Ishikawa Entrance Social Studies cheat sheet

Japan's four main islands north to south: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu; about 73% of the land is mountainous, so plains and population concentrate on narrow coastal lowlands.

Climate rule: Pacific side (omote-Nihon) gets summer rain and winter dryness; Sea of Japan side (ura-Nihon) gets heavy winter snow from northwest monsoon winds crossing the warm Tsushima Current.

Six climate zones: Hokkaido (subarctic), Tohoku and Hokuriku (cool, heavy snow), Kanto and Tokai (Pacific), Kinki and Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu (warm, typhoons), Nansei Islands (subtropical).

Map scale: a 1:25,000 topographic map covers 4 cm per 1 km; contour interval is usually 10 m, and hachure lines mark depressions.

Industrial belt: Keihin, Chukyo, Hanshin, and Kitakyushu form the Pacific Belt; heavy industry clusters near ports because raw materials are imported.

Population facts: Japan's population peaked near 128 million around 2008 and is shrinking; Tokyo-to has the highest density, and aging rates are highest in rural prefectures.

Latitude/longitude anchor points: Tokyo about 35°N 139°E, Cape Soya about 45°N, and the Tropic of Cancer at 23.4°N runs south of Okinawa's main island.

Agriculture rule: rice dominates flat alluvial plains; fruit and vegetables cluster near big cities; Hokkaido leads in dairy and wheat; Okinawa grows sugarcane and pineapple.

Periodization order: Jomon, Yayoi, Kofun, Asuka, Nara (710–794), Heian (794–1185), Kamakura (1185–1333), Muromachi (1336–1573), Azuchi-Momoyama (1573–1603), Edo (1603–1868), Meiji (1868–1912), Taisho (1912–1926), Showa (1926–1989), Heisei (1989–2019), Reiwa (2019–).

Key dates: 645 Taika Reform, 710 Nara capital, 794 Heian capital, 1192 Kamakura shogunate, 1600 Sekigahara, 1639 sakoku closure, 1854 Perry treaty, 1868 Meiji Restoration, 1889 Meiji Constitution, 1945 surrender, 1947 new Constitution.

Ritsuryo system: Taika Reform and the Taiho Code (701) created a centralized state with kokushi governors, handen land allotment, and a tax system of soyocho.

Feudal rule: Kamakura used the shugo/jito system; the Muromachi shogunate declined after the Onin War (1467–77), opening the Sengoku period of regional daimyo.

Edo control tools: sankin kotai (alternate attendance), buke shohatto, and the class order shi-no-ko-sho; sakoku restricted foreign contact to Nagasaki, Tsushima, Satsuma, and Matsumae.

Modernization sequence: Meiji land-tax reform and conscription (1873), industrial promotion (shokusan kogyo), Sino-Japanese War (1894–95), Russo-Japanese War (1904–05), annexation of Korea (1910).

Postwar milestones: 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, 1956 UN membership, 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Shinkansen, 1968 became the world's second-largest economy, 1972 Okinawa reversion.

Constitution structure: Preamble plus 103 articles in 11 chapters; the three principles are popular sovereignty, fundamental human rights, and pacifism (Article 9).

Rights rules: Article 14 equality, Article 19 freedom of thought, Article 21 assembly and speech, Article 25 minimum standard of living; rights may be limited only for the common welfare.

Separation of powers: the Diet is the sole lawmaking body and designates the Prime Minister; the Cabinet is collectively responsible to the Diet; courts exercise judicial power with an independent Supreme Court.

Election system: House of Representatives uses a mixed system of single-member districts plus proportional representation; the voting age is 18; the House of Councillors has six-year terms with half elected every three years.

Constitutional amendment needs a two-thirds vote in each house plus a majority in a national referendum; the Supreme Court may review laws for constitutionality.

Economy: Japan uses a market economy with government regulation; the Bank of Japan sets monetary policy, and fiscal policy is set by the Diet and Cabinet; the national debt is the largest share of GDP among advanced economies.

Local government: governors and mayors are directly elected; local assemblies pass ordinances (jorei) and budgets; the central government provides local allocation tax to equalize finances.

Reading a population pyramid: a narrow base means low birth rate; a wide top means high life expectancy; Japan's shape is an inverted pyramid with a bulge at ages 65–74.

Graph type rule: line graphs show change over time; bar graphs compare categories; pie charts show composition; scatter plots reveal correlation, not causation.

Trade data: Japan's imports are dominated by fossil fuels and raw materials, exports by machinery and automobiles; a trade surplus means exports exceed imports.

Map reading order: title, legend, scale, direction, then pattern; in a choropleth map, darker shading usually means a larger value per unit area.

Source reading method: identify author, date, and purpose before using a quotation; compare documents to detect bias, and separate fact from opinion.

Cause-and-effect chains: industrialization raises urbanization, which lowers birth rates, which raises the aging rate and the fiscal burden; this chain links geography, history, and civics.

Chart calculation: percentage change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100; a share of a whole = part ÷ total × 100; check whether a chart's vertical axis starts at zero before comparing heights.

Japan's four main islands north to south: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu; about 73% of the land is mountainous, so plains and population concentrate on narrow coastal lowlands.

Climate rule: Pacific side (omote-Nihon) gets summer rain and winter dryness; Sea of Japan side (ura-Nihon) gets heavy winter snow from northwest monsoon winds crossing the warm Tsushima Current.

Six climate zones: Hokkaido (subarctic), Tohoku and Hokuriku (cool, heavy snow), Kanto and Tokai (Pacific), Kinki and Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu (warm, typhoons), Nansei Islands (subtropical).

Map scale: a 1:25,000 topographic map covers 4 cm per 1 km; contour interval is usually 10 m, and hachure lines mark depressions.

Industrial belt: Keihin, Chukyo, Hanshin, and Kitakyushu form the Pacific Belt; heavy industry clusters near ports because raw materials are imported.

Population facts: Japan's population peaked near 128 million around 2008 and is shrinking; Tokyo-to has the highest density, and aging rates are highest in rural prefectures.

Latitude/longitude anchor points: Tokyo about 35°N 139°E, Cape Soya about 45°N, and the Tropic of Cancer at 23.4°N runs south of Okinawa's main island.

Agriculture rule: rice dominates flat alluvial plains; fruit and vegetables cluster near big cities; Hokkaido leads in dairy and wheat; Okinawa grows sugarcane and pineapple.

Periodization order: Jomon, Yayoi, Kofun, Asuka, Nara (710–794), Heian (794–1185), Kamakura (1185–1333), Muromachi (1336–1573), Azuchi-Momoyama (1573–1603), Edo (1603–1868), Meiji (1868–1912), Taisho (1912–1926), Showa (1926–1989), Heisei (1989–2019), Reiwa (2019–).

Key dates: 645 Taika Reform, 710 Nara capital, 794 Heian capital, 1192 Kamakura shogunate, 1600 Sekigahara, 1639 sakoku closure, 1854 Perry treaty, 1868 Meiji Restoration, 1889 Meiji Constitution, 1945 surrender, 1947 new Constitution.

Ritsuryo system: Taika Reform and the Taiho Code (701) created a centralized state with kokushi governors, handen land allotment, and a tax system of soyocho.

Feudal rule: Kamakura used the shugo/jito system; the Muromachi shogunate declined after the Onin War (1467–77), opening the Sengoku period of regional daimyo.

Edo control tools: sankin kotai (alternate attendance), buke shohatto, and the class order shi-no-ko-sho; sakoku restricted foreign contact to Nagasaki, Tsushima, Satsuma, and Matsumae.

Modernization sequence: Meiji land-tax reform and conscription (1873), industrial promotion (shokusan kogyo), Sino-Japanese War (1894–95), Russo-Japanese War (1904–05), annexation of Korea (1910).

Postwar milestones: 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, 1956 UN membership, 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Shinkansen, 1968 became the world's second-largest economy, 1972 Okinawa reversion.

Constitution structure: Preamble plus 103 articles in 11 chapters; the three principles are popular sovereignty, fundamental human rights, and pacifism (Article 9).

Rights rules: Article 14 equality, Article 19 freedom of thought, Article 21 assembly and speech, Article 25 minimum standard of living; rights may be limited only for the common welfare.

Separation of powers: the Diet is the sole lawmaking body and designates the Prime Minister; the Cabinet is collectively responsible to the Diet; courts exercise judicial power with an independent Supreme Court.

Election system: House of Representatives uses a mixed system of single-member districts plus proportional representation; the voting age is 18; the House of Councillors has six-year terms with half elected every three years.

Constitutional amendment needs a two-thirds vote in each house plus a majority in a national referendum; the Supreme Court may review laws for constitutionality.

Economy: Japan uses a market economy with government regulation; the Bank of Japan sets monetary policy, and fiscal policy is set by the Diet and Cabinet; the national debt is the largest share of GDP among advanced economies.

Local government: governors and mayors are directly elected; local assemblies pass ordinances (jorei) and budgets; the central government provides local allocation tax to equalize finances.

Reading a population pyramid: a narrow base means low birth rate; a wide top means high life expectancy; Japan's shape is an inverted pyramid with a bulge at ages 65–74.

Graph type rule: line graphs show change over time; bar graphs compare categories; pie charts show composition; scatter plots reveal correlation, not causation.

Trade data: Japan's imports are dominated by fossil fuels and raw materials, exports by machinery and automobiles; a trade surplus means exports exceed imports.

Map reading order: title, legend, scale, direction, then pattern; in a choropleth map, darker shading usually means a larger value per unit area.

Source reading method: identify author, date, and purpose before using a quotation; compare documents to detect bias, and separate fact from opinion.

Cause-and-effect chains: industrialization raises urbanization, which lowers birth rates, which raises the aging rate and the fiscal burden; this chain links geography, history, and civics.

Chart calculation: percentage change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100; a share of a whole = part ÷ total × 100; check whether a chart's vertical axis starts at zero before comparing heights.

Japan's four main islands north to south: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu; about 73% of the land is mountainous, so plains and population concentrate on narrow coastal lowlands.

Climate rule: Pacific side (omote-Nihon) gets summer rain and winter dryness; Sea of Japan side (ura-Nihon) gets heavy winter snow from northwest monsoon winds crossing the warm Tsushima Current.

Six climate zones: Hokkaido (subarctic), Tohoku and Hokuriku (cool, heavy snow), Kanto and Tokai (Pacific), Kinki and Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu (warm, typhoons), Nansei Islands (subtropical).

Map scale: a 1:25,000 topographic map covers 4 cm per 1 km; contour interval is usually 10 m, and hachure lines mark depressions.

Industrial belt: Keihin, Chukyo, Hanshin, and Kitakyushu form the Pacific Belt; heavy industry clusters near ports because raw materials are imported.

Population facts: Japan's population peaked near 128 million around 2008 and is shrinking; Tokyo-to has the highest density, and aging rates are highest in rural prefectures.

Latitude/longitude anchor points: Tokyo about 35°N 139°E, Cape Soya about 45°N, and the Tropic of Cancer at 23.4°N runs south of Okinawa's main island.

Agriculture rule: rice dominates flat alluvial plains; fruit and vegetables cluster near big cities; Hokkaido leads in dairy and wheat; Okinawa grows sugarcane and pineapple.

Periodization order: Jomon, Yayoi, Kofun, Asuka, Nara (710–794), Heian (794–1185), Kamakura (1185–1333), Muromachi (1336–1573), Azuchi-Momoyama (1573–1603), Edo (1603–1868), Meiji (1868–1912), Taisho (1912–1926), Showa (1926–1989), Heisei (1989–2019), Reiwa (2019–).

Key dates: 645 Taika Reform, 710 Nara capital, 794 Heian capital, 1192 Kamakura shogunate, 1600 Sekigahara, 1639 sakoku closure, 1854 Perry treaty, 1868 Meiji Restoration, 1889 Meiji Constitution, 1945 surrender, 1947 new Constitution.

Ritsuryo system: Taika Reform and the Taiho Code (701) created a centralized state with kokushi governors, handen land allotment, and a tax system of soyocho.

Feudal rule: Kamakura used the shugo/jito system; the Muromachi shogunate declined after the Onin War (1467–77), opening the Sengoku period of regional daimyo.

Edo control tools: sankin kotai (alternate attendance), buke shohatto, and the class order shi-no-ko-sho; sakoku restricted foreign contact to Nagasaki, Tsushima, Satsuma, and Matsumae.

Modernization sequence: Meiji land-tax reform and conscription (1873), industrial promotion (shokusan kogyo), Sino-Japanese War (1894–95), Russo-Japanese War (1904–05), annexation of Korea (1910).

Postwar milestones: 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, 1956 UN membership, 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Shinkansen, 1968 became the world's second-largest economy, 1972 Okinawa reversion.

Constitution structure: Preamble plus 103 articles in 11 chapters; the three principles are popular sovereignty, fundamental human rights, and pacifism (Article 9).

Rights rules: Article 14 equality, Article 19 freedom of thought, Article 21 assembly and speech, Article 25 minimum standard of living; rights may be limited only for the common welfare.

Separation of powers: the Diet is the sole lawmaking body and designates the Prime Minister; the Cabinet is collectively responsible to the Diet; courts exercise judicial power with an independent Supreme Court.

Election system: House of Representatives uses a mixed system of single-member districts plus proportional representation; the voting age is 18; the House of Councillors has six-year terms with half elected every three years.

Constitutional amendment needs a two-thirds vote in each house plus a majority in a national referendum; the Supreme Court may review laws for constitutionality.

Economy: Japan uses a market economy with government regulation; the Bank of Japan sets monetary policy, and fiscal policy is set by the Diet and Cabinet; the national debt is the largest share of GDP among advanced economies.

Local government: governors and mayors are directly elected; local assemblies pass ordinances (jorei) and budgets; the central government provides local allocation tax to equalize finances.

Reading a population pyramid: a narrow base means low birth rate; a wide top means high life expectancy; Japan's shape is an inverted pyramid with a bulge at ages 65–74.

Graph type rule: line graphs show change over time; bar graphs compare categories; pie charts show composition; scatter plots reveal correlation, not causation.

Trade data: Japan's imports are dominated by fossil fuels and raw materials, exports by machinery and automobiles; a trade surplus means exports exceed imports.

Map reading order: title, legend, scale, direction, then pattern; in a choropleth map, darker shading usually means a larger value per unit area.

Source reading method: identify author, date, and purpose before using a quotation; compare documents to detect bias, and separate fact from opinion.

Cause-and-effect chains: industrialization raises urbanization, which lowers birth rates, which raises the aging rate and the fiscal burden; this chain links geography, history, and civics.

Chart calculation: percentage change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100; a share of a whole = part ÷ total × 100; check whether a chart's vertical axis starts at zero before comparing heights.