Step back into the time of shoguns and samurai, with the help of fascinating facts, 15 hands-on projects and over 330 exciting pictures. You can discover the amazing Japanese civilization, and learn about a culture that has existed for thousands of years. You can marvel at the secrets of this island nation - a land of emperors and shoguns, tea ceremonies and martial arts. This lively book features fact boxes that provide extra insights and highlight links with the present; 15 practical projects that enable you to re-create the past - wear a dramatic theatrical mask, fly a carp streamer, decorate an elaborate Japanese screen, and make a magnificent helmet fit for a samurai warrior; and more than 330 photographs and illustrations that include diagrams, a historical map and a pictorial timeline. The book is ideal for home or school use for 8- to 12-year-olds. Go back in time more than 30,000 years, to when the first settlers reached Japan and a highly sophisticated civilization was born. You can explore the grand palaces of regal emperors and shoguns, be amazed by the fighting skills of the feuding samurai, and admire the exquisite embroidery of the palace women's glossy silk kimonos. The book features step-by-step projects that allow you to delve into everyday life and find out about ancient Japanese foods, skills and fashions - make delicious rice balls, try your hand at the delicate art of calligraphy, and sculpt a netsuke toggle!.