There are many tales of how japan formed, but the most popular is that drops of water that fell from a jeweled spear that a god had dipped into the ocean created Japan. Each drop, apparently formed an island. Japan is located 120 miles off the coast of Asia. Only 15% of the land there is flat enough for cultivation. Because there was so little farming land available the more land you had, the more power you had. This is how Daimyo came to have so much power. They owned the most land, so they had the most power. Another way farming land affected the economy has to do with surpluses. With so little land available, there wouldn't be as much of a chance of a surplus. This means that a family would have to have work harder to support themselves because they couldn't sell extra food. On the bright side, rice grows very well there because of it's mild climate and plenty of rainfall. Also because of this it has turned in to a lush land. The Japanese show a very strong love for this beauty, and as a result, the main religion of Japan, Shinto, was formed. Because it's an island there is lots of fish and it forms a natural barrier to invading forces. Not that any of the neighboring countries would invade Japan. Japan is close to many countries, including China and Korea. The Japanese took a lot from their neighbors. For example, the word "Japan" comes from the Chinese word Nippon meaning "land of the rising sun."