I Like Emma

July 18, 2023

by Ana

Before Jomon (circa 28,000 B.C. - 7,500 B.C.)

The beginning of Japanese civilization as we know it is the Jomon era, where ancient hunter-gatherers and agriculturists roamed the continent, united through Jomon culture. What's more, though, is that there were settlements before the Jomon era.

The pre-Jomon era of Japanese history is full of fascinating facts. Did you know that in the Paleolithic era, animals living in modern-day Japan were fully able to walk to North America over land?

Until [The Soya Strait] and the Bering Straits were opened, these regions had overland routes to north Asia and North America, but they were probably not fully opened until the beginning of the Christian era. The longer period of contact and replenishment from north Asian faunal sources accounts for the more northern character of Japan's animal life. Cambridge History of Japan Volume 1

In fact, the Kanto plain — a large stretch of land spanning from modern-day Japan's capital, Tokyo, to the hot-spring-filled city of modern day Nasu — was a pretty common target for settlement, with resources, various flora and fauna, and a massive amount of springs giving the earliest settlers of Japan plenty to live off of.