HIST 4490: Premodern Japan
Lesson 1: Introduction
Geography

Four Main Islands: Hokkaidō 北海道, Honshū 本州, Shikoku 四国, and Kyushū 九州

Tectonic plates, earthquakes, and mountainous terrain

Four major plains: Kantō 関東, Kinai 畿内, Nōbi 濃尾, and Tsukushi 筑紫


Inland Sea (Setonaikai 瀬戸内海)
Mount Fuji 富士山

Regions: Kantō 関東, Kansai 関西 and Tōhoku 東北

Ocean currents: Oyashio and Kuroshio

Climate Zones: mostly temperate

o
Snow region in Northern Honshū, Sea of Japan side
o
Subarctic in Hokkaidō
o
Subtropics in Okinawa etc.
Four Seasons
o
Plum Rain in June-July
Japanese Language

Polysyllabic

Ural-Altaic Language (grammar)

Written Language
o
Kanji
o
Hiragana
o
Katakana

Macrons 
Japanese names