Early Japan
Early Japanese culture was heavily influenced by Korean and Chinese civilization, with Korea often acting as the bridge between the other two.  This method of cultural diffusion lasted from the early 100s CE until approximately 600 CE.  At that point, Japan began to have direct contact with China, which was ruled by the Tang Dynasty.  For a five hundred year period, Japan selectively borrowed many aspects of Chinese civilization while maintaining a distinctly Japanese culture.

Selective Borrowing
The Japanese borrowed various ideas from Chinese culture.  The Chinese system of writing was carried to Japan by the Koreans.  The Japanese later modified this system by adding Kana, which are phonetic symbols representing syllables.  This is similar to a western alphabet.  Japan also adapted Buddhist and Confucian ideas to their civilization, with Zen Buddhism becoming very popular among the people.  Cultural ideas such as tea drinking, and the elaborate tea ceremony were also adapted from China, as well as the architectural designs for the pagoda.

Feudal Japan
Japan's feudal period lasted from the 12th century until the 19th century.  During this period, society was divided in different classes.  At the top, was the Emperor, although he had little real power.  Japan was ruled by the Shogun, who was a military leader with near absolute control. The most successful was the Tokugawa Shogunate, which ruled Japan from 1603 until 1868.

Under the leadership of the Tokugawa Shoguns, Japan experience a time of peace and stability.  This led to a strengthening of the economy, as agriculture and commerce were improved. The result was an era of cultural and intellectual accomplishments.

Zen Buddhism
Zen beliefs such as, devotion to duty and the precise performance of everyday tasks, helped to shape Japan.  These practices translated in cultural achievements like the tea ceremony and landscape gardening.  Also, Zen Buddhist brought the architectural style of the pagoda to Japan.  This style of building can be seen throughout their society.

Arts & Literature
During the 1300s, the Japanese developed Nô theatre in which men wore decorative mask and performed on stage, while a chorus sang the lines. Nô theatre reflected Buddhist ideas such as resisting selfish behavior.  In the 1600s, Kabuki theatre began.  Kabuki was similar to Nô, except the stories were usually comedic or melodramatic presentations of everyday life or historic events.

Japanese literature appeared in many forms, with the most prominent being the Haiku.  A Haiku is a 3 line poem that has 17 syllables in the Japanese language, that expresses a single thought, feeling or idea.  Other forms of literary achievement include stories of war and conflict, and a few books written by women.

Japanese art reflected strong Chinese influence.  Landscape painting was popular, with Japanese artists developing their own styles and tastes.  During the 1600s, Japanese artists developed wood block printing that produced colorful prints available to the middle class and commoners.