Japan is the world's third-largest economy and the producer of many of the world's best products, from video games to cars. Yet most Americans don't know much about the country's rich history.
Thankfully, Bill Wurtz, who has achieved internet stardom after his world history video, has another video to get everyone caught up on Japan's history — and it's hilarious.
In nine minutes, Wurtz goes through a broad but very entertaining history of Japan: the early settlement through frozen land bridges, the spread of rice cultivation, the internal wars Japanese states fought before final unification, Japan's attempts to shield itself from the rest of the world until America and other Western countries intervened, the world wars, and, finally, modern Japan.
The video is not comprehensive — after all, it's only nine minutes to explain the history of a country that spans thousands of years. It doesn't include, for example, the atrocities Japan committed against Korea and China during and between the world wars, such as the Rape of Nanking and Japan's use of Korean sex slaves. (Some Reddit users also posted bits that the video glossed over, missed, or misrepresented here, here, and here.)
Still, it's a pretty good — and surprisingly funny — rundown of Japan's history.
If you want to learn more about Japanese history, Isaac Meyer has a fantastic podcast on the topic, with new episodes each week. The YouTube channel Extra Credits also did a great series on some of Japan's internal wars before unification. But overall, Wurtz's video is a great, if a bit strange, introduction.
