Japan’s historical eras begin with the Jomon period, which came after the Stone Age. The Jomon era predates Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations. Famous figures of this era include, Tutankhamun, Buddha and Aesop. The first Emperor Jinmu, whose existence has been questioned, could also be added to this list. In the following Yayoi era, rice planting flourished. In the 3rd century Queen Himiko who unified and governed several small kingdoms in Japan, appeared. Living in the world at that time were Socrates, Plato, Alexander the Great, Qin Shi Huang, Caesar, Cleopatra, and Christ. In the Kofun era, we could name the Emperor Nintoku, who was buried in one of the world’s largest tombs, and the legendary King Arthur. In the subsequent Asuka era, Prince Shotoku who introduced political reforms, and Muhammad, the founder of Islam, appeared. In the Nara era, a huge statue of the Buddha was constructed, while the poetry collection “Manyoshu” was compiled. In the Heian era, which lasted almost 400 years, Kukai, who had a huge influence on Japanese Buddhism, made an appearance. In addition, Murasaki Shikibu wrote “The Tale of Genji,” and Angkor Wat was constructed in Cambodia. After that, Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Kamakura shognate (regime) and the samurai era began, while Genghis Khan conquered almost all of the Eurasian continent. In Europe, this was followed by the Renaissance. Next up is the Muromachi era, which includes a time during which the Imperial Court was divided by warring factions to the north and south. In this period, the book “The Travels of Marco Polo” was published. This was followed by the Warring States era, during which time warlords all over the country fought with each other. Around the same time, the plague caused a worldwide pandemic. In the West, an age of discovery began with Columbus discovering the American Continent. Figures from this period include the genius Leonardo da Vinci, who was known for works including the Mona Lisa, and Luther who began the Reformation. After this was the Azuchi-Momoyama era. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the humble son of a farmer, managed to unify Japan after taking over from unorthodox strategist Oda Nobunaga. Next, Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated Toyotomi’s forces at Sekigahara in a battle that pitted the two great powers of Japan against each other ushering in the Edo period. Ieyasu lived in the same period as Elizabeth I, Shakespeare, and Galileo. The Edo era lasted for about 260 years and was largely peaceful. During this period, Newton discovered the laws of gravity and the industrial period began in the West. The American War of Independence and the French Revolution also occurred during this time. In addition, Darwin’s “Theory of evolution” was published. In the latter half of the 19th century, the Meiji Restoration was successfully carried out by Sakamoto Ryoma and others, who called for the country’s modernization and for a political setup headed by the emperor.