Japan

Unearthed stone tools from Culture Ⅲ in Kanedori

Source: official website of Tono City, Iwate Prefecture

The beginning of this period was the time of the first human influx into the Japanese archipelago, and there is much debate as to its age.

There are more than 10,000 sites belonging to this period in Japan. For example, the Kanedori(金取) site in Tōno(遠野), Iwate Prefecture, is believed to date back 50,000 or 80,000-90,000 years. (Interestingly, Tōno has many old legends. This old legends will be discussed again in the Heian period section.)

At this time, Europe and North America were covered by glaciers. Sea level had dropped by 120 meters. The Pacific side of Eurasia was warmer than the Atlantic side and was not covered by glaciers except at higher elevations. As it is estimated that Homo sapiens arrived in the Japanese archipelago about 35,000 years ago, so it is assumed that the islands were inhabited by Denisovans and other old humans before that time.