Japan

A P.E.R.G.A. Presentation

By Nicholas, David, Yaakov,

& Jayden
 By: David Boston

Politics
 Japan is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
Emperor Akihito is the head monarch of Japan, and Shinzo Abe is their Prime
Minister.
Japan has a constitution which states their basic human rights. However the
people feel that their constitution needs to be amended.
It has not been changed since 1947.
Suicide rate in children is at an abnormal high.
Government controls the majority of the economy and business.
By: Jayden
Economics
Economics
Living in Japan is almost the same as living on Maui
The actual exchange rate is 0.00903 USD to JPY, so 10,000 yen is
actually only $9.03
The biggest exports are vehicles, electronics, and chemicals
Religion
Yaakov: Religion P1: Origins
Buddha was just a man originally known as Siddhartha Gautama
Siddhartha was the son a feudal lord destined to be a chakravartin or great redeemer
His father wanted him to become a chakravartin
He attempted to achieve this by sheltering him
This lead to the tale of the four passing sights
The four passing sights
Decrepitude, Sickness, Death, and a Monk
Journey of enlightenment
Hindus, hermits, and the bodhi tree
Yaakov: Religion P2: Basic principles
The six common aspects of religion that buddhism rejects
Authority, Ritual, Speculation, Tradition, Grace, Mystery
The seven aspects the buddhism is based on
Empirical, Scientific, Pragmatism, Therapeutic, Psychological, Egalitarianism, and Individual
Dukkha and Tanha
Dukkha: Suffering
Tanha: Desire
The four noble truths
Life is Dukkha
The origin of Dukkha is Tanha
Tanha can be overcome
We overcome Tanha through the eightfold path
Yaakov: Religion P3: Branches
Theravada
Listen to your head
Buddha was just a saint
Personal effort
No grace
More aligned with original teachings but followed less
Mahayana
Listen to your heart
Buddha is grace
Group effort
Far less aligned to original teachings but vastly more popular
Geography
General Geography
73% of Japan is Mountainous

68.55% of Japan is Forested

Japan has small amounts of farmable land

Close to sea level

The closest county to Japan is South Korea
(1,153 kilometers)

Japan is a stratovolcanic Archipelago

A chain of islands consisting of composite volcanoes
By: Nicholas De Laveaga

Arts...
 Traditional Art
Art has played an important role in
Japans development ever since The
Jmon (20,000 B.C.)

Traditional Japanese art can take many

forms such as: calligraphy, poetry, music,
shrines, sculptures, paintings, dolls, plays,
wooden block prints, ceramics, pottery,
and clothing

Each creation represented something deep

in the mind of the creator.
Each art piece existed for some higher,
more defined purpose.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Created by: Katsushika Hokusai
 Modern Art
With the help of technology, computer
animation (anime), digital art, and comics
(manga), have forwarded to the front of
attention as almost anyone is able to
create and have complete access to it.

However, with over accessibility comes a

severe drop in quality and intricacy.
Most Modern Japanese art had become
unsupervised

The modernization and technological advance of

Japanese culture has led to an art form that is
more focused on producing entertaining and
colorful art and animation while subverting
deeper meanings altogether Tan Tan Bo Puking
I dont even know
Created by: Takashi Murakami
 Research Questions ?

?
?
How do modern and traditional japanese art
compare? ? ?

?
Similarities?
Differences?

What kind of influences can art have?

What can art inspire?

?
Future artists?

How does Japanese art differ from American

art?
How has Japanese art and culture
affected America?
 Thank You
For Your Time!