Japan's Early History

Japan is a very ancient country, steeped in traditions accumulated for thousands of years, with a culture that is both instantly familiar and yet profoundly unique among other Asian cultures despite the outside influences.

People have lived on the islands of Japan for more than 30,000 years. The earliest inhabitants lived by hunting and gathering food and made tools out of stone. Historians refer to the period of Japanese history between about 10,000 and about 300 B.C. as the Jomon era.

During this time, people lived in small villages of about 50 people. To obtain food, they hunted for deer and boar, fished, and gathered nuts and berries. The main artefacts these people left behind were pots with markings made by cords or ropes. Jomon means cord-marked.