The Meiji Restoration of Japan

Japan is an archipelago - what is that?

- An archipelago is a large chain of islands. The most well known archipelagos are Japan, New Zealand, the Phillipines and Indonesia.

How did Matthew Perry "bully" the Japanese into signing a trade treaty?

- Matthew Perry had cannons out and sails down when he lowered the anchor onto the shores 26 miles away from Tokyo. He did this to intimidate the Japanese. He pulled into a docking port so people would see the advancements made in the West. The Japanese knew very well that they stood no chance against the Europeans who had powerful weapons. Seeing the huge ship with large cannons was intimidating enough for the Japanese.

What did Perry have that impressed the Japanese?

- Matthew Perry had large ships which ran on coal. They had a steam engine inside of them and could operate without sails. The Japanese were fascinated and had never seen anything larger than a sailboat. Perry also brought along with him a small locomotive, or toy train. Japan had never seen such technology.

How did the Japanese economy change during the Meiji Era?

- Japan saw the West and decided that they needed to change their ways. They observed European countries and the way they were run. Japan industrialized and adapted the ways of the West to their own Constitution and the way their very own country was run.

How did they modernize and industrialize?

- Japan sent many people to the West to study the way countries were run. For example, Japanese men studied the German Constitution. Japan later adapted it and made their own constitution. Japan also introduced a "national educational system."