| A | B |
|---|
| archipelago | chain of islands |
| ring of fire | Pacific region subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanoes |
| tsunami | killer tidal wave |
| haiku | form of Japanese poetry that uses three lines of 17 syllables |
| coastline | area where mainland and ocean meet |
| river valley | area of fertile lowland bordering a river |
| Ainu | original settlers of Japan |
| Shinto | native religion of Japan that worships the forces of nature |
| Kami | spirit who was believed to be the original ancestor of an early Japanese clan |
| cultural diffusion | the spread of ideas, customs and technology from one people to another |
| Buddhism | religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama |
| Confucianism | philosophy based on teachings of Kong Fuzi, known to the Western world as Confucius |
| Kana | Japanese writing system which was adapted from the Chinese |
| Zen | Buddhist sect that developed in Japan and won widespread acceptance among Samurai |
| Shogun | Supreme military commander in feudal Japan |
| isolationism | policy of limited involvement in world affairs |
| feudalism | loosely organized system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military support to a greater lord |
| daimyo | warrior lords directly below the shogun in feudal Japan |
| samurai | lesser warriors of the fighting aristocracy in feudal Japan |
| kabuki | form of Japanese drama developed in the 1600's |
