Discover your Japanese roots

Questions to ask the older generation

Memories fade faster than photos. Ask these over a meal or a phone call, and write the answers down.

1. Which town or region of Japan did our family come from? Was it near Yokohama, Nagoya, Kanazawa?
2. Who was the first in the family to leave Japan, when, and why?
3. Which dishes from Japan were cooked at home? Did anyone make Sushi or Ramen?
4. Does anyone in the family still speak Japanese, or use a few words of it?
5. Were there songs, prayers, games or holidays from Japan that the family kept?
6. Are there old photos, letters or documents from Japan? Who has them?
7. If you could visit Japan together, where would you go first?

A short history of Japan

Japan's written history begins later than China's, but its imperial family is one of the oldest in the world. For most of the last thousand years real power lay with warrior families, until the emperor was restored to the centre of the state in 1868.

1. AD 710

   Nara becomes the capital

   Japan built its first long-lasting capital, Heijō-kyō, at Nara, laid out on a grid like the Chinese capital. Buddhism flourished and the great temple of Tōdai-ji was built here.

2. 1192

   Minamoto no Yoritomo becomes shogun

   After winning a long war between two great clans, Yoritomo was named shogun, the top military ruler, and governed from Kamakura. Shoguns would hold real power, in the emperor's name, for almost 700 years.

3. 1543

   Portuguese traders reach Japan

   A ship carrying Portuguese traders landed on the island of Tanegashima, the first Europeans known to reach Japan. They brought guns, which soon changed the way Japanese lords fought.

4. 1603

   Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes shogun

   Ieyasu was named shogun and ruled from Edo, today's Tokyo. His family kept Japan at peace for about 250 years, a time called the Edo period.

5. 1868

   The Meiji Restoration

   The last shogun gave up power and the young Emperor Meiji was restored as head of the state. Edo was renamed Tokyo, meaning eastern capital, and Japan began to modernise at great speed.

6. 1945

   Atomic bombs and surrender

   In August 1945 the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Japan surrendered, ending the Second World War.

7. 1964

   Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics

   The Tokyo Olympics were the first Olympic Games held in Asia. The first bullet train line opened just days before, and the Games showed the world a rebuilt, modern Japan.

8. 2019

   The Reiwa era begins

   Emperor Akihito stepped down, the first emperor to do so in about 200 years, and his son Naruhito took the throne on 1 May 2019. Japan names its years by era, and the new one is called Reiwa.

Family recipes to cook together

Miso soup 15 min · serves 4Onigiri (rice balls) 40 min · serves 4Okonomiyaki 35 min · serves 2Chicken teriyaki 25 min · serves 2Oyakodon 25 min · serves 2

Japanese words to teach the grandchildren

Towns and regions

• Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Kantō: The Imperial Palace, Sensō-ji temple in Asakusa.
• Yokohama, Kanagawa, Kantō: Japan's largest Chinatown, The Minato Mirai waterfront.
• Nagoya, Aichi, Chūbu: Nagoya Castle and its golden roof fish, The car industry.
• Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Chūbu: Kenroku-en garden, Gold leaf.
• Kyoto, Kyoto, Kansai: The Golden Pavilion, Fushimi Inari's red gates.
• Osaka, Osaka, Kansai: Takoyaki and okonomiyaki, Osaka Castle.
• Nara, Nara, Kansai: The Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji, The deer of Nara Park.
• Himeji, Hyōgo, Kansai: Himeji Castle, Kōko-en gardens.
• Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Chūgoku: The Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.
• Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Kyushu: Hakata tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen, Yatai food stalls by the river.
• Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Kyushu: Dejima, the old Dutch trading post, The Peace Park.
• Sapporo, Hokkaido: The Sapporo Snow Festival in February, Miso ramen.
• Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Chūbu: Views of Mount Fuji, The Yoshida climbing trail.