotics, and electronics industries, the country has made significant contributions to science and technology, and is one of the world's largest exporters and importers. It is part of multiple major international and intergovernmental institutions. Japan has over 125 million inhabitants and is the 11th most populous country in the world, as well as one of the most densely populated. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its highly urbanized population on narrow coastal plains. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Japan has one of the world's longest life expectancies but has a population decline due to its very low birth rate.
Japan is a cultural superpower as the culture of Japan is well known around the world, including its art, cuisine, film, music, and popular culture, which encompasses prominent manga, anime, and video game industries.
Title | Speaker | |
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Entering and Embodying Truth Soto Zen, soto, Japan, Bodhisattva Precepts, Perfect Wisdom |
Jul 29 2008 The Yoga Room |
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Intimacy with Birth and Death: The 39th Yearly Memorial for Suzuki Roshi Tassajara, Commitment, Suzuki Roshi, Intimacy, Japan |
Dec 04 2010 Afternoon No Abode Hermitage |
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Facing Change and Realizing Peace practicing generosity, Commitment, difficulty, Japan, Funeral |
Aug 02 2012 The Yoga Room |
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The Good Friendship of Shitou, Matsu and Yaoshan Suzuki Roshi, Japan, Silence, Triple Treasure, Bodhisattva Way |
Feb 01 2014 Afternoon No Abode Hermitage |
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I always think of Hunan in SpringBodhisattva Vow, Koan, Perfection of Wisdom, Perfect Wisdom, japanese, Sangha,... |
Apr 12 2014 AM No Abode Hermitage |
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Silent Sitting & Social ActionZen students often ask how our practice of silence and stillness relates to injustice and our environmental crisis. In this class we explore this question and study the intimate interplay of... YRB-2018-Fall, Silence, Bodhidharma, cognitive process, Observe, Fundraising, Lay,... |
Nov 13 2018 5 of 7 The Yoga Room |
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A Conversation about Principle and Phenomena Heart Sutra, Perfect Wisdom, resistance, confusion, Letting Go, Don't Know Mind... |
May 18 2019 AM No Abode Hermitage |
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Stories of EnlightenmentIn our class this fall we will contemplate and converse about several stories of Zen practice and enlightenment. Our contemplation and conversations will naturally bring up questions and concerns... YRB-2019-Fall, Four Noble Truths, Book of Serenity, Daily Life, Suzuki Roshi,... |
Oct 10 2019 2/7 The Yoga Room |
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Stories of EnlightenmentIn our class this fall we will contemplate and converse about several stories of Zen practice and enlightenment. Our contemplation and conversations will naturally bring up questions and concerns... YRB-2019-Fall, Blue Cliff Record, Japan, true dharma, Book of Serenity, Patience,... |
Oct 17 2019 3/7 The Yoga Room |
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Reaching Home Again Without Realizing It Chanting, Suzuki Roshi, Practice Period, Priest, japanese, Faith, Impermanence, Lotus... |
Oct 19 2019 AM No Abode Hermitage |
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Ten Vows, Ten Practices, and Ten Cakes Discrimination, Bowing, Japan, Bell, Attachment, Priest, Dragons, Doubt, Bodhidharma... |
Mar 07 2020 PM No Abode Hermitage |
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Entering the Samadhi of Buddha’s RadianceA talk by Tenshin Roshi for a gathering of the No Abode community Flower Adornment Scripture, Avatamsaka Sutra, the interpenetration of principle and phenomena,... |
Aug 12 2023 No Abode Hermitage |