We begin 35,000 years ago with the earliest known humans who lived on Japan, the paleolithic hunter-gatherers, followed by the semi-sedentary Jōmon people. Little is known for certain about either group, but I try to construct a basic outline for what their lives would have been like.

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We shift our focus to the far north to the ancient Ainu people who lived on Hokkaido and Sakhalin, then to the far south to the ancient Ryukyuan people who live on Okinawan Islands.

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The Jōmon people were the best at what they did, and what they did was... pottery! The ceramics of ancient Japan are fascinating and they tell an interesting story of a people adapting to a changing world.

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From creating rice and millet agriculture to forging political dynasties, China and Korea went through many important changes during the Jōmon period as well.

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The Jōmon people suffered calamities which caused many of them to abandon their western settlements and relocate to the northeast, leaving Kyushu and western Honshu relatively empty. Enter the Yayoi: the people who brought large-scale agriculture to Japan.

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The story of the biggest hoax in the history of Japanese Archaeology. WARNING: this episode talks about suicide.

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If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

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In this bonus episode, we'll explore some of the dinosaurs that were native to Japan millions of years before humans even existed!

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Meet the mysterious masked stranger behind the voice, and learn when to expect season 2!

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