The meiji restoration of japan

For the most part japan has been a isolated secluded country. That was until Commodore Matthew Perry arrived with a fleet of steam powered ships. The Japanese have never seen big black steam driven monsters loaded with guns such as these and it was more then enough persuasion for japan to open its ports for American vessels. With all the new trade coming in and all the cultural diffusion and the Japanese getting pushed around they realized that they needed to make some changes. When Emperor Meiji came around that's just what happened. Japan threw away its feudal system and borrowed ideas from western countries. After some time japan became a modern powerful nation in Asia. By the way japan is an Archipelago which is a chain of islands =D